Matt Dennison, West Warwick hockey player injured in car crash, has died
Matthew Dennison, who was one of two West Warwick High School hockey players seriously injured in a car crash in Exeter last month, has died.
News of Dennison’s passing made its way to Schneider Arena during Game 1 of the RIIL Boys Hockey State Championship Series on Thursday night. After beating East Greenwich in a shootout, Hendricken coach Mike Soscia informed his team of Dennison’s death. Soscia coached Dennison as a youth along with several of his current Hendricken players who played alongside Dennison as they came up through the hockey ranks.
More: Coming together: Show of support, love for injured hockey players in West Warwick
The Rhode Island Interscholastic League will honor Dennison with a moment of silence prior to Game 2 of the state finals on Friday night.
Some truly sad news has made its way to Schneider Arena.
Matthew Dennison, the senior hockey player from West Warwick HS, has passed away. He was the passenger in a car struck by a drunk driver last month.
Prayers to the Dennison family and friends.— Eric Rueb (@EricRueb) March 11, 2022
Dennison was the passenger in a car driven by Kevin MacDonald, his teammate on the West Warwick/Exeter-West Greenwich co-op boys hockey team. The boys were driving through Exeter on their way to watch a high school hockey game in West Warwick on Feb. 12 when their car was struck by a vehicle driven by 30-year-old Alexander Krajewski.
Krajewski, of North Kingstown, is a Newport firefighter. He was arrested and charged with a DUI and driving to endanger.
Krajewski, who has been free on $10,000 surety bail since Feb. 14, is due in District Court, South Kingstown, on Wednesday for a bail review hearing. The case will be reviewed on May 20 before proceeding in Superior Court, which handles felony cases.
More: Lawyer: Suspect in crash that injured high-school hockey players is Newport firefighter
On Feb. 18 the Knight-Wizards played their annual Senior Night game and honored both teens prior to facing Coventry. MacDonald was wheeled out on the ice to a standing ovation, wearing Dennison’s WWEWG jersey. Dennison’s father, Mark, showed up with his daughter Katie with Mark wearing one of Dennison’s youth jerseys and Katie wearing his home WWEWG uniform.
More: Coming together: Show of support, love for injured hockey players in West Warwick
“It means everything in the world. My son loves the game of hockey, he loves this town and most of all he loves his teammates,” Mark Dennison told The Providence Journal that night. “He loved nothing more than leading them, game in, game out, bring them along for the ride.”
Unbelievable moment here at Benny Magiera Ice Rink in West Warwick as Kevin MacDonald, one of the boys injured in the accident over the weekend, and the parents of Matt Dennison, take part in tonight’s Senior Night festivities. pic.twitter.com/yKn8urebBS
— Eric Rueb (@EricRueb) February 19, 2022
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Matt Dennison, W. Warwick hockey player injured in car crash, has died
