Ben Church, the Oneida boy who was bullied for walking on the wrong side of the street, spent a special night with the Utica Comets. He and his friends rode the Zamboni, mingled with the Comettes and took home a puck along with lots of memories.

Utica Comet Mike Zawlewski invited Ben to be their special guest on #GoBlueForBen day, to stomp out bullying during National Bullying Prevention & Awareness month. Ben got to hit the buzzer to kick off warm ups and watched from the penalty box. He returned to his seat for the first period before heading down to the ice to ride the Zamboni with his friends.

Misty Church
Misty Church
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The 6th grader in Wampsville made headlines after three 8th graders ganged up on him on the way home from school. “One of them punched him in the face, then they stood and watched him bleed and cry before walking away. All because Ben would not walk on the other side of the road,” says Ben's mom Misty Church.

One teen was arrested and police handed out an appearance ticket to the juvenile and his parents. No names were released but police say if the teen was an adult he’d be facing 3rd degree assault charges.

Misty says this behavior is “unacceptable” and they “want to raise awareness and hopefully end bullying. But the support we’ve seen is overwhelming.”

Check out Ben's special night with the Utica Comets.


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