Hockey teams play for record 11 days to raise money for charity

July 4 (UPI) -- The record for the world's longest continuous hockey game was shattered in Buffalo, N.Y., and helped raise more than $1 million for cancer research.

On its website, the 11 Day Power Play promised to be "an unfathomably fierce fight -- yet it's nothing compared to the battle cancer patients face each day."

Mike Lesakowski, the event's founder, said the idea for the marathon came after his wife died of cancer at the age of 35.

"Seeing what my wife went through was difficult," Lesakowski told WKBW. "You just rely on those people that help you get through things and it makes you a stronger person because of it."

The game lasted 11 days, beginning on June 22 at 9 p.m. and lasting until 8 a.m. Monday, the Buffalo News reported. The final score was was 1,492-1,477. The event raised $1.2 million for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

The game will still have to be verified by the Guinness Book of World Records before getting official recognition as the longest non-stop hockey game, but organizers believe they handily beat the old record of of 250 hours, 3 minutes and 20 seconds, which was set in 2015 by players in Alberta, Canada.

Event organizers took extra precautions to meet the Guinness Book of World Records criteria, including having all the players remain in the arena for the duration of the 11-day game. To meet that standard, sleeping quarters were created inside Buffalo's HarborCenter arena for the players.

"I probably slept 2 hours today. I try to get 4 hours but it never happens," said Kenny Corp, one of the players participating in the event.

But lack of sleep during an 11-day hockey game didn't wear out the players participating in the charity event.

"People ask if we're tired," said participant Chris Evanco. "How can you get tired of doing something you love?"