Hopedale Student Selected by Bruins
By Kate Rourke
Milford Daily News
A local college student has integrated her love of service with her home-team spirit in becoming one of the Boston Bruins’ newest Ice Girls.
Jessica Thompson of Hopedale made the Bruins Ice Girls team and can be seen on the ice during Bruins games at the TD Garden this winter.
“I had applied on a whim,” Thompson laughed. “I didn’t think much of it. I never thought I would get the job.”
After mailing in the application to join the squad, she was called to try out. Four girls were chosen out of the 15 who were called back for auditions. The selections were made at the discretion of Beth Anthony, the Bruins Promotion Coordinator.
“I went to the final auditions expecting there would be a lot of girls there, and a lot of competition, and there wasn’t, which made it even more nerve racking,” Thompson explained.
Mary Angilly of West Brookfield was also chosen to join the team with Thompson this season. Angilly said the team is misunderstood by many fans looking in from the outside.
“We aren’t cheerleaders, we are team ambassadors,” Angilly said. “We don’t dance on the ice. We stay really, really classy that way.”
The group serves a whole other purpose in the greater Boston area.
“We do a lot behind the scenes that people don’t realize,” Angilly explained. “It’s about public service and charity work. We just want to help the community.”
This year, the Ice Girls are planning to step their game up even more when it comes to helping their fans.
“We are planning on doing a lot of community service this year. I do a lot community service on my own so I think it is wonderful,” Thompson said.
Thompson, a criminal justice and fire science major at the University of New Haven, wants to use her time in Boston to be a good example to her fans. Leading comes naturally to Thompson, who held a prominent position in the Greek system at New Haven and gained experience from participating in the school’s ROTC program.
“I just do my best to carry myself as a good role model for young girls. They need to see us as approachable,” Thompson said. “It has benefited me to see how much the fans appreciate us. Everyone wins.”
Helping the public is one thing that Angilly, a psychology and biology dual major at Northeastern, is very familiar with. Last summer, during a non-profit charity dialogue in South Africa, Angilly realized her true passion for helping those in need.
“I am really interested in charity work and I have done a lot of public service,” Angilly said. “I want to help while I am in Boston.”
