CSR Spotlight: The 11 Day Power Play

What started as a modest dream to set a world record evolved into an emotional journey to raising over $10 million for cancer research and care. The 11 Day Power Play, Inc. was founded by Roux’s Michael Lesakowski, a Vice President at our Buffalo office, and his wife Amy in 2016. Amy Lesakowski had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer eight years prior, overcoming the illness thanks to care she received at the world class research hospital Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 2017, The 11 Day Power Play had two goals: raising money for Roswell Park, and pulling off the world’s longest hockey game.

As it turned out, both goals were achieved, and the results exceeded everyone’s expectations. The hockey game, living up to the organization’s name, achieved the world record in early July 2017 with 40 men playing hockey continuously for more than 250 consecutive hours at the LECOM HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York. Among these players were Mike and Christopher Boron, a Roux Buffalo Principal Geologist.

Their determination granted the team world record holder status—and after so many long days and sleepless nights, this achievement was expected. The extent of their fundraising efforts, however, was unexpected: in 2017, The 11 Day Power Play raised $1.2 million for Roswell Park’s cutting edge research efforts, well exceeding their target.

Originally, Mike and Amy didn’t intend for The 11 Day Power Play to be an annual event, but the results of their fundraising and community acceptance were undeniable. Plus, the cause was personal. Mike’s mother and Chris’s sister had also been afflicted with cancer. Amy even went on to work at Roswell Park’s resource center, helping cancer patients find the most pertinent medical information and assisting with patient advocacy. With the cause being valuable to so many team members, The 11 Day Power Play has just reached its eighth consecutive year.

The annual game takes place in July, with the exception of their second world record game in 2021, documented by the Guinness Book of World Records. Due to COVID restrictions games were being held outside, and the team booked a spot at Riverworks, an outdoor rink along the Buffalo River, in late November. This definitely entailed some new challenges for the 40 players chasing the record for longest continuous hockey game for a second time. Mike recalled it was 20 degrees on one or two nights, particularly frigid in an open-air rink near the water. Conversely, there was a 70-degree day, causing the team to panic when the ice began to melt. Thankfully, though, the outdoor temperature stabilized, and the record was broken once again on the evening before Thanksgiving. Better yet, the fundraising had reached a new annual record high of $2.1 million.

While Mike embodies our famous Roux competitive spirit, he and Amy ultimately held sportsmanship over record-breaking, spring boarding The 11 Day Power Play into what they call the “community shift.” Through the community shift, new teams come in every three hours, allowing for 2,500 total hockey players throughout the 11 days. This game structure mimics many “traditional” hockey games rolled into one and helps to diversify the roster. Several women and children join the fun during community shift games—for the peewee division, you have to be the ever-appropriate age of eleven. “It’s been exciting seeing players’ children grow up over the years and eagerly wait for the year they can play alongside their parents,” recalled Mike. During these games, every player wears a “number 11” jersey out on the ice, signifying the players’ united fight against cancer.

Through adapting over the years, Mike and Amy also added new beneficiaries to the event. While a portion of the proceeds still benefit Roswell Park, The 11 Day Power Play now donates to the well-known Make-A-Wish Foundation, as well as the more local non-profit Camp Good Days. The Camp offers weeklong summer camping sessions, weekend adult retreats, and year-round programs for families who have been touched by cancer—and all programs are provided free of charge. The organization also donates to Roswell Park’s Oishei Children’s Hospital Cancer and Blood Disorders Program, a collaborative effort in eradicating pediatric cancer.

Moving to community shift games allows for several sponsors to contribute to the fundraising efforts. For example, Roux has our own team and sponsored a community shift, raising over $93,000 this year. Additional sponsors, such as Moog Industries, have been on board since day one. What started out as a business partnership blossomed into a genuine connection over the event’s excitement. Mike recognized George Cameron, a Moog Vice President, raising over $100k over the years, and recalls sitting down with Moog’s CEO to present on The 11 Day Power Play. Today, Moog is just one of the many clients and partners who join us in playing, sponsoring, and donating to the cause. We even have some business competitors with teams on the roster!

In addition to sponsorships, Mike, Chris, and many others get together for smaller fundraisers throughout the year to raise money leading up to the big event. Some of Mike’s standouts include golf outings, dinner parties, Superbowl squares, and even a meat raffle. While some may question the integrity of a “meat raffle,” there’s no question that these organizers know what they’re doing—over $11.6 million has been raised over eight years.

Coinciding with the anniversary of Benchmark TurnKey joining Roux, our CEO Sin Senh ventured up to Buffalo for this year’s event in late July. “I was touched by how our Buffalo employees and their families welcomed me into their lives during the pre-game happy hour Friday evening and that Saturday afternoon when the Roux teams (Mike Lesakowski captain of white team and Chris Boron captain of blue team) played against each other for three hours,” said Sin in a corporate message. Mike shared that next year he has high hopes of putting Sin in the game as a goalie, and on a more realistic note, welcoming more members of Roux to play as a teambuilding exercise.

To learn more about The 11 Day Power Play, apply to play in 2025, or donate to the organization, please click here.