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06/01/2017 12:00 AMIt seemed like Matt Latella never left the ice throughout his senior year with the Easties. Out of the 45 minutes in a high school hockey game, Matt was the ice for an average of 35 of them during the winter season. Matt takes great pride in the unrelenting endurance he displayed after accepting that challenge from Yellowjackets’ Head Coach Lou Pane.
“Coach made it clear at the beginning of the year that I’d have to be out on the ice for about 90 percent of the game,” says Matt, a defenseman. “I didn’t second-guess my abilities or what I could do when he asked me. I wanted to do it, so the team would be successful. It wasn’t easy by any means, but it was second nature to help the team.”
Despite playing a ton of quality minutes as a senior, the experience of being on the ice so much was new to Matt. However, thanks to his conditioning, Matt stood strong throughout the entire year.
“I was never exposed to ice time like that before. The bumps and bruises along the way definitely took a toll, but I overcame that,” Matt says. “As far as my stamina goes, I did what I had to do to bring what I needed to the table.”
What Matt brought to the table was a solid two-way game that resulted in six goals, 20 assists, and a plus-minus rating of plus-74, which set a program record. Plus-minus is a running total of how many goals a player’s team scores (plus) or allows (minus) when that person is on the ice. Matt ultimately earned All-Conference, All-State, and All-Area honors for his performance during his senior season.
“I set the school record at plus-74, which was unheard of. I give a lot of credit to my teammates as they kept the puck out of our zone and generated a lot of offense,” says Matt. “It means a lot to me. Both of my brothers went through the program, but this is something they weren’t able to accomplish. I’ll always be recognized for being a good defensive player, so this means a lot to me.”
Coach Pane notes that it will be very difficult for anyone to break Matt’s record. What’s even more remarkable to Pane is how Matt accomplished this feat while playing so many minutes.
“He was our guy. The job he did was tremendous, which is why he was a First Team All-League and All-State guy,” says Pane. “When he was off the ice, a lot of goals were scored. I’m not saying there weren’t goals scored when he was out there, but our goals against were a ways down this year because of him being on defense and some good goaltending. Coaches knew he’d be out on the ice, but couldn’t believe he could compete at that high of a level for 35 minutes. He’s only 5-foot-8 or 5-foot-9, but if he was 6-1 or 6-2, he’d be a collegiate Division I defenseman. He’s that talented.”
Matt has lined up as a defenseman for the duration of his ice hockey career. Matt’s dad wanted him to play defense when a lot of other kids were focused on scoring goals, and so Matt has had ample time to fine-tune his craft.
“I started out early and kind of just stuck with it from there,” says Matt. “It definitely gave me an advantage, knowing the position mentally and physically. It’s second nature for me to skate backwards and make decisions with the puck in my own zone.”
Matt was one of the hockey squad’s captains this winter and is also a captain for the Yellowjackets’ golf team. Whether he was on the ice or the links, Matt always led the Easties by example.
“Playing varsity since my freshman year definitely helped in a sense that I got to pick the brains of other captains, especially last year with Joe D’Albero. Just looking at the way they showed leadership helped me be the leader that I was this year,” he says. “Whether it was doing a drill or in a game, I was always doing what we needed to do for the team to be successful.”