All Photos by Shuyi Chen
With the class of 2024 graduating, the Malden portion of the REMM hockey team marks a bittersweet milestone. Three of the five players on the team who attend Malden High School are graduating this year bringing up many questions about the future of hockey for Malden High as after this year, there are only two players (Tommy Cronin, Class of 2027 & David Perez, Class of 2027) left on the varsity roster.
Often with sports, we forget that players are much more than what they do out on the field and in this case, the ice.
An overlooked portion of youth sports is the role of parents. The guardians of young athletes are often there every step of the way whether it be transportation to practices and games, or helping them train. Parents become just as connected to the sport as their children and form bonds with the parents of their child’s teammates.
JAKE SIMPSON
Jake Simpson is a four-year veteran and captain of the REMM team. He has dedicated 14 years of his life to his love of hockey. Simpson is a dual-sport athlete, playing on both the hockey and baseball teams at Malden High.
For his entire career playing with REMM, he was one of the most crucial offensive weapons the team had and was a force putting pucks on the net. Simpson, as a captain of the team, leads both with his play and demeanor on the ice.
Simpson is the best player on the team and has led this team all year. The former offensive player of the year weighed in on his high school hockey career ending. Hockey being such a heavily team-based sport, Simpson remarked that he learned a lot of “leadership skills”, and with team chemistry being so crucial Simpson also mentioned, that “molding with new kids on new teams” was such a huge part of playing hockey.
Simpson recalled his favorite memory in the sport, “we won a gold medal in a Canadian tournament as the only team from America there”, although Simpson was not on the REMM team at this time, he still highlighted it as his “best moment”.
Jake’s Mother, Erin Simpson is Jake’s biggest supporter starting with “It has been quite the ride for Jake and us.”. She is also “forever grateful” for the memories Jake has made through his hockey career. She is thankful that Jake has “played alongside some of these kids since he was five years old” and for the “mentors he has gained.”
In youth athletes, coaches are such big difference-makers and role models for younger athletes. Simpson has had several coaches and his mother is thankful for every one of them. She commented that Jake has had some “amazing coaches through the years”. Playing a high school sport teaches young athletes many lessons which can translate to everyday life, she remarked “Learning how to lose and win graciously are things he can take with him the rest of his life.”
“We are so proud of the young man [Jake] has become, and we are excited for what college and the future holds for him.”
Erin Simpson
JOHN ‘JACKY’ SUMMERS
Jacky, who is also a 4-year veteran for team REMM and who has also played hockey for 14 years will be playing his final games as a high school athlete very soon. His father, Deano Summers who is a well-known Malden resident and has coached in the Babe Ruth League for decades had some comments about his son playing in his final season. Deano Summers stated “ The last game of the season will be very sad” he is thankful for having the “pleasure to watch them play the game they love” through the years. Jacky will be the Summers family's second player to go through four years of hockey and graduate, with their oldest son, Nick Summers having graduated in 2021 and is currently attending Bentley University.
Jacky Summers did not have one favorite moment of his career, he simply said “ My best experience was playing with some of my best friends through the years.” which is a common theme between each of these teammates. Summers also recognized that he also learned some important skills by playing hockey, he believes he learned how to “handle adversity and how to bounce back from that.” Looking back on his many years of hockey, Summers noted his favorite part about it was when he was younger on travel teams that he created some of the “best moments ever in hotels” with his teams.
Jacky’s father Deano, ended by noting “ Independent thinking is no longer the way of the world” and he is grateful that “Jacky has learned to work in a team environment”.
AARON AL-MARAYATI
Perhaps with one of the most inspiring stories in Massachusetts High School hockey, Aaron Al-Marayati is the team’s goalie who splits time each game. Aaron is legally blind, with a condition called Stargardt disease which has degraded his vision over time.
Aaron, who has played hockey since the age of eight, overall is grateful for his opportunity to play hockey and believes that team sports have helped him learn to “cooperate with others” and “be supportive” of teammates when they are having a rough time. Aaron has even had a news story about him by both the Boston Globe and CBS local news; if you wish to see this you can find it here.
Overall, Al-Marayati has shown so much dedication having to hurdle his condition and be a competitive goalie, he remarked “While I have had some extra challenges as a direct result of my vision, such as seeing the puck at a distance, I think that it has made me become both a better goalie and a better athlete to compensate. I think the biggest challenge has been with the preconceptions that other people have of what I can and can’t do or with how well I can perform”
Aaron's father, Ghazi Al-Marayati is very proud of how far his son has come. He noted that his son has “had a passion for the game since the first time he was on skates, and was determined to become a goaltender from the time he was just five years old and watched the Bruins win the Stanley Cup.”. He also thanked Aaron’s goaltending coaches, Mike Geragosian and Scott Barchard who have both “ not only believed in and supported him” but also helped him “develop and apply specific techniques and approaches to maximize his abilities. “
"A less obvious challenge is that occasionally he does encounter people who have preconceptions about what his limitations might be. Overcoming those judgments and proving them wrong is something I think he finds especially satisfying."
Ghazi Al-Marayati
Ghazi Al-Marayati has a strong feeling that Aaron finds joy in “Overcoming judgments and proving them wrong” when people have preconceptions about his vision. He has also been an extremely supportive and helpful parent for Aaron and his athletic career stating, “We received MIAA approval to use a communication system, with an earpiece that Aaron wears under his mask” This lets Aaron and his father “ Identify the location of the puck and properly align himself, especially when the puck is at a distance”. Off of the ice he has helped Aaron with “steady and consistent support, instilling a strong work ethic, and making sure he has access to the best goaltending coaching around.”
His father hopes that Aaron will coach hockey in the future and play recreationally.
Aaron next fall, will be attending Union College where he will be majoring in Mechanical Engineering, playing club hockey, and throwing the javelin and discus for the Track & Field team.
Overall, these three will be dearly missed by the REMM hockey community and remembered for their four years of contribution to the team. We wish them the best of luck as they graduate and move on to the next chapters of their lives.
