Hello All, 


Many of you know that hockey can be a bit of a rough sport. The list of ailments usually rests on the bumps and bruises side of the ledger, but sometimes it can involve reconstructive dental and/or facial surgery. On March 10th, 2019 the mighty Cobra Kai of Orange County took on the 1st place Benders at Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena. One of our trusty center icemen, Brandon Bywater, was defending our zone and took a ~75 mph slap shot directly to the face from about five feet away. Needless to say, the sight wasn’t pretty. In addition to immediate oral surgery and about 25 facial stitches, Brandon lost or broke four teeth and severely damage several others in the immediate area. The impact also destroyed portions of his lower jaw bone. The good news is that Cobra Kai prevailed that day, the bad news is that now poor Humpty Dumpty needs to be put back together again.


Brandon is a US Navy veteran and a student. He is very involved in his church community, frequently serving as a youth counselor helping to guide the youth of today to become the leaders of tomorrow. His commitments are many but his resources to tackle this challenge are few. USA Hockey insurance assistance will be minimal (~$2k) and the Department of Veteran Affairs has declined to help. Brandon is facing a two year long road of reconstruction and recovery with limited income and minimal insurance coverage for dental needs. According to his doctor’s estimation, the total expected out-of-pocket expense will be over $40,000. 


While our beloved sport of hockey can be cruel, this blow is shaping up to be particularly devastating for Brandon. We are starting this GoFundMe page to help soften that blow for an excellent person who deserves the assistance. Any help that you can give would be greatly appreciated!


Thanks