When the puck drops on the Brampton Beast hockey season at the Powerade Centre there will be more at stake than wins and losses for Tyler Donati.

Donati, a former member of the St. Michael’s Majors of the Ontario Hockey League, will be looking to rack up as many points as he can over the 72-game ECHL season in hopes of raising money for his Points for Cancer Fund.

The Oakville native is hoping that area hockey fans will join him in his quest to help raise cash for cancer research. It’s a cause that hits way too close to home for the forward. He lost his mother, Corinne, to ovarian cancer and it’s his goal to raise as much money as he can to help the cause.

This isn’t the first time the Beast forward has been involved with the Donati Points for Cancer Fund. He teamed up with his twin brother, Justin, to raise $15,000 in their second season in the OHL. After being traded from the Oshawa Generals to the Majors, so they could be closer to their mother, the duo ranked up 181 points between them. With other fundraising ventures that went on throughout the season, the brothers raised $7,500 and team owner Eugene Melnyk matched that total.

The idea to raise funds came after Corinne was diagnosed with ovarian cancer following the 2003 hockey season. The boys implemented their plan the following year while their mother went through 11 rounds of chemotherapy to eradicate the tumors that threatened her life. All seemed well again, but the cancer returned, claiming Corinne’s life in 2006.

Tyler continued the Points for Cancer campaign in his final season in the OHL, after being traded to Belleville following his mother’s death. The fund has raised $30,0000 so far.

And Donati’s doing it again.

Now 28, the right winger is resurrecting the campaign again this season with the help of the Beast in an effort to raise some more cash for Ovarian Cancer Canada.

And with Donati’s numbers, there’s no reason to think that number won’t rise dramatically.

He had 51 points in 53 games last season in Austria and 61 points in 46 games with the ECHL’s Elmira Express the season prior to that. He had 114 points for Elmira in 2009-2010 and 129 points for Belleville in 2006-2007, earning Donati the Leo Lalonde Trophy as the OHL Overage Player of the Year. In fact, in Donati’s OHL career, he scored 131 goals and added 169 assists for 300 points in 252 games.

Donati hopes he can put up similar numbers this season, and is asking Beast fans to pledge their support. To make a donation to Donati’s Points for Cancer, in a lump sum or by pledging anything from 25 cents a point to $20 per point, like sponsor Oscar’s Roadhouse has, contact Beast Community Relations Coordinator Matthew Grant at mgrant@bramptonbeast.com pledging your support. Don’t forget to include your contact information – name, email address, phone number and the amount of your pledge/donation.

“It’s nice that Brampton is allowing me to do this,” said Donati as he prepares for the ECHL season opener again Toledo. “It’s a cause that’s close to my heart and I’m still playing at a relatively high level.”

Donati’s goal is simple.

“I just want to raise as much money as possible,” said the Beast sniper. “Whatever I can do is great. A little money is better than nothing and more money is better that a little.”