With the countdown on to Dec. 18 and the start of vacation, many St. Timothy School staff and Hockey Canada Skills Academy students were counting down for another reason – the annual staff vs. students hockey game at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre in Cochrane, Alta.

This year marked the third edition of the game, and it was bigger and better than ever.

For the second year in a row the game was a fundraiser for the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Center in Calgary, bringing out the staff, students and community members to support the game, and a terrific cause.

This year’s game included 25 junior high students from the HCSA program, and more than 15 staff, including principal Steve Petingola and vice-principal Robert Brabec.

The school held a number of events leading up to the game, including a movie and popcorn night, and a raffle with prizes that included autographed memorabilia from NHLers Jonas Hiller, Sean Monahan and Matt Stajan, items from the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins, and much more.

There is also a street hockey tournament scheduled for May that will accompany the on-ice fundraiser.

At the game, Canadian Tire provided door prizes, and appearances were made by former NHLers Curtis Glencross and Colin Forbes, along with Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) superintendent Gary Strother, CCSD trustee Serifino Scarpino, former St. Timothy principal Randy Smith, and, of course, Sheldon Kennedy.

In the end, the staff team was able to squeak out a 15-12 victory over the ever-pesky students.

A big thank you goes out to the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre for donating the ice time for the event, which raised more than $2,500 this year, pushing the two-year total for the game to $4,500.