For the girls on the Medway/Ashland ice hockey team, it seems like their friend, Maddie Lamson, never left them.
Lamson was killed in a tragic car accident in Franklin on Oct. 30, 2015, just a month before she would have led the hockey team as a senior co-captain. The squad, comprised of girls from Medway, Ashland, Holliston and Millis, who usually compete against one another in the Tri-Valley League in other sports, were faced with a tragedy that no one should experience, especially during one’s high school days. Lamson had always made the girls feel like a family, and the girls willed themselves to play that season and dedicate every game to their friend, leader and teammate.
Today, they continue to display her game shirt, with No. 11 showing, at every game and practice — not because they need to be reminded of who she was, but because she still inspires them. Kurt Carter, the veteran coach of the team, said that he likes to instill in his younger players, who did not know Lamson, how important she was to the team, and that displaying the shirt emphasizes that message.
In Marlboro, on Saturday, January 14, Medway/Ashland faced off against league opponent Westwood at New England Sports Center in a game that was played in honor of Lamson, who also played field hockey and lacrosse. The players and the team’s coaches wanted to pay tribute to a young woman who influenced many lives and to emphasize that she still plays an ongoing role in the lives of many of the players; most notably the seniors.
The team used the game to collect donations to benefit the Maddie Lamson Scholarship Fund. Westwood’s players and coaches were the perfect partner for the event and played an active role in the ceremony. There was a huge turnout of former players and friends of the Lamson family, all who came out to support the family and honor Lamson’s memory.
Bob Lamson, Maddie’s father, who was in attendance with her mother, Alyson, and other family members, said that he’s always amazed by the tremendous impact that his daughter had on the team. He knows that she was also impacted by the many friendships she established. A former teammate, Emily Munger, who was a senior when Lamson was a freshman, said: “As a freshman, Maddie was the heart of the team. She was and she always will be.’’
The event raised $1,252 for the scholarship fund and, very fittingly, Medway/Ashland defeated Westwood, 3-1.
Anyone wishing to contribute to the fund can send a donation to the Maddie Lamson Scholarship Fund, c/o Medway High School, 88 Summer St., Medway, Mass. 02053.
Issue Date:
February, 2017
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