Suffolk County Sheriff's Office hockey team, Long Island Warriors Veterans Hockey face off to help family in need

The face-off between the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office and the Long Island Warriors Veterans Hockey teams played in honor of the Drenckhan family.

News 12 Staff

Feb 26, 2023, 4:23 AM

Updated 567 days ago

Share:

Two powerhouse local hockey clubs laced up their skates in Bethpage Saturday night to help a local family who have faced one challenge after another.
Being in a wheelchair did not stop Joanne Drenckhan from dropping the puck in the Help A Hero showdown.
The face-off between the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office and the Long Island Warriors Veterans Hockey teams played in honor of Drenckhan, her husband and family.
Steve Drenckhan is an Air Force veteran and former Floral Park police officer who retired after a major accident at work.
Joanne Drenckhan is an ER nurse who underwent an emergency heart transplant and other surgeries six months ago.
The teams decided to raise money for the couple and their two kids who have all seen better days.
"To know that people really recognize that is so kind and for my husband for his service in the military, police -- it's just been really kind of them to want to honor us," Joanne Drenckhan said.
Raising money for the family was a no brainer for the two teams. Each said they wanted to honor the couple's service to the community and to help out in their time of need. Plus, the teams wanted to play each other again because the last time they faced off, the Warriors beat the sheriff's office.
"They want to win, we want to win, so it's going to be a good game and a fun game," said the Warriors' Tom Donaldson.
"It's not only a little pressure to win the game, but more importantly for us to raise money for a family in need," said Suffolk Sheriff Errol Toulon. He even took to the ice to play in the showdown -- an honor that was not lost on Joanne Drenckhan, who said she was overwhelmed with all of the love and support from the Long Island hockey community.
"It's amazing. It's honestly amazing," Joanne Drenckhan beamed.
Organizers estimated they expected to raise about $10,000 for the family.
In the end, the Suffolk Sheriff's Office beat the Warriors 5-2.