BROOKLYN, Ohio – When the Elyria Catholic Panthers faced off against the Rocky River Pirates Wednesday at the State District Tournament in Brooklyn, there was a moment of silence before the game.
Hockey teams from all over Northeast Ohio are remembering 17 year old Alec Kornet, a Brush High School student athlete who passed away suddenly Tuesday night.
“Over the past three years, Brush has been in our division every year,” said Andrew Beck, captain of the Elyria Catholic hockey team.
It was Beck’s idea to wear a special decal on their helmets in honor of Alec.
“I always talked to Alec at the games, whether we were at face-off or just skating. We talked about hockey or something else,” said Beck.
“Everyone in school today was very, very sad,” said Gianna Ross, a ninth-grader at Brush.
Alec died unexpectedly, according to a statement from South Euclid-Lyndhurst Schools.
The school said, “Alec was an incredibly well liked and well respected student by his fellow classmates.”
“He was a really nice guy, he was really smart,” said Ross.
Teams from many different communities tweeted their condolences, including the Cleveland Monsters.
“Hockey is a brotherhood so we really felt like we lost a part of that family. We’ve all gotten to know him. It was really tragic,” said Beck.
