Sports

Medfield High School Girls' Hockey Player to Be Recognized at Tuesday's Bruins Game

MHS senior Meara Stack named to the Boston Bruins-MIAA Sportsmanship Team

The high school hockey season may be over but Medfield High School girls' hockey captain, Meara Stack, is returning to the ice Tuesday.

Stack has been named a 2011 Boston Bruins-MIAA Sportsmanship Award winner and will be recognized Tuesday at the TD Garden during the second intermission of the Boston Bruins' game with the New Jersey Devils. 

“Meara is a person who takes pride in leading by example," said head coach Molly Norton. "She is always the first player on the ice and usually the last player to get off the ice.  Meara takes delight in challenging herself to be the best she can be on and off the ice, and it is this intense determination that has helped her to earn the respect of both her teammates and the coaches.”

Find out what's happening in Medfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A shining example of Stack's leadership came during a Feb. 5 game against Westwood when the senior went above the call of duty for an injured teammate and the good of the team. 

Medfield led Westwood, 2-1, after two periods but Norton was faced with a difficult decision during the intermission leading up to the third period of that game because starting goaltender Mimi Borkan was ailing.

Find out what's happening in Medfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"About halfway into the second period, Mimi was covering the puck up when players were crashing the net," Norton said. "In efforts to save the puck, she got a knee to the head.  Mimi got a bloody nose that wouldn't stop bleeding. I had a very difficult decision to make and had to do what was best for the team, I had to put someone else between the pipes."

Borkan had told Norton prior to that game that she was not feeling 100 percent. The Warriors had no true backup to replace in net if Borkan could not play, a sure dilemma for Norton right? Not if you have Stack on your team.

"During the off-ice warm-ups Meara told me that if I needed someone to go in the net, that she would do it," Norton said. "I never thought that would happen."

Stack was needed for the third period and stepped up for her coach, teammates and especially for Borkan. The end result? A 3-2 victory over Westwood. That is the type of player Stack is.

Stack as well as the other student-athletes selected were chosen by representatives of their league for best exemplifying the highest standards of fair play and sportsmanship in high school ice hockey and meeting the following criteria:

  • An exemplary record of complying, both in spirit and letter, with all league and MIAA rules and regulations during the season.
  • A demonstrated record of respectfully accepting the rulings of game officials during the season.
  • A record of conduct, on and off the ice that brings honor to self, team, school, and community.
  • An exhibited commitment to teamwork by providing all members with recognition of their talents, an opportunity to contribute them to the team, and a spirit of camaraderie.
  • A demonstrated respect for opponents before, during, and after games.

Stack, a senior forward, was a four-year varsity team member.  She served as a team captain this season and was a member of the SEMGHL North All Star Team. Stack was selected as the Southeast North Division winner for the Sportsmanship award.

The MIAA and Boston Bruins have partnered for nine years to honor one worthy student-athlete from each boys and girls hockey league in the state. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here