Growing up, Lauren Norton watched her older brother Ryan learn to skate and then move onto ice hockey. The process intrigued her so much that by the age of six, she herself was skating for the Tri Valley Indians. Before long she graduated to the Spitfires, a bantam league and then onto the Flames, an ice hockey team out of Marlboro.
Norton eventually saw herself on the doorstep of entering Medway High School and really wanted to continue playing ice hockey. She decided to tryout for the Medway Ashland co-cop team.
“I was really nervous being one of the youngest girls at the tryouts, but I figured that my background from playing would help me through the process,” the Medway native said. “Knowing a few of the girls also seemed to help, but it was the seniors who really intimidated me.”
Obviously, the seniors didn’t intimidate Norton too much, as the incoming freshman made the varsity squad playing on the second defensive line, which made her both ecstatic and reluctant at the same time.
“I was happy to make the team, but I was still nervous as the amount of pressure that was put on me,” she said. “The first few games playing on that second line as a freshman was tough, but as the season went on, I got used to it and played well.”
That freshman campaign the team advanced into the Division 2 Girls Hockey Tournament with a 10-6-5 record. Medway-Ashland took out Medfield in their first game, but fell to Pembroke the #2 seed in the next round. Norton recalls the experience being fun. Unfortunately, the team has yet to get back to the tournament. Norton and her teammates are hoping to return to the tournament once again this winter.
As a junior last campaign, Norton was elevated to the number one defensive line and has held the position since.
“It was a big honor to be on the first line,” Norton said. “This year, a lot of the girls are looking up to me, and the coaches have told them to just follow Lauren. That’s a great compliment, but it comes with a lot of pressure.”
As a non-goal scorer for the most part. Norton likes to keep track of her plus/ minus stats when on the ice.
“Lauren is a four-year starter and captain who was selected to play in the Shriners All Star game in March, a well-deserved honor for a hard-working talented woman,” Medway Ashland Coach Karl Infanger said. “She will also be continuing her hockey career at Assumption College next year.”
Once this season comes to an end for Medway Ashland, Norton will be concentrating on her new adventure playing for the Worcester-based college where she will be able to continue to improve her ice hockey skills while playing a sport that she loves.
“Playing for Assumption will allow be to make myself a better player,” she said. “I see myself fitting into their system and hopefully can help them. I know Katie McGoff, so the transitions shouldn’t be all that bad.”
While her future will be with the Greyhounds at Assumption, Norton is still currently playing hockey for her high school, and she really would like to get this team all on the same page and back into the tournament.
“Not only do I want to improve my game, but I want to help the team as well,” she said. “I want the team to be a collective whole. Last year, it seemed at times that the team was split, and I don’t want that to happen again, I want us to be a more whole unit.”
If Norton and the other captains can get the entire team to play on the same page, the squad should be making that trip back to the playoffs, a place they haven’t been in a few years.
Issue Date:
March, 2020
Article Body:
Column: