April 14, 2022 Submitted by Gabrielle Martin
At the end of last month, on Wednesday, March 30, the Boston Bruins and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) announced the recipients of the Boston Bruins-MIAA Sportsmanship Awards for 2022; the 29 recipients were recognized for their dedication, sportsmanship, and teamwork both on and off the ice.
Representing the independent schools was 17-year-old Notre Dame Academy (NDA) student Maggie Dockray of Cohasset, who says she was "shocked" to learn she had received one of the Boston Bruins-MIAA Sportsmanship Awards for this season: "I went to my athletic director to make sure they had the right person!" she recalls.
All winners then were awarded tickets to the Bruins match against the New Jersey Devils the following day (Thursday, March 31) to be honored in-game. Dockray, who plays defensive, attended the game with her father: "Growing up, he was always my coach, and I felt like this was something special we could share together before I go to college," she says. "My mom, brother Mick, grandparents, and cousin came to the game as well to watch me receive recognition for the award, plus teammates Ava, Lauren, Sarah, and Maggie."
"It was so much fun!" The Scituate-born skater shares. "Before the game, myself and the other 28 recipients got to meet Cam 'Bam-Bam Cam' Neely, a former Boston Bruins player and the current President of the Boston Bruins. It was so cool!"
Dockray says she began skating when she was just seven years old through the South Shore Seahawks Youth Hockey Learn to Skate and Learn to Play programs, and she has been a student at NDA since the eighth grade; Maggie shares that her favorite subjects in school are "either Marine Biology or AP Environmental Science."
So what does sportsmanship mean to Maggie? "Sportsmanship is not only respecting your coaches and teammates, but other coaches and teams." She says. "At the end of the game, it's about having fun! Teamwork is a key part of hockey; in order to score goals, everyone on your team must be communicating and working together."
