Members of the Sackville Minor Hockey community are coming together to help the family of a 16-year-old boy who died after being diagnosed with meningitis.
Rylee Sears, a Grade 10 student at Sackville High School, contracted meningococcal meningitis and passed away in hospital Monday.
The Sackville teen was also a defenseman on the Sackville Flyers Midget B team and his teammates will pay tribute to him this weekend.
Both the Midget B and Midget A teams will face off Sunday in a memorial game, with funds going to the Sears family.
The players are challenging other teams, as well as local businesses and Sears’ family and friends, to donate $100 each to the cause.
In a statement posted to its website, the Sackville Minor Hockey Association called Sears a ‘gentle giant’ who ‘played for the love of the game.’
“More important than his athletic accomplishments was the type of fine young man that he was. His life was a shining example of how he embodied the principles of character and class we all strive to attain. His magnetic smile and joyful personality made him an instant favourite in the dressing room, on the playing field and in his neighbourhood,” said the association in a statement.
The game will be held from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Sackville Arena.
Donations can also be made through a GoFundMe page created for the Sears family.
