The second Annual Katie Robinson Memorial (Hockey) Showcase takes place this weekend at the Pullar Ice Arena in Sault Ste Marie.
Katie Robinson graduated from Sault Area High School in 2019. She then attended and played hockey at Aurora University in Illinois and was transferred home to LSSU, where she was excited to play hockey once again in her hometown.
Hockey was in her blood and bones starting at a very young age.
Katie started figure skating when she was eight. One year later, she convinced her mother that she wanted to play hockey.
But all her hopes and dreams came to a tragic end on June 17, 2021, when her car was rear-ended on Ashmun St. near Guido’s Pizza. She died at the scene.
Katie had a passion for making sure others felt included, and she did that through hockey and building relationships with other girls internationally and throughout our country.
Fifteen youth teams will play on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Big Bear, Pullar, and Norris Center.
The main event is the LSSU ACHA Women’s Hockey team taking on the Minnesota Gophers in the Marquee Showcase Game Saturday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. at the Pullar.
Admission is free; however, the team is encouraging everyone to bring a donation for the Diane Peppler Resource Center as this was Katie’s charity of choice. All other proceeds from the event will be put into the Katie Robinson Scholarship Fund.
Steve Habusta, director of the Chippewa County Community Foundation, said, "The showcase is a chance to remember her legacy with the Katie Robinson Scholarship Fund that is distributed each year for a Soo High student who exhibits the character that Katie herself exhibited."
When asked to describe Katie, LSSU Women's Hockey coach Matt Parker got choked up.
"That's a difficult question. I have two daughters myself, and she is somebody I hope my daughters grow up to be like. She was a phenomenal person. You can go on for days about the good things you can say about Katie. She made everybody feel important. She was somebody that would just light up a room," Parker said.
The wish list for the Diane Peppler Resource Center, game schedules and more information is on the Katie Robinson Showcase Facebook page.
