BOSTON — As the horn sounded to end the first period of last night's Boston Bruins contest, Toronto's Alexander Steen blasted a late shot off of Bruins' defenseman Aaron Ward. Needless to say, it wasn't a sportsmanlike act.
Marblehead High hockey playes Anders Gundersen and Tori Snow knew that right off the bat. After all, they were in attendance at the TD Banknorth Garden last night for displaying the exact opposite — great sportsmanship.
The Headers' duo were among the 38 high schoolers from around the state chosen to receive 2008 Boston Bruins Ice Hockey Sportsmanship Awards. In conjunction with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), every boys and girls ice hockey league in the state selects a representative for "best exemplifying a commitment to the ideals of sportsmanship throughout the season."
"I think (sportsmanship) comes naturally. We never go out there looking to do unsportsmanlike things," said Gundersen, a sophomore for the Marblehead High boys team who plays both forward and defense.
It was a banner season on and off the ice for the Gundersen and the Headers, who won the Division 3 North championship and earned the Team Sportsmanship Award from the Northeastern Conference. Gundersen was then selected as his league's individual representative.
"Last week my parents got an e-mail that I could come down to (last night's) game and accept the award. My brother and a friend were able to get tickets, too. It's great," Gundersen said between periods last night.
Snow, a two-year captain for the Lady Headers, was selected to represent the North Cape League after leading her team to two upset wins in the Division 2 North girls state hockey tournament, allowing her team to reach the state semifinals for the first time ever.
"I'm definitely honored," said Snow, who will graduate this June as Marblehead's all-time girls hockey leading scorer with 152 points. Just as important, though, was the grace and style of leadership that earned her the nod from the MIAA and the Bruins.
"I tried to be a little bit more of a leader this season. It was important to make sure that everyone stayed positive and wasn't saying anything rude to the other team or the referees. I think that carried over to the bench and the locker room," Snow added.
All of last night's honorees were introduced during the second intermission of the Bruins' 4-2 win over the Maple Leafs. They received gold medals from the MIAA and stood inside the Boston bench while earning a large round of applause from the crowd of over 16,000 fans.
Adding to the honor for Gundersen and Snow is the fact that Reading High was the only other school to see players honored from both its boys and girls programs.
Among the other criteria for this award are conduct that brings honor to team and self, both on and off the ice, respect and a commitment to teamwork.
"It's usually more individual players that cause poor sportsmanship than anything else," said Gundersen, who pointed out that he was only one of many great sports on the Headers. "For us, we're just looking to play with class — to just go out and play the game."
One of nine females honored, Snow also saw the accolade as a chance to continue to further the growth of the three-sport star's favorite game.
"I think it'd be great for (younger) girls to see us out there, too," said Snow, noting that as a youngster former star left winger Sergei Samsonov was her favorite Bruin.
Gundersen, on the other hand, said that current Bruin Phil Kessel — who notched a beautiful breakaway tally last night — as the player who most closely mirrors his own on ice style. Kessel, a second-year pro, and Gundersen also share an off-the-ice style in the form of their bushy, full heads of hair.
While flattered to be chosen by their leagues and the MIAA, both Snow and Gundersen felt that the success of the teams during the postseason was much more gratifying. That, perhaps, is the best example of sportsmanship of all.
"All the individual honors are nice, but I'm still so happy that we were able to go as far as we did as a team," said Snow. "To be honest, it is still a little tough to watch the Bruins skate, knowing I might not play again."
