Ice Hockey: Corsi Leading Foxes to Great Season

Fox Lane has enjoyed an outstanding year on the ice and one big reason is the play of senior co-captain, forward Joe Corsi. Corsi leads the Foxes with 26 points on the strength of 14 goals and 12 assists for a team that is 12-4-1 overall and 3-1-1 in league play in Conference III, second to only first place Rye (13-3-1, 6-0).

“I really believe one reason why we have been so successful is that we have a lot of seniors on the team that have been playing together since they were freshmen,” Corsi said. “We have a lot of chemistry because of that.”

Corsi said playing with his senior teammates has helped him improve his game, specifically his line mates. Corsi plays on the same line with  Josh Wollman (eight goals, 12 assists) and co-captain Donny Costaldo (11 goals and five assists), a duo he has known throughout his high-school career.

“We are friends off the ice and on the ice,” Corsi said. “That really helps us with our chemistry. We are always looking for one another to make plays.”

Corsi also credits Fox Lane coach Charles Berger for the success that he has had as well as the Foxes have enjoyed as a team.

“He does a great job,” Corsi said. “He really lets us play our style. He tweaks things when he needs to, but all in all he lets us do our own thing. He lets us find each other and play our game.”

It’s easier to let the team play its game when it has a leader like Corsi, according to Berger.

“Joe Corsi is a special hockey talent,” Berger said. “It’s a rarity that you can have a high-school hockey player contribute as an eighth grader. That was something that he was able to do. He just got better every year.”

“He’s a hard worker, he has a great sense of the game,” Berger continued. “He’s not a greedy individual. He looks to make the right play, the hockey play. He’ll go past the puck, he’ll miss the puck but he’s always in the right position. He has great hustle, great stick handling. He’s a finisher also. Without a doubt, he’s one of the best finishers in the section.”

Corsi is one of the best finishers in the section because he realizes how important it is to practice and stay on schedule with his regimen.

“We practice six times a week, three of those being ice time and the other days are off-ice because ice time cost a lot of money so we can’t be on the ice every day,” Corsi said. “When we aren’t on the ice we are running up the stairs and working out, lifting weights.”

Berger said that Corsi's level of maturity allowed him to join the varsity squad when he was in eighth grade.

“He has a work ethic above most others,” Berger said. “The one thing about Joey, it doesn’t matter what night it is, you are always getting his A game. He comes to play every single time when he’s on the ice. That is just something that is very hard to get from anybody and consistently. His work ethic and hustle is great.”

It's that work ethic and hustle, which has rubbed off on the rest of the team, that makes Corsi a team captain.

“There is a reason why there is a C on his jersey,” Berger said. “A lot of the guys look up to him and respect him. He’s a great guy. He’s a leader on the ice and off the ice. Everything out of him is positive. He’s stresses the positive when he talks to the young guys on the team.”