After a tough freshman season where he saw limited action, he bounced back to score 34 points as a sophomore, good for second on the team. He had the first multi-point game of his career against Vermont, and his first multi-goal game against Union, when he scored the eventual game-winner on a breakaway against the hated rival. He also shined in the playoffs, getting four points in the team’s first three playoff games.

In this past season, he really stepped up and became a force for the Engineers. After scoring ten goals in the team’s first nine games, he was well-established as a playmaker that could create offense from nothing, a skilled finisher who could bury the puck in the net when called upon, and an immovable rock when parked in front of the net on the power play. He led the team’s offensive efforts, and was the driving force behind its early-season success.

His season hit a new pinnacle at the 28th annual Big Red Freakout!. After scrambling and at times looking outmatched against a tough Brown Bears squad, the Engineers found themselves tied 2-2 late in regulation. With the game on the line, he took control of the puck—and the game—in the defensive end. He tore down the ice like a man possessed, through the neutral zone and over the blue line. He faked out a Brown defender and fired a shot that beat the goaltender and put RPI in the lead with 8.3 seconds remaining. The goal sent all 5,152 attendees into a frenzy, and will surely go down in Engineers’ hockey lore as one of the finest ever scored. A fiery competitor? You bet.

The recent revelation of Kirk’s illness has been a shock to us all. When someone so young, energetic, and dynamic is inflicted with something so serious, the natural reaction is to be bewildered but sympathetic. Things like this often give us pause, and make us carefully consider what really matters in life. But if his on-ice achievements are any indication, the cancer doesn’t stand a chance.