A piece of advice to in-line hockey players when goalie Naomi Leasck stops their shots: Cheer up, it's for a good cause.

For the third year in a row, the 12-year-old Leasck will use hockey as a way to raise money during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. She is accepting pledges for every save per game. In 2010, she averaged 20 to 30 saves, raising about $275 in blocked shots.

With pledges from various businesses and individuals, she has helped raise about $3,000 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization.

"Hockey is a big part of me and I was thinking of a way to raise money for cancer research," said Naomi, who is a sixth-grader at Sperreng Middle School in the Lindbergh School District. "It came to me to use hockey."

She plays for the Raiders teams in the 12-under and 14-under divisions of All-American In-Line Hockey. The league is based in the All-American Sports Complex in South County.

"Raising the money has helped me become a better goalie," she said. "I feel more confident when I'm playing because I also know I'm raising money."

Some of her teammates and their parents know about the fundraising.

"The parents talk about it more that the team does," Naomi said.

The young goalie thought about cancer research when the mother of her brother's best friend developed breast cancer. She wanted to do something and went to her father, Steve Leasck, with an idea.

"Naomi came to us about two years ago, saying she wanted to help," he said. "When she first suggested it, the idea kind of floored me. This is a pretty serious subject. However, that's the way Naomi is. She's quite a young lady."

With his daughter contributing from the hockey side, Leasck began to help from a business side. He is the vice president of Old Republic Title Company, and he sent out 300 emails to his business contacts, asking for a flat amount or to make pledges for each of Naomi's saves on goal.

"We got a good response," he said. "A lot of companies sent in a fixed amount while coworkers and friends made dollar pledges for each save."

For this year, Naomi hopes to raise about $2,500.

Raiders coach Mike Culleton has no doubt it will be done.

"When she told me what she wanted to do, I thought it was a great idea," said Culleton, who has coached the Raiders for 14 years. "It represents a complex, wonderful, young lady. When she brought up the fundraising, we thought it would be big."

Besides using hockey to raise money, Naomi also is a fierce competitor, he said.

"She's an excellent goalie," Culleton said. "Naomi wants to win. She plays boys her age and older and doesn't back off. You can see how she improves with each game."

Which means more saves and more money to fight cancer.

For information, call Steven Leasck at (314) 983-0300 ext. 311 or use sleasck@oldrepublictitle.com.