Independence, MO -- If you’re one of the lucky 5,800 Missouri Mavericks fans who have a ticket to tonight’s sold-out home finale, I have a couple of suggestions for you.

First, bring a child’s hat to the game – preferably a funny, colorful hat that would fit nicely on the head of a young girl or boy who is battling cancer.

Second, bring a handkerchief – or a box of tissues – because the emotions are going to run high.

The Mavericks will host an auction during the game that will benefit the 8-year-old daughter of Mavericks player/assistant coach Jeff Christian.

His daughter, Ryan, was recently diagnosed with Pediatric Adrenocortical Carcinoma, a rare disease that affects one in a million individuals, and proceeds from the auction will go directly to the Christian family and their mounting medical and travel expenses.

“Dorie (Christian’s wife) and I have been overwhelmed by the support people in the community have shown,” the 20-year hockey veteran said after a two-assist night in a tough 4-3 shootout loss to Odessa Friday night at the Events Center.

“I’ve played a lot of places. But Dorie, Ryan and I feel like this is home. We love it here. Ryan knows what’s going on Saturday night, and she just wants to thank everyone for their love and support.”

Fans are encouraged to toss the hats they bring to Events Center on the ice after the Mavericks score their first goal.

All the hats will be collected and sent to St. Jude’s, where Ryan will help distribute them to other youngsters with cancer.

Some of the items in the auction include game-worn Mavs warmup jerseys, a Wayne Gretzky-signed Edmonton Oilers jersey, a Mario Lemieux signed stick, a Patrick Kane signed stick and more than a dozen signed sticks and jerseys from CHL and NHL teams.

The silent auction will begin when the doors open at 6 p.m. and will last until 10 minutes after the game ends. Due to the abundance of items, the winning bidders will not have the ability to pay until Monday, March 15, starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Mavericks office. The Mavericks will post all of the winners, and the items they won on their Web site at www.MissouriMavericks.com.

The winning bidders will have until Wednesday, March 17 to pay for their items, and after that time, the items will be available for the next highest bidder. The Mavericks front office is located inside the Independence Events Center.

In addition to the silent auction, the Mavericks will sell T-shirts for $20 and bracelets for $5 in which all of the money raised will go directly to the Christians.

And fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game in honor of Ryan and her favorite color.

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