On Feb. 19, Wareham Vikings captain Craig Lauzon came out of the locker room for the final time as a Viking. On senior night, the Vikings lost and fell out of playoff contention.

“This game was hard because I took a shot to the hand and then a crosscheck to the throat,” Lauzon said. “So, I was hurting bad.”

Lauzon played 44 minutes for the Vikings. That’s a lot of ice time for anyone, even a captain.

“What kind of kid do you get that will get and take those hits that he did and stay on the ice the whole time,” coach Bryan Erikson asked. “I couldn’t be prouder of him. I couldn’t be prouder to call him one of my players and for him to call me coach.”

“He’s a great kid. I could coach another hundred years, and never have another captain like Craig,” Erikson said. “He’s got the right work ethic, the right temperament and the right personality.”

Erikson said that the Vikings came into each game when they were winless in the 2012-2013 season, and predicted they would have the same mentality had they made the playoffs. He credited this to Lauzon.

“Craig Lauzon is that kind of leader. He instills that hunger in the kids, and that’s going to carry on for years to come,” Erikson said. “You don’t lose a leader like that or his leadership because it’s going to be passed on.”

“I’m really thrilled to announce that we’ll have three captains for next year: Sean Fagan, Pat Hurley and Stephen Toal,” Erikson said. “They can take over what Craig instilled in them. They’ll be good captains, and will lead this team to good things.”

“The thing about Craig is he’s still got hockey to play. This isn’t the end of the road for him,” Erikson said.

Lauzon will be attending Bridgewater State University.

“I feel really good. I’m going to tryout for the team, and there’s no guarantee I’m going to make it,” Lauzon said. “That’s pretty much my dream is to play for them.”