Advertisement

Stellar display of sportsmanship nets Matty Marcone his first goal

Matty Marcone is a senior at Canton High School in Massachusetts who has been a part of the school's hockey team for four years without ever playing.

He was diagnosed in 2012 with dyskeratosis congenita, a condition that leads to premature bone marrow failure. The contact and falls and that are possible in the sport make it too dangerous for Marcone to play the game he has loved throughout his life.

But that all changed for one day earlier this week when Marcone was allowed to play a shift in a game against league rival Stoughton wearing the No. 11 jersey of his older brother, Jason. Marcone won a faceoff and scored a goal fulfilling his dream of playing at the high school level.

[Wisconsin bans high school cheers that taunt opposition]

“It felt good because I love scoring goals,” Marcone told the Boston Herald. “I liked coming here and seeing all the fans, and it was just really cool out there. I was a little nervous coming in, but after I scored that goal, I was just so excited.”

Marcone is known as 'The Mayor' in the halls of his school, He is beloved by his teammates because he has been there with them through four years without ever previously getting the reward of time on the ice. Marcone went home after the game with the puck he put into the net and a plaque commemorating his first varsity goal.

“Tonight is what high school sports is all about, which is making someone’s dream come true, and there is no better program or coach to do it with than Stoughton,” Canton coach Brian Shuman told the Boston Herald. “Matty has been with our program for four years and I knew from Day One that we wanted to do something for him. He is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met and he is an inspiration without trying. Matty Marcone makes us better people just being around him.”

- - - - - - -

[Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!