A couple of special guests showed up at the Perkins School Friday to join the students in a game of goalball — a popular team sport at the school for the blind in Watertown.
Boston Bruins players Parker Wotherspoon and Matthew Potras pulled on the eyeshades so they couldn’t use their sight during the game in which teams of three try to roll a rubber ball across the gym and into the opponent’s goal. The ball has a bell in it, to help defenders locate and block the ball.
Students and staff lined the upper level of Perkins’ gym to get a glimpse of two pro hockey players join their very own Towerhawks. Having members of the B’s visit the school has become a tradition, said Perkins player Kyle Butt, 20, has been playing goal ball and
“This is a big, big deal for Perkins, because we only do this once a year, and we sometimes we don’t even get to do it every year,” he said. “So, this is like a big moment for every year.”
Wotherspoon, a defenseman for the Bruins, jumped at the chance to come try goalball.
“When I saw it on the sheet, I went to Mattie, and I was like, ‘Hey, let’s go do this. This seems like a lot of fun,'” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do it. We’ve seen it online a few times.”
It took a little while to get adjusted, said Potras, a center in his second year with Boston.
“I was panicking a little bit for a second there. But, once you kind of just settle down and listen to the ball, and I guess just put your body in position to make a save — it feels pretty good to make a save,” he said. “And then to hear them say goal when you throw — it’s fun.”
With the blindfold on, it wasn’t always obvious where the ball was, Wotherspoon said.
“It’s a lot of fun. You don’t really realize you have that extra sense when you’re blindfolded. But it feels good when you make the save, because sometimes your like, I thought I was gonna hit my feet and it hits you in chest,” he said.
He enjoyed the atmosphere inside Perkins’ gym.
“This is awesome. Yeah, it feels like the TD (Garden) in here, especially when there’s a goal or a big save over there, it’s pretty loud,” he said.
Potras was asked if he would like to try a game of blindfolded hockey.
“That would be very hard. I’d like to try it,” he said. “I think I’ve seen a couple times with like a beeper noise. It would pretty cool to try, but I don’t think I’d be very good.”
Butt played along side the two Bruins for one of the two 10-minute games.
“It was awesome. I did the refereeing last time they came here, two years ago, but to actually play against them — and play with them — was a really, really, really cool experience,” Butt said. “It’s something I’m gonna remember for a while.”
Goalball began after World War II. In 1970 it became a Paralympic sport and it gained in popularity after that, said Megan O’Connell-Copp, who teaches adaptive PE at Perkins and is one of the goalball coaches.
Perkins is about to start its goalball season, and will play in tournaments up and down the East Coast, O’Connell-Copp said.
“Game play is, is just a small part of it. Perkins gives our students the opportunity to be on this team, and they’re learning teamwork. They’re learning how to work together and cooperate, communicate, how to engage themselves positively within the community,” she said. “And when we travel to other schools for the blind, not only are they representing themselves, but they learn how to represent Perkins and their team and how to do that. So it’s really a unique thing. We’re excited to get our season started.”
Butt has been playing for Perkins for two years, and hopes to have a successful season.
“Last year, Perkins placed in fourth place, but we’re hoping that this year we can take home the trophy,” Butt said.