Matthew Barnaby, Andrew Peters and Rob Ray were among 13 Sabres alumni who suited up Sunday to play in a hockey tournament and help raise funds for research into head injuries sustained by youth.

Hundreds watched throughout the day as six teams competed at Holiday Twin Rinks in Cheektowaga in a benefit for the new, not-for-profit Program for Understanding Childhood Concussion & Stroke, a project of University at Buffalo Neurosurgery and Dent Neurological Institute.

"We've been seeing an epidemic of concussion-related injuries in youth," said Dr. Elad Levy, a neurosurgeon and the organization's president. "We've seen people who can't finish high school, or can't finish college, because of repeated concussions that went untreated or undiagnosed."

Levy, who is also co-director of the Gates Stroke Center at Kaleida Health and a member of UB's neurosurgery department, said many youth athletes are bigger, faster and stronger now and play their sports year-round, all factors in the increase of head injuries doctors are seeing.

Levy, who has a son playing youth hockey, said more needs to be understood about brain injuries in youth.

"There had to be a tipping point. I think enough was enough, and we just said we have to increase the awareness, develop a charity and help fund research," Levy said.

Barnaby is an enthusiastic supporter of the organization. He estimates that in his 15 years in the NHL he suffered 11 to 15 concussions in a culture that ignored the dangers.

"It touches close to my heart, because I have a 13-year-old boy, and I see kids that go down all the time and parents that maybe don't treat it well," Barnaby said.

"There's a big difference now, and I think it's been brought to the forefront with a guy like Sidney Crosby getting hurt and being out the amount of time that he was. It was something that probably we didn't even think it was that big of a deal at the time, and if it was 15 years ago, he would have been back in one day."

A concussion put Crosby, a hockey superstar, out of the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup for 10 months before he returned to play Nov. 21.

"I think there is a big change of awareness now, and I think there will continue to be," Peters said, before going with the other Sabres alumni to play Team HPHD.

"I think [the new organization] is fabulous and has been a long time coming. I'm glad it starts here in Buffalo."

Also playing for the Sabres team were Richie Dunn, Grant Ledyard, Craig Muni, Darryl Shannon, Morris Titanic, Mike Boland, Yuri Khmylev, Ric Seiling, Derek Smith and Mark Laforest, the latter of whom played in the NHL but not with the Sabres. Sabres announcer Harry Neale called the game.

Levy said the group is encouraging youth organizations to get "baseline concussion testing" before the season. That way, he said, if a child suffers a head injury, there is a baseline of information.

The organization is trying to educate coaches on the signs and symptoms of concussion -- headache, nausea, dizziness and amnesia, among others -- and the importance of not letting kids play until cleared by a medical professional.

Debbie Izatt, who works in marketing at Dent Neurological Institute, said she knew the potential dangers of youth hockey and the importance of safety.

"I had a good friend in high school who was injured in a hockey game and was paralyzed by it, so it touched me at an early age," Izatt said.

Levy said the organization has raised $110,000 in the past three months.

"There has been a tremendous outpouring from the community," Levy said. "They've been extremely generous."

msommer@buffnews.comnull