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Matthew Hutchinson GoFundMe Fundraiser Hits Goal Following B.C. Athlete's Death

A similar page set up for Kelsey Annese, 21, also saw plenty of activity.

A fundraiser to support the family of the B.C.-born athlete killed in New York state over the weekend surpassed its goal in mere hours.

Matthew Hutchinson, 24, was stabbed to death on Sunday night, along with 21-year-old Kelsey Annese. Both were student athletes at the State University of New York in Geneseo.

Police spokesman Jeff Szczesniak said Annese's ex-boyfriend, Colin Kingston, killed the pair in a house rented by students before turning the knife on himself in an apparent murder-suicide.

Hutchinson's sister Katelynn launched a GoFundMe page late Monday to help her North Vancouver parents with travel and funeral costs.

"My parents are too modest to ask for help, so I am," she wrote on the site.

"My parents want to do everything in their power to do what they can to grieve and preserve his memory."

The fundraiser set a goal of $3,000, but it had raised almost $29,000 by Tuesday night. A similar page to support Annese's family had nearly met its goal of $22,000 by press time.

Hutchinson was studying geography and business at the university and was a defenceman on the school's hockey team.

"It's hard to believe that something like that could happen to such a great guy. He just made people smile, he made people happy,'' said Barry Douglas, a spokesman for the Chilliwack Chiefs — a team that Hutchinson once played for.

"He was very, very well respected by his teammates and by everybody who came across his path.

"I remember Matt's parents as well. Just great people, great family. I just feel so, so sad for them.''

Hutchinson was also a volunteer firefighter, both in his home province and in Geneseo.

He helped fight wildfires in B.C. during the summer of 2015, based out of Cranbrook in the East Kootenays, according to a feature by the Geneseo Knights.

"I thought everything about firefighting would make it a cool job," Hutchinson told Tim Volkmann, the school's media relations officer, in 2015.

"A lot of people call me a big kid so maybe that is why I like it so much."

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