A great day for Hennessy
JEFFERSON TWP — His final hockey season didn't quite go as Shayne Hennessy might have planned.
The Knoch senior defenseman and team captain had been named captain of the Junior Penguins Premier B team, but that squad relocated to Maryland.
He then earned a spot on the Youngstown (Ohio) Phantoms amateur squad, but that franchise folded.
Hennessy's Knoch team finished 6-15, missed the PIHL Class A playoffs and he had to move to forward to help a struggling offense score goals.
“He didn't complain a bit,” Knoch coach Joe Honzo said. “Some things didn't go his way this year, but Shayne just kept playing hard.”
For his efforts, Hennessy was presented the Badger Bob Johnson Character Award during the PIHL Class A Penguins Cup title game Sunday night at the Consol Energy Center.
The award is presented by the PIHL and the Penguins to a PIHL player who embodies the spirit of the phrase “It's a great day for hockey,” made famous by Johnson, the late coach who led the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup in 1991.
“I feel good about it because of what the award stands for,” Hennessy said.
Honzo nominated Hennessy for the honor.
“I just spoke in front of our league commissioner and the PIHL board about Shayne's attributes and what a dedicated hockey player he is,” Honzo said.
Hennessy scored eight goals and had 23 assists for 31 points for the Knights. He was second on the team in scoring behind 25-goal scorer Mike Rykaczewski.
“I enjoy playing offense every now and then,” Hennessy said. “I've been a defenseman most of the time.”
Off the ice, Hennessy carries a 3.7 grade point average at Knoch and has accepted an academic scholarship to West Virginia Wesleyan. He will major in biology and hopes to become a dentist or oral surgeon.
“He's an unselfish player who spends a lot of time helping younger kids in hockey,” said his father, Tim Hennessy. “He'd much rather get the puck to somebody else and watch another person score the goal. He's more of a playmaker that way.”
Hennessy's assist total ranked among the top 15 in PIHL Class A this season.
“Shayne is talented enough to play Junior B hockey in the Ontario League, but he's probably better off going to college,” Honzo said.
“He was very helpful to his teammates in the locker room before and after games. This kid was a four-year letterman and a true leader,” the coach added.
Hennessy said his hockey career is over. He didn't mind not playing for a second team this winter.
“It wasn't the end of the world for me,” he said. “Amateur hockey is a lot of weekend travel and you miss out on doing things with your friend.
“I'm ready to go to college and work on my degree. I had a lot of fun playing hockey and this (award) is a nice way to end it.”
