TRAVERSE CITY — The 13th annual Guns N’ Hoses charity hockey game raised $15,168.40 for the family of a fallen local firefighter on Saturday. The event, held at Center Ice Arena in Traverse City, honored the memory of Springfield Township Fire Department Lieutenant Jonathan Michael Miner.
Miner died unexpectedly last year at age 50. The Guns and Hoses nonprofit was established 13 years ago to support a first responder battling cancer and has since raised more than $300,000 for public safety members and their families.
The charity game featured Team Bravest and Team Finest, which consisted of local police and fire department members who spent months fundraising. Bravest won the matchup with a final score of 8-6. Businesses, volunteers and families contributed to the event at Centre Ice Arena.
Tony Posey, a member of the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department, helped start the annual event because of a shared interest in the sport among his colleagues. Posey noted that the organization has seen significant interest from the public since its first year.
“A lot of us in public safety love playing hockey,” Posey said. “The turnout that we saw that first night was like, man, we have to keep doing this every year. And from that point, it’s been exponential growth, which is awesome.”
The game honored Lieutenant Miner, who served as a firefighter for 30 years. He had worked as a sergeant before being promoted to lieutenant shortly before his death. His son, Austin Miner, is a lieutenant with the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department and participated in Saturday’s game.
Miner said it was a unique experience to be on the receiving end of the community’s generosity after years of service.
“Normally, we like to be on the other side helping people, not necessarily being on the side receiving it,” Miner said. “My dad... He’s a family man. That’s what this event is about. It’s family. The community is going to come together and we’re going to do the best we can.”