Funeral, visitation announced for Connor Kasin, Massapequa hockey player who died after collapsing during charity game

Mourners posted expressions of grief online Monday for Connor Kasin, and funeral plans were announced for the 17-year-old Massapequa High School senior who collapsed over the weekend during a charity hockey game and was later pronounced dead.

A photograph of a bouquet of red and white roses and a hockey helmet and stick was inscribed with a message of condolence: "Rest in paradise Connor," on an Instagram account of Massapequa High students.

Family and friends also wrote messages online in honor of Kasin, as did several teammates. One referenced Kasin's jersey number: "From 44 to 37, it was always great being around your positivity."

Visitation for Kasin will be held Wednesday between 7 and 9 p.m., and Thursday between 2 and 4 p.m. and 7 and 9 p.m., at the Massapequa Funeral Home in Massapequa Park, according to an announcement Monday on its website. A funeral Mass will take place Friday at 9:30 a.m. at St. William the Abbot R.C. Church in Seaford with burial to follow at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale.

Kasin, who was playing for Massapequa High's club hockey team Saturday in a game to honor a Syosset High School graduate killed in a car crash last year, collapsed on the ice at 9 p.m. during intermission, according to the Nassau County Police Department

At 9:06 p.m., an off-duty public safety officer watching the game inside the Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center in Bethpage used an automated external defibrillator at the rink on Kasin, a town spokesperson said Monday.

Others in the crowd helped administer CPR until emergency responders and police arrived, the spokesperson said.

Kasin was pronounced dead later at a hospital, officials said Sunday.

Late Sunday, Massapequa schools Superintendent William Brennan described what happened to Kasin as a "sudden medical event" in a letter to the community. Additional details about Kasin's death were not available Monday.

When reached by telephone Monday afternoon, a woman who identified herself as a relative of Kasin said his family did not want to comment "at this time."

Kasin, a defenseman, was starting his third season playing with Massapequa High's varsity ice hockey team and also played for the Long Island Sharks Elite 18UAA travel team. 

Members of the larger online hockey community posted images on social media of their sticks placed on their front porches, some along with Sharks or Massapequa High jerseys. The posts also included the hashtag, #sticksoutforconnor, in what has become a tradition whenever a hockey player dies. Most recently, similar tributes were shared across social media following the death of NHL All-Star Johnny Gaudreau.

An obituary posted to the funeral home's website said: "Connor left us too soon, doing what he loved most, on the ice playing hockey surrounded by his teammates ... his love for the sport was only rivaled by his love for, and from, the people in his life."