High School Senior Dies After Experiencing ‘a Sudden Medical Event’ During Ice Hockey Game: ‘Our Hearts Are Heavy’

A high school ice hockey player in New York died after losing consciousness during a game, authorities said.

Nassau County Police in Long Island confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE that a 17-year-old boy died on Saturday, Nov. 30, after he passed out during an intermission at a hockey game at the Town of Oyster Bay Skating Center.

The Sharks Elite Youth Hockey team confirmed in a Facebook post on Sunday, Dec. 1, that the player who died was defenseman Connor Kasin, a senior at nearby Massapequa High School.

According to police, people at the game began performing CPR on Kasin after he passed out, and paramedics and police quickly arrived at the scene. Kasin was then taken by paramedics to a nearby hospital, where medical staff pronounced him dead.

A letter sent to Massapequa High School students and parents stated that Kasin “experienced a sudden medical event” that caused him to lose consciousness, per News 12 Long Island.

“It is with a heavy heart the Sharks share the sudden passing of 18U defenseman, Connor Kasin. Please keep the Kasin family in your thoughts and prayers,” the team wrote in its Facebook post on Sunday.

“Connor was a cherished member of our school community, known for his kindness, positivity, enthusiasm and big smile,” Massapequa Public Schools Superintendent William Brennan wrote in a statement, per local outlet Greater Long Island. “He had a way of bringing light and joy to those around him, and his absence will be felt deeply by all of us.”       

Nassau County Police did not say what caused the teenager’s death, and the nature of his medical emergency has not been made public.

Police also noted that while the investigation is still ongoing, “there is no criminality suspected.”

According to Greater Long Island, Kasin was playing in a charity match for his high school’s team which was being held in honor of Sabrina Navaetta, a 19-year-old graduate of nearby Syosset High School who died in a car crash in Delaware in 2023, per the Delaware News Journal.

The Long Island youth hockey organization PAL Ice Hockey wrote in another statement on Facebook: “Our hearts are heavy as we extend our deepest condolences to the Kasin family, Connor’s teammates, coaches and classmates from the LI Sharks and Massapequa Chiefs. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all during this unimaginable time.”

“May Connor #37 rest in eternal peace,” the organization added.

Massapequa High School added in its statement that Kasin’s “passing is devastating to the Massapequa community, and we offer our deepest condolences to Connor’s family and friends,” per News 12.

The high school also said it would be offering counseling and support at school on Sunday “for students and families who were close to Connor” including his hockey teammates.