Nov. 21, 2012

By Alan Lessels
Correspondent, New York Hockey Journal

The Army hockey team suffered the kind of major loss in early August that quickly puts a rough season, sports and everything else in perspective.

Major Tom Kennedy, a former defenseman with the program and the officer representative for the team the past four years, was killed in action in Afghanistan. He was 35.

"We dedicated this season to him," said senior defenseman and assistant captain Andy Starczewski. "He meant everything to every one of us here, especially us as a senior class. We all really kind of grew up with him."

Kennedy (New York, N.Y.) left behind a wife and young twins. He was recruited to the Black Knight hockey family out of the Salisbury School in Connecticut by Brian Riley, who is now the head coach and back then was an assistant. He played four years, graduating in 2000.

"Some coaches talk about losing hockey games," Riley said. "I'm not worried about losing games; I'm worried about losing players. It's happened twice, first with Derek Hines and now with Tom Kennedy. Both of these guys were just outstanding young men. They were everything you want your players to be when they are part of your program and, most importantly, everything you hope they will be when they leave your program."

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