Senior captain forward Conlan Keenan (pictured above) has spent four years at Geneseo where he has accrued multiple accolades. Keenan hopes to lead the Ice Knights to another SUNYAC Championship and more (Kara Burke/managing editor).
The Geneseo Ice Knights once again find themselves firmly near the top of both the Division III and SUNYAC rankings; they are ranked third nationally and first overall in the SUNYAC. This success can be in no small part traced back to senior forward and team captain Conlan Keenan.
Keenan ranks second behind only senior forward Andrew Romano in points out of all players in the SUNYAC and is tied for first with another teammate, senior forward Tyson Empey, in goals.
Beyond this year, Keenan has consistently ranked among the top in points every season he has played for Geneseo and has led his team to the SUNYAC championships in what will likely be all four years of his tenure as an Ice Knight.
What really sets Keenan apart is simply the way he seems to demand a smile from whoever he talks to. The forward effortlessly leads by example and consistently keeps his teammates motivated.
When asked about what makes him such a great leader Keenan said, “I try and connect with every guy, I love to stir the pot and get the most out of everyone.” He continued, “I think what it’s all about is just being open with the guys and letting them know that I would do anything for them.”
Keenan’s openness and ability to bring out the competitive spirit in all his teammates has made everyone he meets better off for it. Keenan hasn’t always been the leader he is today however, but even from the start he grabbed the challenge of playing hockey right by the horns.
“One of my first memories of hockey was learning how to stop with my dad and me always falling into the boards,” Keenan said. “He told me to get up and I tried it again and didn’t stop until I learned, even though it seemed like an eternity.”
From then on, Keenan excelled at hockey and was facing new and more difficult challenges every year until he found himself in New Jersey playing in the United States Premier Hockey League as a 17-year-old. Keenan continued to outshine even the brightest of talents in the USPHL before facing another difficult task in playing for the Division III Ice Knights.
What made every challenge seem doable was not just his considerable talent, but his mother, Paula Keenan, who sadly passed away last year. She was the loudest person in the rink, often to Keenan’s embarrassment, and she made it impossible for him to feel anything but love and support in anything he did.
“She woke up every morning with a smile on her face and made sure I had the best opportunity to succeed,” Keenan said. “Now I approach every day like she did, I want to make other people’s lives different. I want to make them the best they can be.”
Her spirit still lives on in everything Keenan does and is the biggest reason Keenan is the great player and leader he is today. Geneseo will miss Keenan and his too-good-to-be-true talent and the excitement he brings to every game. The forward lives to make the lives of everybody around him better and his mom is to thank for the boon Keenan has been to Geneseo.
Of course, Keenan will miss Geneseo too. “What I’ll miss about Geneseo is being around our family culture here,” Keenan said. “Just being around the guys and having fun, I don’t think I’d get that somewhere else.”
It isn’t over yet for Keenan or the Ice Knights, and Keenan above anyone else is a reminder that Geneseo has what it takes to win it all this year.
Keenan and the Ice Knights play next at Oswego on Friday Feb. 7 in what will be another exciting SUNYAC matchup for Geneseo.