The Conard High School hockey team will hold a raffle Wednesday night at its game at Veterans Memorial Rink in West Hartford, with proceeds to support 11-year-old Brian Azinheira.

The Conard hockey team will be raising funds to support Brian Azinheira, an 11-year-old hockey player who is fighting cancer. Courtesy photo

By Ronni Newton

Conard High School’s hockey team will face Suffield on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Rink in West Hartford, but at the same time the team will be supporting a young athlete who is facing something far more serious.

Brian Azinheira, an 11-year-old from South Windsor who is an avid hockey player and goalie for his youth team, learned he had osteosarcoma when he sought treatment for what he thought was an injury to his arm but turned out to be a cancerous tumor.

“The hockey community is very small and many of our kids play with and against players from other towns over the years,” Conard head coach Greg Raymer said. “Brian’s cousins play in West Hartford and West Hartford Youth Hockey will also be doing a charity event on March 19 to support this cause,” he said.

The Conard team will be holding a 50/50 raffle, with proceeds going to support “Brian’s Battle,” Raymer said.

According to a GoFundMe campaign set up to assist Brian’s family with extra medical and travel expenses, “he has a long road ahead of him, as his treatment plan at Yale New Haven Hospital consists of 10 weeks of chemotherapy, followed by surgery on his arm, and then an additional 17 weeks of chemotherapy.”

Raymer said that anyone who cannot attend the game but would still like to contribute can do so directly through the GoFundMe campaign.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!