On Sunday, Drake Almeida and his friends were having a nice, little game of hockey at the Kent St. Pond in Barrington. What they did not expect, was to see a little girl fighting for her life after falling through the icy pond.
Almeida is a freshman at Barrington High School, playing on the varsity team at right wing. He's played for 7 years, starting at 8 years old.
Varsity assistant coach Frank Azevedo described Drake having a "very high-end skill set and a very elusive player".
On the icy pond, Drake and his friends were getting some run in together. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone go down through the ice, with their arms flailing.
" I didn't know it was a kid". Almeida said. "I skated over and I wasn't thinking... the ice broke and I was on skates. I had to walk over through the water and I picked her up and got her out after".
During the incident, A lot was running through Almeida's mind. But he stayed composed, "I just thought that she was in trouble and she needed help".
A lot of children and families were at the pond that day. All of them in shock after what they just saw.
After the courageous act, parents of the little girl and families came up to Almeida and thanked him for his actions.
Almeida acted on instincts and with his heroics he was able to save a life.
When asked about what happened at the pond, Coach Azevedo was not surprised to hear that one of his players did this. "Most hockey players are wired that way... anyone on the team, it wouldn't surprise me to hear them do that."
Word got around school too about Almeida's incident and he's been showered with praise and compliments ever since from faculty, students and classmates.
Incidents like this are scary and dangerous. Luckily for the little girl, a brave, young man took it upon himself to be at risk of potentially drowning too and save her life.
Drake Almeida, truly a hero.
