Rallying for a teammate

Folks who keep up with St. Louis Park High School's boys' hockey teams know that varsity forward Colin Petit, 17, has matured a lot over the past year.

About three years ago, Colin's father, Dale Petit, 53, was found to have brain cancer. After surgery and chemotherapy, the cancer went into remission. It came back about a year ago.

The family was dealt another blow last summer after doctors found that Colin's mother, Kim Petit, 49, had breast cancer. St. Louis Park parents, coaches and students said Colin has handled the adversity well. He has stepped up to help care for his two younger brothers, 14-year-old David and 11-year-old Adam, and he doesn't complain.

"He's almost like a third parent," St. Louis Park coach Tim Donahue said. "It's amazing to watch a young man transform like that."

The St. Louis Park Hockey Association also has stepped in to help the Petits, Donahue said. Members have done everything from giving Colin, David and Adam rides to practices or games to cooking meals and delivering them to the family's St. Louis Park home.

On Saturday, the hockey association will host a fundraiser and auction off more than 100 donated items starting at 5 p.m. before the Orioles face off against Benilde-St. Margaret's. The auction ends at 8 p.m.

St. Louis Park parent Loretta Smith said all proceeds will be donated to the Petits to help with medical bills and other expenses. Kari Conroy and other Park hockey parents helped organize the event.

Both teams will wear pink mouth guards in honor of Kim Petit. St. Louis Park teams have sported them since the season began, Donahue said. "It came from the kids. No one told them to do it."

St. Louis Park senior forward Benji Shandley, who has played with Colin Petit for several years, was the first to wear one of the pink mouth guards after a salesperson at a sports store gave him a pink guard as a joke. Shandley shrugged off the joke and took the idea back to the team as a tribute to Kim Petit. It caught on quickly.

Richfield's hockey teams wore them when they faced St. Louis Park last month. Benilde-St. Margaret's team is expected to wear them on Saturday.

"I think hockey has been a great release for [Colin]," Donahue said. "His junior class is a pretty tight-knit group of kids. They stick together on and off the court."

Donahue said Saturday's fundraiser is a classic example of the type of small-town camaraderie that defines the St. Louis Park High School community.