A regional youth hockey team honored one of its alumni, a local soldier about to deploy to Afghanistan, by "adopting" him in a brief ceremony at Ebersole Ice Rink in White Plains Saturday morning.

U.S. Army Lieutenant Michael Rappe, a graduate of Edgemont High School, will be heading for a tour of duty in Afghanistan in February.  Rappe played in the White Plains Plainsmen Association's program while growing up.

He smiled as he looked out over a large group of about 50 current players and coaches who gathered for the event.

Rappe's former coach Thomas Madden remembered his team from 2001-03 as a great bunch of hard-working kids who loved the game.  Rappe said he loved his time playing for the Plainsmen and still plays hockey in Colorado where he now lives.

The association honored Rappe with a Plainsmen jersey with the number 79, which he wore as a player; a Plainsmen blanket and hat; and several car magnets which association president and coach Rich Meyers hoped he would affix to the bumpers of a couple of Humvees in Afghanistan.

White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach spoke to the crowd and told them it was a special thing they were doing for Lt. Rappe and he thanked them for their support as well as thanking Rappe for his service.

Players on the team all wrote letters for Rappe to take with him and read and will continue to write him throughout his deployment keeping him posted on their personal stats and how the teams are doing during the year.

The Plainsmen are the Hudson Valley's first and longest running youth hockey program, having been in existence for more than 50 years, according to their website.