OKEMOS - On Saturday February 2, Okemos High School faced off against Capital City High School in a rivalry hockey game. This wasn't your typical hockey game however, as the students came together to raise money and awareness towards suicide prevention.

The Okemos community was devastated last March when star defensemen David Rhem took his life. The message they wanted to send the community with this event was that this cannot ever happen again.

Players from both sides had a long history with David. David had played travel hockey through the Suburban Ice Rink since he was 5 years old. He loved the grit and protective aspect of being a defenseman, and was fine with leaving the glory of goal scoring to the forwards. Teammates, friends and family alike all marveled at his protective instinct both on and off the ice.

While David's parents, Marcus and Sara Rhem, were touched that the community came together to honor their beloved son, they wanted the focus to be on how this could be prevented in the future. "If you're out there struggling with depression, know that you don't have to struggle alone," Marcus Rhem said. His parent's continued by saying that David had all the recommended resources at his disposal and was using them up until the time of his passing.

All the Rhem's want to accomplish is to prevent another family from going through what they went through.