Youth hockey player died of heart condition

[KMSP Fox 9, November 17, 2014] Patrick Schoonover, a bantam hockey player from Eastview, Minn. tragically collapsed on the ice while playing at the Brainerd Area Civic Center on Friday, and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the 14-year-old's death was caused by a heart condition.

That's the most common cause of a sudden death like this in an athlete who was otherwise appearing very healthy. Dr. Jamie Peters of the Sports and Orthopedic Specialists in Edina, Minn. said in young athletes, some sounds, or murmurs, can be heard through a stethoscope to prompt further tests, but they can be hard to hear, and sometimes, they can't be heard at all.

“There's a lot of research ongoing right now, some of it is around screening and some if it's around whether to do electrocardiograms, ECGs, or whether to do genetic testing, but now, there isn't really a single test that will detect someone who's at high risk,” Dr. Peters said.