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This Saturday, the New Jersey Devils and RWJBarnabas Health are once again teaming to host their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night, as the hometown team hosts the Buffalo Sabres for a 7 p.m. game at Prudential Center in Newark.

The annual event raises funds for the Cancer Transportation Program at Community Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility. Throughout the evening there will be a number of ways for fans to get involved and raise funds, support and awareness for the cause.

The Devils will host 13-year-old Charlie Shomers from Hillsborough Nov. 25, a lifelong Devils fan and cancer patient who was diagnosed earlier this year with ependymoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. In July, Shomers underwent surgery to successfully remove the tumor, along with six weeks of radiation therapy treatment. In October, he completed treatment at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and is on the road to recovery.

Shomers will receive a once-in-a-lifetime experience Saturday night when he signs a one-day contract with General Manager Tom Fitzgerald, receives an official jersey as well as locker stall, and has a meet-and-greet with his favorite Devils player, Jack Hughes. He will also watch warmups from the penalty box, join the starting lineup read in the locker room, participate in the ceremonial puck drop, and even ride the Zamboni during the second intermission.

Some other notable features planned for Hockey Fights Cancer Night include:

• Honoring Dr. Rahul Parikh, medical director of the Laurie Proton Therapy Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, as the Hero of the Game. Parikh leads a team of specialists who provide sophisticated radiation therapy to cancer patients across the RWJBarnabas Health system.
• The National Anthem will be sung by Samantha Blossey, whose parents are both cancer survivors.
• Lily Giordano of the NJ Colonials will serve as junior captain of the game.
• The Devils will host a mystery puck sale outside of Section 20.
• Fans will have the opportunity to bid on the Devils’ Hockey Fights Cancer-themed jerseys, with an auction running from Nov. 25 through Dec. 2.
• Devils players, coaches and management inscribed cards to support those in their fight against cancer, which will be displayed in the hallway as players head to the ice.
• Prudential Center and Devils social media channels will turn to lavender to commemorate the night.
• Prudential Center’s M&M’s and Citizens Towers will be lit up purple for the evening, along with lavender Devils logos being used on the video board throughout the game; sponsor logos on the main ice dasher boards will also turn lavender for the night.
• Citizens will donate their dasher board placements to the Devils Youth Foundation.
• Special in-game activations and game presentation elements to honor the event, with a photo activation area on the main concourse outside of Section 20 where attendees can show their support.
• The Devils will recognize top fundraising New Jersey youth hockey goaltenders who raised $130,000 last month for October Saves, which raises money each year for cancer research.
• Funds raised through that night’s 50/50 will also benefit the Cancer Transportation Program.

During the game, fans will also have the opportunity to recognize those in their own lives who have fought, are currently fighting, or have lost their lives to cancer by holding up Hockey Fights Cancer placards at their seats during the first period.

“As RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey continue to transform cancer care together through advances in cancer prevention, research and treatment, we are appreciative of the ongoing support of the NHL and our partner, the New Jersey Devils,” said Dr. Steven Libutti, director, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and senior vice president, Oncology Services, RWJBarnabas Health, in a press release. “Hockey Fights Cancer Night truly helps to lift the spirits of cancer patients and their families by paying tribute to their strength and perseverance and reinforces the need to support cancer research and care.”