Call of duty: Braintree girls hockey celebrates future Marine Nikki McNamee
RANDOLPH − Red, white and blue balloons were affixed above the entrance to the Braintree High girls hockey team's locker room. Miniature American flags were waving in the stands. And flag knit hats and top hats were all the rage among the Wamps faithful.
Clearly it was a USA-themed night at Zapustas Arena on Wednesday.
With good reason.
Fans were there to watch some Bay State Conference action, but also to, well, salute senior center Nikki McNamee, who is headed to the U.S. Marine Corps after graduation. It's a big commitment, obviously, and the Braintree community turned out to wish her well.
"There's definitely some excitement around the event," athletic director Chris Coblyn said before the Wamps took the ice. "(Her) parents really wanted to keep it low key and not have much fanfare, which speaks to how they operate as a family. But there's definitely a buzz about the game."
McNamee looked a little sheepish coming out of the locker room as the Wamps − her in particular − were greeted by a large banner affixed to the outside of the rink's glass reading "We Are So Proud of You."
"It was definitely nerve-racking," McNamee said with a laugh after Braintree and Wellesley had skated to a 4-4 tie before a bigger-than-usual crowd. "I was happy, though. It was nice to see everyone (supporting me)."
Braintree coach Kevin Burchill said McNamee is the first future Marine he's coached in more than two decades behind the Wamps' bench. McNamee always seemed destined for some branch of the service, though.
"I have a (family) background of people joining the military," she noted. "My grandfather was in the Marines. My dad was in the Air Force. My other grandfather was in the Coast Guard."
"It's a culture," Kevin Burchill said, "and she's bought into it."
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McNamee originally thought about the Navy, but a Marine-bound brother of one of her teammates suggested she give the Marines a shot.
"So I went to talk to them and I realized (the Corps) wasn't what I thought it was," she said. "It has a lot of cool opportunities for me."
"She started maybe a year ago to focus on the Marines and now doesn't talk about anything else," said her dad Brian, a Marshfield High grad.
Marine Sgt. Thomas Sweeney, a 2014 Rockland High grad, was McNamee's recruiter, and he was on hand Wednesday to give her a "Distinguished Athlete Award" during an on-ice ceremony before the national anthem.
"We do everything we can to support the individuals who are trying to join the Marine Corps," said Sweeney, who played football and basketball at Rockland. "It's a very uncommon thing, so we like to try to get out (in public) with the individuals who choose to show that drive to join."
Before he switched to recruiting, Sweeney was an aircraft safety mechanic focusing on life-support systems such as oxygen and ejection seats.
"Anything involved in keeping the pilot safe," he pointed out.
McNamee thinks she'd like to try embassy security, but first she has to make it through boot camp.
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She goes to the recruiting office in Quincy twice a week for physical training, hits the gym regularly and watches what she eats.
"I feel like nothing really prepares you for this," she said. "But I'm trying to prepare myself as best I can."
That process has helped her on-ice performance. Kevin Burchill notes she's "playing solid, strong hockey because her stamina is there."
The Wamps also rave about her increased maturity level since she committed to the Marines. Said fellow senior Callie Burchill (the coach's daughter): "The training she's been doing and the increased discipline from the gym (has worked wonders) and she's not even (in the Marines) yet. I can't wait to see what she will do in the future."
By the numbers
3-1-1: Braintree's record over its last five games. The upturn followed a three-game losing streak and has pushed the Wamps' overall mark to 6-6-2. Braintree could not hold a 3-0 lead against Wellesley, but Kevin Burchill likes what he's seen lately. "The first two periods I thought we played great," he said. "Now it's learning to finish a game. There are six games left and we're starting to peak a little bit. I'm not worried."
11: Team-high goal total for standout freshman Nora Shea, who has switched from forward to puck-moving defenseman. Kevin Burchill said her skating, stickhandling and shooting skills might already be the best in the league. Shea scored against Wellesley (4-6-3), as did Callie Burchill. Kathryn Freeman had two goals, one of them off a McNamee assist.
2: Number of starting-caliber goalies the Wamps boast. Eva Surette is a returning Patriot Ledger/Enterprise All-Scholastic, and fellow senior Bella Corcoran has returned to the team this season. Corcoran, who has started the last three games, is a star field hockey goalie. Last year, an injury to Surette sparked a 1-6-1 skid as the Wamps had to convert a winger to goalie. Now Braintree has the luxury of a tandem.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Braintree girls hockey salutes Marine Corps-bound senior Nikki McNamee
