Fox Lane Hockey Season Recap: Foxes Make Strides

Coach Charles Berger's ultimate goal is to bring a sectional hockey championship to Fox Lane.

That's a multi-step process, but the Foxes made a lot of progress this season, winning their first playoff game in three years before losing to Rye, the eventual sectional champion, to finish with a 12-9-1 record.

"I didn't know what to expect coming into the year and the kids really worked their tails off," Berger said. "We had a successful season. There's still room to improve, but we took a lot of steps this year."

It started from Game 1 against Eastchester/Tuckahoe/Bronxville — Berger's former program — when the Foxes won 4-1. Then in its first road game, Fox Lane trailed 3-1 against Pearl River before scoring five unanswered goals, including three in the third period to break the tie.

In a bit of foreshadowing, Fox Lane then beat Byram Hills 2-1 behind 44 saves from standout goalie Cody Williams. The Foxes beat the Bobcats by that same score in the first round of the Division II playoffs on an unassisted goal by Donnie Castaldo early in the second period. Williams made another 30 saves — on his birthday — in the playoff rematch.

"It was a great game. Both teams left it on the ice," Berger said. "We were fortunate enough to come out with a victory."

Fox Lane then took an early lead six minutes into its quarterfinal against top-seeded Rye on another unassisted goal by Castaldo, but the Garnets eventually came out on top, 5-1.

"We played 100 percent every shift," Berger said. "I'm very proud of the guys, but you have to congratulate Rye. They didn't slow down for a second."

It was a big leap forward for a team that hadn't qualified for the playoffs the past two seasons.

"Guys did everything they could have done," Berger said. "The commitment was there, we really became a family, and that's what we need."

Goalie Cody Williams finished third in Section 1 with a 92.3 save percentage and fifth in the section with a 2.38 goals-against average.

The team leader in goals (16) and points (24) was Joe Corsi, who provided one of the highlights of the season with two late goals in a 3-2 comeback over Mount Pleasant.

Matt Swanko added 10 goals and 23 points, while Castaldo and captain Conor Morris each scored eight times and Blaze Vogliano recorded 13 points.

The defense was led by Kyle MacDonald, fellow juniors George Lodge and Vinnie Maggio and Gib Mitchell, who had an outstanding freshman year.

Berger said the next step to winning sectionals will be a strong offseason — playing hockey year-round, being in the weight room, and knowing all aspects of the system.

"I'm proud and I think we accomplished a lot," Berger said. "There's only one team standing at the end of the season but I think the kids are hungry, we want to get that section championship. We're going to work very hard in the offseason so we have a shot at it next year."