Greater Sudbury police will face off against city firefighters to support Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer when the Fire and Ice Charity Hockey Game returns to Sudbury Community Arena on Jan. 30 at 6:30 p.m.
Doors open at 5:30.
Thanks to the generosity of local sponsors and community members, this event has raised more than $52,000 in just two years for local children’s charities, the Greater Sudbury Police Service said in a media release.
In 2025 alone, more than $32,000 was donated to NOFCC, with 100 per cent of proceeds from more than 1,800 tickets going directly to support families navigating childhood cancer.
Organizers will partner once again with NOFCC, a Sudbury-based registered charity that provides financial, emotional and educational support to families navigating childhood cancer across Northern Ontario. Their work helps ease the burden of childhood cancer and brings hope to survivors and their loved ones.
GSPS will aim for a third straight championship win at the event. Intermissions will feature entertainment from youth hockey showcases, a puck-toss, T-shirt toss and a shoot-to-win contest which could see a lucky fan drive away in a vehicle courtesy of Crosstown Chevrolet.
Attendees can also enjoy a 50-50 draw, face painting, concessions, a silent auction and vendor tables.
Ashley Germain shared the story of her son, Gino, a three-year-old boy who was diagnosed with cancer at two and a half after doctors discovered a large tumour in his lung called pleuropulmonary blastoma, a rare cancer that primarily affects children under the age of three.
“Initially, Gino was diagnosed with a lung infection and was not improving with the prescribed treatment,” Germain said in the GSPS release. “Watching him decline and become sicker was incredibly difficult; we were in survival mode before the official diagnosis. Once doctors confirmed the cancer, we were able to begin treatment to save his life. The medical team was optimistic that they had the right protocol and expertise — and they were right.”
Gino has been in remission since November 2025.
“When treatment began, Brad and I had tunnel vision on our son,” Germain said. “We were admitted to SickKids for two and a half months, focusing only on Gino and barely managing our own basic needs. Everything else, our home in Sudbury, our routines, our lives — went on the back burner until we could deal with it later.
“Having a child with cancer is an unimaginable challenge. Your hopes and dreams for your child change in ways you never expect, and the life you envisioned as a parent no longer feels realistic. What many don’t realize is how expensive this journey is. When your child is critically ill, you want them near pediatric specialists. Only one parent is allowed to stay overnight at the hospital and because Gino was too young to be left alone, a second support person was essential — adding to the costs. Hotels (with Ronald McDonald House often having a waitlist), meals, travel, parking, medications not always covered by insurance, and maintaining two households while one parent is off work and the other works only when Gino is well enough — it all adds up quickly.”
Within days of sharing Gino’s diagnosis publicly on Facebook, NOFCC reached out to the family and offered financial support. The charity provided an initial $3,000 for families with newly diagnosed children and additional funds for appointments related to treatment, helping offset some of the costs.
“NOFCC feels like family,” Germain said. “They are real people rooting for us and supporting us through this difficult time. They truly understand the barriers families in Northern Ontario face when traveling for treatment. With me (mom) off work indefinitely and Brad doing his best to balance work and home, NOFCC’s support helped us manage everyday expenses and medical costs along the way. Their assistance gave us breathing room and eased the financial burden during a time when we needed it most.”
Tickets for Fire and Ice are available at greatersudbury.ca/tickets.