Patchogue Islanders Fan Wins Trip With Team

You can buy a lot of things with $1,100. But when Patchogue resident Nicole Cardiello placed her winning bid for that amount to go on a fishing trip with a few members of the New York Islanders, it was more than just a hockey fan's dream – especially when all of the money was going to charity.

"I was absolutely thrilled," said Cardiello of winning the trip aboard the James Joseph II on Huntington Harbor on Thursday with Islander players Matt Moulson, Frans Nielsen, Andrew MacDonald, and Bruno Gervais.

"I've been an Islander fan since I was four, so for 30-plus years I've been a fan. … It's a very small price to pay for a nice event and it all went to charity."

Gervais was the person who actually won the fishing trip at an Islanders Business Club golf outing last year, which was raising money for the Islanders Children's Foundation. But rather than using the trip for himself, Gervais decided to auction off two of the tickets on board to raise even more money for the foundation.

"When I won that trip, I just turned it around and I auctioned it off," Gervais explained. "So we have someone coming on the trip with us."

Cardiello said she was amazed by the generosity of Gervais. "Here's a guy who probably wants to just spend time with his friends in the offseason, and all he thought about was just trying to help the less fortunate kids and raise money for the children's foundation," Cardiello said.

Cardiello's own generous bid won the auction and a day of fishing with a few members of her favorite team.

"I've been following hockey my whole life and really believe that the Islanders have an unprecedented amount of participation in the community," she said.

Gervais himself has organized several fundraisers and charity events throughout his young career. In 2008, he was named the Nassau County Athlete of the Year by the Nassau County Sports Commission, in recognition of his commitment to the community. 

"It's a lot of fun," said Gervais of volunteering all over Long Island. "The people here are great. They've just been amazing to me since I got here."

While the waters might be a little rough due to the approaching Hurricane Earl, all parties involved are confident that the trip is going to be a great success.

"It's going to go great," Cardiello said. "Rain or shine, fish or no fish, it's going to be wonderful."

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