FIVE YOUNG PEOPLE PERISH IN FIRE
Tragedy hit the EJHL this
past weekend. The Rhode Island and Massachusetts Hockey community was
stunned to learn of one of the EJHL’s own who lost his life in a tragic
house fire in Warwick, Rhode Island; February 6, 2010. Nicholas
(Nick) M. Jillson, 24, of
North Smithfield
(pictured left) was among the five who perished in the fire was. “Jilly”
formerly played for the Walpole
(
Mass.
) Jr.
Stars of the Eastern
Junior Hockey
League and the
Salem
(
Mass.
) State
Vikings. His older brother,
Jeff, was also a hockey star at
Mount
St. Charles
and played
professionally for the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks, Boston
Bruins
and Buffalo Sabres. He is currently playing in the
Czech
Republic
.
Besides his hockey fame, Jillson was the son of Joel and Linda Jillson;
he is
the
North Smithfield
,
Rhode Island
Fire Chief.
Also killed
in the fire were: Amanda L.Villeneuve,
20, and her seven-month-old daughter Annabelle, both of whom had been
living at
the Buttonwoods Avenue house; Villeneuve’s fiancé and
Annabelle’s father, Daniel Janik, 20, of Woonsocket;
and Tayla D. Lackey, 20, of Glocester. A
fifth adult, Neil S. Leardi, 21, of
Whitinsville
,
Massachusetts
,
got out of the house and called 911. He was hospitalized after the fire.
Tayla
Lackey, (pictured left) another
victim of the fire, was a talented female athlete and played on the
2007 champion
Mount
St.
Charles Girl’s Rhode Island Interscholastic League hockey team.
On behalf of the South
Shore Kings organization, we want to offer our sincerest condolences to
the Jillson family. We also want to extend our thoughts and prayers to
the Lackey, Janik and Weeden families for their loss. Words cannot
convey how we feel of this loss at this point in time.
For more information: http://www.projo.com/highschool/content/sp_hs_john_gillooly_08_02-09-10_C5HD4JE_v3.3015665.html
