Massapequa Chiefs Honor Late Connor Kasin With Memorial Game
The Sunday night ceremony at the Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center, where a 17‑year‑old senior had tragically passed a week after last year’s charity event, felt more like a family reunion than a sporting event.
It was a chance for the Chiefs’ players, alumni and the wider community to remember Connor Kasin, who was known on the ice as a hard‑hitting defenseman and off the ice as a true team player.
“Connor was a fierce competitor,” friend and former teammate Billy Sciurba told reporters just days after the game. “He’d throw hits, bring energy, and always put his body where it counted.” Sciurba also said the player who proudly worn No. 37 every match was “always trying to make people happy and keep the spirits up on the bench.”
Kasin’s life was cut short in late November during a sudden cardiac event in the Chiefs locker room at a charity match at the local rink. The incident left the whole town in shock and sparked an outpouring of support.
“My heart still aches every hour I think about him,” father Craig Kasin said, remembering how his son never once grew angry with his family. Mother Mary recalled simple moments like shadow‑boxing with Connor before school and how the boy always listened to her reminder to “be kind … and that really stuck with him.”
The Chiefs community has not wanted Kasin’s legacy to fade. The group began by leaving plastic cup signs spelling “CK 37” in the rink’s fence posts and in nearby parks, only to replace them if the weather washed them away. The effort has grown into a foundation that now raises money for sports programs that are struggling financially.
“I’m going to be doing this for the rest of my life,” Sciurba, now on the board of the Connor Kasin Memorial Foundation, said as he prepared for the first memorial game. “Keep his story going and show Massapequa hockey teams who Connor was.”
The memorial game saw hundreds in attendance, including Stanley Cup champion Rob Scuderi and many Chiefs alumni. Coaches Matt Bobko and Michael Giardino, along with coach’s assistant Giardino, spoke about Kasin’s desire to play for his hometown team rather than chase the NHL.
“Konn was never aiming for a pro career,” Bobko reflected. “He just wanted to wear that Massapequa jersey.” Giardino added that Kasin was a natural leader: “From junior year he was the one who, in that room, ran the show.”
Kasin’s commitment on and off the ice earned him a spot on the varsity squad as a sophomore, a rare accomplishment for the club. He spent long stretches at home blasting pucks into his driveway, and his love for hockey was matched by a deep devotion to the New York Islanders.
Craig said watching the Isles win Game 6 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals was “the best day of Connor’s life,” and that the team’s owner, Jon Ledecky, was present at the funeral.
Even former rivals at Chelsea Piers grew fond of the young defenseman’s spirited play. “I heard that the kid was devastated the first time we played after that,” Craig recalled. “Kinnon’s energy kept everyone coming back.”
A notable play that many remember involved Kasin charging in front of the net and sending his stick flying 10 feet into the air after a face‑off battle. Giardino said that moment “helped rile the other team up.”
This season has been emotional for the Chiefs. Though they have yet to notch a win, the team says the true goal has shifted to unity and family. “We made it a purpose to be a family and try to come together and unify,” Bobko said.
He added, “Connor would want Massapequa to win. He would definitely be saying, ‘Throw the body, give it all you’ve got. You’re only here for four years, so you’ve got to put it out on the ice.’”
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