Details released on fatal crash that killed St. Cloud Crush hockey player

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — The St. Cloud hockey community is mourning the death of a Tech High School student and hockey player.

Charlie Boike died in an auto accident on Saturday night, Dec. 10, after the St. Cloud Crush boys hockey game against Rogers. Boike, 17, was a junior forward on the team.

A news release from the Stearns County Sherriff's Office on Sunday afternoon said that the county received a call at 10:32 p.m. Saturday of a crash with injuries near the address of 21879 23rd Ave. in St. Augusta, which is about five miles south of St. Cloud. A passing motorist had called after seeing a male inside the vehicle. Once additional bystanders arrived, they were able to remove the driver from the vehicle and start CPR, the report said.

Deputies arrived at the scene and continued lifesaving measures, but Boike was declared dead at the scene.

The report said that he was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer southbound on 23rd Avenue in St. Augusta. The roads at the time of the crash were slippery due to weather and precipitation throughout the day. The vehicle left the road, entered the ditch, and rolled. Boike was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash.

The Boike family is well-known in the St. Cloud hockey community. Charlie's father, Jeff, is a longtime volunteer hockey coach and has coached players from junior mites (age 7-8) through bantams (ages 14-15). Charlie's mother, Erika, works for the St. Cloud Norsemen junior hockey team as its director of housing and game day operations.

Drew Boike, Charlie's brother, played defense for the St. Cloud high school team from 2017-20. Charlie's brother, Lewis, plays on a bantam hockey team in the St. Cloud Youth Hockey Association.

The association posted this on its Facebook page on Sunday afternoon:

"It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of one of our hockey players this past evening. Our hearts and prayers are with the Boike family and friends as we are heartbroken over the loss of our hockey teammate, Charlie.

Our hockey community is one that truly comes together in times like this and we ask you all to lift this family up as they grieve the loss of their son, brother, and friend. To honor his life, we ask all families to place a stick outside your doors tonight so he can play hockey with the angels.
Skate free Charlie."

A GoFundMe fundraiser for the family has been established.