Observer-Reporter -- Ryan J. Kovacicek made many impressions during his life.

Hard working, team player, honest and a man of his word, to name a few, according to friends.

Sacrificing his life for his country, sadly, will be his last.

Kovacicek, 22, of Avella, a lance corporal with the Marines, died Sunday, along with Staff Sgt. Joseph P. Goodrich, 32, of Allegheny, fighting in an insurgent stronghold in Hit, Iraq, military officials said Monday.

"He was a happy-go-lucky kid," said Kathy Smith of Washington.

Kovacicek attended Bishop Canevin Catholic High School in Pittsburgh after graduating from John F. Kennedy Catholic School in Washington. He lettered with Canevin's hockey team all four years before enrolling at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he also played hockey.

"He was a funny kid, a sweet kid," said Jackie Coleman of Robinson.

Coleman's son, David, graduated with Kovacicek in 2001. The two had roomed together at IUP.

"This is shocking, unbelievable," Coleman said. "It's just very, very sad."

According to the Department of Defense Web site, the two were killed by "indirect fire" while taking cover behind a building in Hit, which is located on the Euphrates River in western Iraq. The two were assigned to Marine Forces Reserve's 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division out of Moundsville, W.Va.

According to Kovacicek's brother-in-law, Ron Salvitti, he enlisted to defend his country. He arrived in Iraq in March and was expected to return in October.

"(Kovacicek's) sister (Renae) said last week that he was doing well, but that their dad (Joe) was extremely nervous," Smith said.

Both Smith, whose son, Patrick, was a teammate of Kovacicek at Canevin, and Coleman said that the hockey families were close, in part from the significant time they would spend traveling to tournaments together.

"They are wonderful people," Smith said of the Kovacicek family.

"He was a tremendous kid and a wonderful adult," Coleman said, noting it has been about a year since she last saw Kovacicek. "I can't believe I'll never see Ryan again."

Kovacicek, who was a junior studying criminology, is survived by his sister, Renae, and his parents, Joe and Judy.

He is the third local soldier to die in Iraq. Army Staff Sgt. Sean P. Huey, 28, of Fredricktown, was killed Nov. 11 and Army Spc. Gregory Cox, 21, of Carmichaels, died Sept. 26.