High-flying Fox Chapel hockey team looks to play with more grit

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, November 23, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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First-year Fox Chapel hockey coach Ryan Loebig believes the Foxes were at a perfect spot for a breather after five games.

The Foxes proved they are an offensively gifted team that is capable of winning wild shootouts. But a pair of one-goal losses offered a chance for reflection.

“We’ve been a fast and high-scoring team,” Loebig said. “We can move the puck around. I would like to add a little bit more grit — and I think the players would agree — to the game. We want to win puck battles on the wall and be strong on the forecheck. There’s more work to be done. We have to be more responsible defensively.”

Fox Chapel (3-2) scored five or more goals during four of its first games to open the year.

The Foxes’ two losses, to Canon-McMillan and Bishop McCort, were by one goal.

“The first couple games, we built some confidence around that,” Loebig said. “We were humbled a little bit. It’s important to have these opportunities to take a step back and reevaluate what is going on. We want to continue moving forward.”

Dominic Casile leads Fox Chapel with 14 points. Casile has five goals and nine assists. Liam Wiseman, who topped 100 points for his career earlier this season, has six goals and three assists.

Tucker Cullen is second on the team with 10 points.

Loebig said that Fox Chapel had a good group. Defenseman Tyler Goldstein, who has five assists, is the captain.

“We have a good idea of leadership up and down, then lineup,” Loebig said. “They are extensions of what we are trying to do with the team. They play the game hard and quick. They drive the way we are playing the game.”

Fox Chapel hopes to utilize its experience to continue to look like the team that battered Baldwin, Armstrong and Norwin to start the season.

“I think our guys are continuing to learn, and we’re continuing to learn with them,” Loebig said. “There are a lot of positives to start the year. We want to mesh together and figure out our identity and who we are.”

Tags: Fox Chapel