By C1 Staff
WATERTOWN, NY — What started out as a conversation between friends turned into a weekly hockey league and successful charity tournament.
The Watertown Daily Times reports that the seven-team tri-county municipal league will start practice on October 16 and begin play in November. The league consists of public service workers from Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, and is spearheaded by Greg Binion, a corrections officer and plays for the New York State Corrections Officers and Benevolent Association Bulldogs.
“Instead of just showing or donating, we get dirty and do it ourselves,” says Binion, who has played in games for NYSCOBA against teams representing the Toronto Police Department and Pennsylvania and New Jersey state troopers.
The league came about after Mountaineers of Fort Drum player Diontae Guy talked to Binion about a few charity games, which then morphed into a weekly league.
The league plays once a week and runs until March, with established teams representing NYSCOBA, Massena Valley Fire Department, The Mountaineers of Fort Drum, Watertown City Fire, Jefferson County Volunteer Firefighters and New York State Police.
The six teams will be joined this season by a team representing the Town of Lowville. Binion says he wants to eventually expand to 12 teams.
The teams came together to hold a tournament benefitting the Wounded Warrior project in January at the Watertown Fairgrounds as part of the Snowtown USA festival. The event raised more than $15,000 dollars and drew praise from Wounded Warrior national headquarters based in Jacksonville, Florida.
The tournament this January will be moved to later in the festival because tournament officials are hoping to outdo last year’s total.