Viewfinder: Local Charities Win Big After Trenton Firefighter Hockey Tournament

took a few days off from saving lives and keeping the peace to participate in the .

Firefighters and police officers from as far away as London, Ontario, descended upon the to play two days of bone-crunching hockey.

Family members of players and hockey enthusiasts also made the trip down to the recreation center.

Capt. Alec Lesko of the has been a firefighter for 25 years and was one of the original members of the local hockey team–the Downriver Heat. Lesko had two sons, Brad and Mike, skating alongside him in the tournament.

"I enjoy skating with my sons," Lesko said.

Brad, 24, is a Southgate firefighter and has been skating since he was 3 years old. The two brothers said it was cool skating with their dad.

Mike and Julie Klein from New Boston came to watch their son Christopher, who also plays for the Downriver Heat.

The games were played from 9 a.m. to about 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. The three ice rinks at the recreation center were all made available for the tournament.

The athletes were separated into four groups of teams. Each group played for their own championship title and a year's worth of bragging rights. The championship games began at 1:20 p.m. Thursday and four teams emerged victorious.

The Southgate Police Department team beat Chatham Fire 5-1, the St. Clair Shores Fire Department beat London Fire 3-2, Lambton Police beat Winsdor Fire 3-2 and Detroit Fire beat the Windsor Police 6-1.

The true winners of the days’ games are the numerous charities that receive donations from the Trenton Fire Department throughout the year. The tournament raised at least $4,500 for local charities.

Some of the charities include:

• Relay for Life
• American Heart Association
• DTE Energy's Light the Night at the Trenton Cultural Center
• A $1,000 scholarship for a Trenton High School senior planning on going into fire service or criminal justice in college.
• The Trenton Special Needs Activities Program (S.N.A.P)
• The Jingle Walk in Trenton
• Fire and Ice: Ice Carving at Cultural Center
• The Annual Hockey Showcase at Kennedy Recreation Center
• Kids Burn Camp 
• Bowl for Burns
• The Karmanos Cancer Institute
• The University of Michigan Burn Center
• The Muscular Dystrophy Association
• Adopt A Family

The funds were raised with tournament entry fees, donations, T-shirt sales and raffles.