HAVERHILL — More than 1,000 people packed Sacred Hearts Church yesterday to say farewell to Matthew McCarthy, a 17-year-old hockey player who died a week ago after collapsing on the ice at Veterans Memorial Arena.
Several of his Pentucket Regional High teammates wore their team jerseys and formed an honor guard as his casket was carried from the funeral home and the church.
McCarthy's death is a tragedy that makes no sense, the Rev. Robert Conole said during the Mass. Indeed, there was no hint that he had any medical problems, friends and relatives have said.
Conole read from the 14th chapter of the Gospel of St. John, in which Jesus tells his followers, "Let not your hearts be troubled." The remedy for tragedy, Conole said, is faith in God.
Tyler Atkins, a Pentucket High junior who was McCarthy's teammate and attended the Mass, described him as "an awesome kid who made everyone laugh." Several other teammates described him in a similar way.
They also said he was a skilled and dedicated player who hoped to play his favorite sport at college next year.
While McCarthy had a great sense of humor and shared it with teammates and friends, playing against him on the ice was no laughing matter, said John Gavin, a co-captain of the team along with McCarthy.
"He let everyone know he was there," Gavin said.
At the Mass, McCarthy's mother, Jolanta, spoke of his love of hockey and how he was a wonderful son who loved his two younger brothers — Ryan, a Pentucket sophomore who also plays hockey, and Nathan, a fourth-grader at Sacred Hearts School.
An autopsy has provided no definitive reason for the death, which happened during a team practice. Investigators are awaiting toxicology reports.
A friend of McCarthy, Tim Cosgrove, also a co-captain of the Pentucket hockey team, said McCarthy "made people feel great about themselves."
"He was the leader of our team without a doubt," Cosgrove said.
As a player, he was "one of the best," who could score goals in ways that would make people shake their heads, Cosgrove said.
"I had no idea how he got it in," Cosgrove said of some of the goals.
Atkins, who lives just down the street from the McCarthy family in Merrimac, grew up with him. While McCarthy concentrated on hockey, he encouraged Atkins to play football. Atkins said he intends to go out for football next year.
"He would do anything for anybody," Atkins said of McCarthy. "He was definitely a leader."
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