By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com
The Twin City Thunder welcome all in and around the Lewiston-Auburn area to join them for their regularly scheduled home game of Thursday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. against the Northern Cyclones at Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn, Maine. This game will be presented as a fundraiser for the families directly affected by the Lewiston shootings of Oct. 25, which claimed the lives of 18 individuals and injured 13 others.
The incident led to a large multi-state manhunt conducted by local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as a shelter-in-place order in the twin cities of Lewiston and Auburn as well as additional Maine communities. The shelter-in-place ended Saturday with the discovery that the suspect had taken his own life.
“The shelter-in-place reminded me of the COVID-19 pandemic, where nobody could do anything for two days, just about 48 hours,” said Thunder Owner, GM and Head Coach Dan Hodge. “Now it’s time to start the healing process, so we’ll play Thursday and the proceeds from the $10 ticket sales will all go towards families who are directly impacted by the loss of their family members, or by injuries related to the shooting.”
In addition to the ticket sales, the Thunder will also be holding silent auctions that will include a signed Boston Bruins jersey and other sports memorabilia.
“Lewiston-Auburn is a tight-knit area. This is our sixth year and it has been a great community since we stepped foot in it in 2018,” said Hodge. “The outpouring of support shows me that this is a community that will heal, and heal together.”
While there is not a single conduit for the funds to the families, the Thunder will work to contribute to the many GoFundMe pages set up by families to cover such emotionally painful (and financially expensive) costs such as funeral and memorial arrangements, and medical bills.
“We are just doing the best we can to help our community.”
