Memorial street hockey tournament held last weekend
Last weekend, June 25 and 26, the Friends of Donnie Higgins Committee held their annual memorial street hockey tournament and family fun event behind the DCR Murphy Rink in South Boston. The street hockey tournament, which was played in the Donnie Higgins Memorial Street Hockey Arena, featured two Mighty Mite teams, teams, six Mite and Squirt-age teams, as well as six Pee Wee and Bantam-age teams that competed in a double elimination tournament.
All the food, hot dogs and burgers, was generously donated by Sullivan’s. In the adjacent tennis courts, youngsters were also treated to popcorn and cotton candy while they played a variety of games. And, there was a dunk tank for the older kids and adults.
The Friends of Donnie Higgins Committee rely on one annual fundraising event which was held at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel last February, and will be held next March 11, 2017, at the same location. Their website is donniehiggins.com.
This year, the Committee has awarded over $40,000 in food, traveling vouchers, equipment and uniforms, to various athletic associations. Included this year are the Harry McDonough Sailing Program, the Tynan Community Center, Hogan Brother’s Boxing Team, Milton Mustangs Football League, the Walsh Community Center, North End Little League, the South Boston Boxing Club, Dorchester Pop Warner, Braintree Girls Softball, Condon Community Center, and the Cedar Grove Little League and Babe Ruth Leagues.
The Friends of Donnie Higgins sponsors are: Pro Print Boston (Jay Arthur), Beantown Athletics, Bob Nelson from RE/MAX, First Commons Bank, UTD Flooring, Quincy, the South Boston Youth Hockey League, Congressman Stephen F. Lynch, Mayor Martin Walsh, Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, Representative Nick Collins, Boston City Councilors Bill Linehan and Mike Flaherty, Tudor Plastering Inc., Seaport Restaurant, Liberty Bay Credit Union, JCALPRO, Harbinger Development, JRF Corp, Boston, the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel, Global Flooring, Quincy, Frank Webb’s Bath Center, Macauley &Sons Inc., Concrete Contracting, Randolph, Jim Fitzgerald, RE/MAX. Bolton Contracting Inc., South Boston, Chapin’s Fish and Chip and Beach Bar, bluefront telecom group, Harold Brothers Mechanical Contractors, Inc., M.J. O’Connor’s Pub Westin Waterfront, South Boston Citizen’s Association, Olga’s Kafe, Sullivan’s, Clarke Steel Fabricators, Ace Auto Body, Shenanigans, Sidewalk Cafe, Clover Tiling, Braintree, Carlingford Carpentry, Tibbets Plumbing, Medfield, AMPM Glass, Boston Carpenter’s Union Local 33, HUB Ticket Brokers, Molly Moo’s Ice Cream, K. Irwin Contractor Roofing Specialists, James Rudser Law Offices, Boston, Signature BOSTON, The Briar Group, Commonwealth Insurance Partners, LLC, North Quincy, NEBS, New England Building Supply, Penny and Robert, and the O’Brien, Burke, Maddox, Savage, Grealish, Kostas, Markos, and Noto Families.
The Friends of Donnie Higgins three corporate partners are Aloft Boston Seaport, Element Boston Seaport, and the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. Also, the committee would like to convey a special thanks to Sullivan’s and Beantown Athletics in Dorchester for all they do for the committee.
The Friends of Donnie Higgins are proud to serve the community which the late Donnie Higgins loved so dearly. His best friend Paul Kostas, along with Cathy Carter, and a dedicated group of his friends, decided to undertake this endeavor a few years ago.
“They’ve done all the work” said young Billy Higgins (not to be confused with his dad who is a junior himself). “Paul organizes our annual fundraising Gala at the Westin Hotel and Cathy takes care of all the record keeping. The committee overall has done a tremendous job.
“We are also having a street hockey program here beginning in July on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” young Billy added. “On Tuesdays (beginning July 12) it will be for the 14 and under players and on Thursdays it will be for the 15 and over players. We give the players shirts, some equipment, and feed them. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is our major sponsor for this project and we are thankful for their support.”
Billy Higgins Jr. is proud of the committee and knows how important it is to keep the Southie tradition alive by keeping youngsters busy in sports.
“It’s important for us to maintain our tradition in South Boston by having solid athletic programs for our children,” Billy Jr. said. “It’s great to see my son’s friends still involved in coaching even though some no longer live in South Boston.
“We have a lot of new people in South Boston,” he added. ‘We want to welcome them and get them involved in the community. They probably played sports when they were younger now they can get involved in coaching even if they don’t have children. We must keep the tradition alive because it’s our obligation to the future and because we love South Boston.”
