CHAMPLIN, Minn. – A Twin Cities high school hockey team took to the ice Friday night for the first time since losing a teammate to a long battle with cancer. Max Akerson passed away earlier this week.
His Champlin Park High School teammates played their first game of the season against Woodbury on Friday evening. Fans wore T-shirts in memory of the 16-year-old who battled liver cancer in recent years. Before the game, WCCO’s Jeff Wagner visited his home arena to see how the community continues to play for Max.
The biting icy wind outside the Champlin Ice Forum doesn’t come close to the pain this hockey community is feeling.
There’s a shirt hanging by the door for a goalkeeper who will never be able to wear it, while a memorial decorated with photos of good times evokes a mix of emotions for those who knew Max.
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“Sadness but also just gratitude that we dedicated this site to Max,” said Payton Johnson, a friend and former teammate of Max’s from hockey and lacrosse. He stopped at the monument to say a prayer before his matches in the arena. “He was a great person, a great friend. And he was always just smart. And you could see God’s light in him all the time.”
Max’s battle with cancer came to an end just days before the Champlin Park Rebels prepared to drop the puck on their season.
“The day he passed away, we had a closed-door meeting where everyone could let their emotions out and talk about it,” said Tom Potter, head coach of the varsity team.
The mantra, Play for Max, was part of the players’ motivation heading into the season. It now takes on a new meaning.
“They know that if Max was still with us, he would have given his best day in and day out and continued to give it everything he had and have fun with it,” Potter said. “Talking to some of the players on the team, we have no reason not to give everything we have this year.”
While Friday’s game was undoubtedly emotional for the team and community, there will be a huge effort to honor Max on December 5 at the Champlin Ice Forum when the team takes on Andover.
Fans are decked out in orange shirts, Max’s favorite color, for an ‘Orange Out’. Johnson is excited to be there and is looking forward to the atmosphere as both teams and audiences recognize his friend. Potter knows his boys will be prepared.
“On the night we honor Max, we want to make sure we honor him with a win and make sure we do everything we can to make him and his family proud,” Potter said.
During the game on December 5, the hockey team’s booster club will hold a silent auction and collect donations. The money raised will either fund a scholarship in Max’s name or go towards cancer research.
