LYNN — When asked about St. Mary’s student-athlete Chase Collins, it took boys hockey coach Matthew Smith a split second and four words to describe his top-line center.
“He’s a special kid,” said Smith, whose No. 11 Spartans are 7-3 in his second year in charge.
Not only the “great grades” and “huge hockey IQ,” according to Smith, but Collins is organizing a Hockey Fights Cancer Night for St. Mary’s game against No. 6 Hingham on Monday, Jan. 20 at Connery Rink. Puck-drop is slated for 4 p.m.
“Obviously, cancer is big and it affects everyone,” said Collins, whose uncle died from cancer and grandmother was diagnosed recently. “I thought it would be a good idea to get the whole St. Mary’s community together. I wanted to help bring money and awareness to the cause.”
Collins presented the idea to Smith and asked permission. The rest was history.
“He was going to run with it,” Smith said. “Coming up with this idea as a sophomore just shows how much of a special kid he is.”
Proceeds are headed to the American Cancer Society. There will be live auctions for sports memorabilia and both Red Sox and Celtics premium tickets.
“And the big prize is a Brian Boyle autographed jersey, who is from Hingham and a cancer survivor. So, I thought it’d be a great idea to reach out to him and he was great about it,” Collins said. “We’re also selling raffle tickets for two Bruins and two Celtics tickets, so the whole team is doing a great job at supporting the event and getting it out there.”
Last Friday at the school, Collins and teammates sold custom hats, shirts, and sweatshirts with St. Mary’s Hockey Fights Cancer logos on them.
“Zach Guelpa, Luke Malcuit, Kalen Huddle, Maddox Jacobsen, and Michael Nerich all helped out,” Collins said. “We already sold $600 of merchandise, so it’s really getting out there.”
Hockey Fights Cancer pride will be present on game day, including customized purple jerseys, purple tape on sticks, and customized hats for the coaching staff.
Hingham’s team donated money and is “supporting the cause as well,” according to Collins.
“There’s definitely going to be a lot of pride throughout the night,” he said. “The entire community is getting into it and it’s going to be a great night.”
Truth be told, it’s far from the first time Collins and company have given back to the community.
“Last year, as a team, we brought lasagna to homeless shelters and we did stitching on custom pillows for little kids who didn’t have much to sleep with,” Collins said. “We have a good group of kids who love doing this stuff.”
When asked about giving back – and the enjoyment he gets from doing it – Collins credited two of his family members.
“That’s always been how I’ve treated myself. My dad (assistant coach Don Collins) was the same kind of person. He played college hockey, too, and was the smallest guy on the team. He had a mindset of being a team player,” Collins said. “My grandfather (Don Sr.), same thing. I just have a good bloodline and they taught me how to be a good person on and off the ice.”
The Spartans eye two road wins (Arlington Catholic and Milton) before the big game next Monday.
“There are going to be a bunch of kids there,” Collins said. “It needs to be packed, it needs to be loud, and we need the support.”
