Hockey Player's Death 'Brings Back Bad Memories' For Another LI Dad

LONG BEACH, NY — The family of 17-year-old Connor Kasin is preparing for his funeral on Friday morning at St. William the Abbot Church in Seaford.

Kasin, who was playing a charity hockey game on Saturday night, died from a medical emergency during an intermission at the Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center in Bethpage.

A spokesperson for the town told Patch that the facility was equipped with an automatic external defibrillator on site. She said the device was used on Kasin, and Nassau County police used theirs in an attempt to revive the Massapequa High School senior.

The tragic circumstances were all too familiar for one Long Island parent.

"It's horrible. It brings back bad memories," Gregg LaPenna told Patch.

His son Lazar LaPenna was playing Little League in the spring of 2022 when he collapsed and died from an epileptic seizure. That Town of Hempstead park in Point Lookout has since installed AED devices.

Despite the emergency equipment in place and used on Kasin, LaPenna believes there are still changes that need to be embraced across the board — across Long Island and beyond.

"There needs to be a lot more training," he said.

LaPenna, who lives in Long Beach, said Kasin was a popular youth hockey player in the community.

"A lot of [people] I'm friends with, kids, have participated with [Connor] in ice hockey and other sports," LaPenna said. "Long Beach ice hockey is so big. He skated in the Lightning program."

LaPenna shares a heartbreaking bond of loss with the Kasins.

"My heart [and] love goes out to the family of the boy," LaPenna said.