Fourteen hockey teams from three states will compete at Marquette's Lakeview Arena starting Friday, Sept. 25, in the 10th annual Stick It To Cancer tournament.

The three-day event benefits Cancer Care of Marquette County, an all-volunteer nonprofit that helps cancer patients cover treatment-related costs. Tournament organizer Barbara Salmela told WLUC the fundraiser brings thousands of dollars to the organization each year.

Teams from Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota will compete at the arena. The first game, Black Rocks vs. LaDolce, drops the puck at 5:30 p.m. Friday on the Olson rink. Saturday games run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Championship Sunday wraps the weekend with the Advanced title game at 9 a.m. and the Intermediate championship at 10 a.m., both on the Russell rink.

The tournament began in 2017 after a 12-year-old Marquette Junior Hockey player was diagnosed with cancer. According to the tournament's website, the hockey community and Cancer Care of Marquette County organized the first event within three weeks to help the family with travel, food, lodging and medical bills. Through its first eight years, the tournament averaged about $17,000 in annual fundraising. A portion of proceeds also goes to a local recipient each year.

Cancer Care of Marquette County is a 501(c)(3) where roughly $98 of every $100 raised goes directly to patients, according to the organization. Patients do not need to be low-income to qualify for help. The group also sponsors cancer prevention and detection programs in the county.

Dave Poirier, who appeared alongside Salmela in a Sunny 101.9 interview on Sept. 18, described the nonprofit as a volunteer-driven non-profit agency that helps those fighting cancer in the county with alleviating the costs and expenses related to the fight.

Admission is open to the public. The full schedule is posted at stickittocancer.org, and donations can be made at cancercaremqt.com.