By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
Maddy Clark is a senior on the girls’ hockey team, and she had a phenomenal season. Being an outstanding goalie on the ice, Clark brought something special to the team, her immense amount of respect and joy impacted everyone she met and played with throughout her senior season. The MIAA recognized Clark, awarding her the Sportsmanship award alongside boys’ hockey senior, Jason Finkelstein. Alongside their award, the seniors got the opportunity to attend a Bruins game at TD Garden on March 22nd.
Clark is an avid Bruins fan, was thrilled at the opportunity to see the Bruins in action, it wasn’t until the night before the game when she received an email from the team inviting her to meet the players and get a chance to be on television while walking down the hall with the Bruins.
“Honestly, I was very nervous at first, I mean, I have been watching these players since I was young. Although I haven’t played hockey my whole life, my family has always been big hockey fans, and I’ve loved the Bruins for so long. I was excited, of course, but I was definitely nervous,” said Clark.
The big day began at TD Garden when the female recipients of the Sportsmanship award, alongside Clark, headed towards the players' entrance awaiting the Bruins' arrival. When it came time for introductions, she met all the players like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Jeremy Swayman.
“The first person that walked in was Patrice Bergeron, he is exactly how you would imagine him. He was very respectful, calm, and collected. I have to say, every single player shook all of our hands and wanted to know more about us, they were all so friendly. Marchand was cracking jokes with us saying that since we had won the sportsmanship award that he shouldn’t have been there, it was so funny,” said Clark.
After introductions and pictures, it was time to head down the infamous hallway where each Bruins player is captured in their game day attire. Clark joined Swayman, one of the Bruins’ goalies, as she put on his glasses, soaking up as much of the experience as possible. Clark being a goalie herself got to speak with Swayman on her season goalie-to-goalie.
“I got to walk with Swayman, he was super enthusiastic, he wanted me to try on his glasses, and we spoke about our season and my time being a goalie. When we were walking down the hallway, we were throwing up our hands and making the most out of it,” said Clark.
Clark’s remarkable time continued as she joined the rest of the sportsmanship recipients at a dinner reception where she received her medal, and also got to meet Cam Neely an outstanding Bruins alum. As the game began, Clark was able to watch the game and be aired on New England Sports Network as the recipients were introduced to TD from the Bruins bench.
“They brought us all down to a banquet where they gave us awards and spoke on what it meant to earn this award. Cam Neely came too, and we got to shake his and introduce ourselves too, which was awesome. Then we got escorted onto the Bruins’ bench where they announced us, which was great,” said Clark.
It was an unforgettable experience for Clark that was well-deserved due to her commitment to the sport and leading her team with respect and confidence throughout the entire 2022-2023 season.
“It was so fun, such an amazing experience that I will never forget, said Clark.
