Saturday, June 18, 2016

Watercooler Exclusive: Sal Stalteri Interview

After a season in which Sal Stalteri played between the pipes for the Lockport Express, it was soon revealed that he had made a commitment to attend SUNY Morrisville and play for their Divison 3 hockey team. Craig had a chance to ask Sal a few questions about that decision and what it was like to play hockey at the new Cornerstone Arena for the Lockport Express.

Craig: Thanks for taking the time for this interview, and congratulations on the commitment to Morrisville.

Sal: Thank you very much, I'm extremely excited for the upcoming season, I'm sure it'll be a great season and a definite big step forward.

CB: What was it about Morrisville that interested you?

Sal: First off, playing with the Express this past season allowed the privilege to play on the Morrisville ice surface as well as watch parts of the Morrisville college team play against Buffalo State and Brockport on two separate occasions. That gave me a small indication of what the hockey was about. Also, while taking the tour of the campus, almost everything inside the walls of the buildings has been newly renovated within the last 5 years. The newest is the fitness center, which really piqued my interest. Also, Coach Kevin Krogol of the men's hockey team was extremely kind, down to earth and honest. He was straight forward with me about his future plans about the team as a whole as well as myself as a player, which I appreciated very much. All of these characteristics factored into my decision to commit to Morrisville.

CB: This past season, you came to the Lockport Express to play goal. What do you think you got out of your time with the Express?

Sal: I believe that I received plenty of life experiences that I can take away from playing with the Express. The biggest of them all would be moving away from home to a different country let alone a different city for the first time in my life. It has allowed me to grow and mature not only as a person but as a player as well. 

CB: The Express had Tim Scheiss, and later Sam Fitzpatrick as part of the goal-tending talent for the season. What did you learn from either of them that helped to improve your game?

Sal: To start off I would like to wish Tim and Sam best of luck in their future endeavors, and that it was a huge pleasure being able to share the net with the both of them. From my time with Tim, I am able take away Tim's goal setting and drive for success, and letting go of past situations/events. He was always setting future goals and talking about taking his game to the next level. He also wouldn't worry about a previous game or stat sheet or anything like that, and just take the game for what it was on that day. Playing with Sam this past season has taught me to remain calm in the net, and never give up no matter the situation. Sam was a calm and collected goalie in the net and never gave up on the puck even if the odds were stacked against him. His ability to take the reigns in the playoffs and play his absolute heart out and make a few spectacular saves to keep the team fighting until the very end against the Wildcats has taught me to never give up and always stay calm. I can definitely take away a few things from both goalies that I can use to enhance my game and again it was a pleasure being able to work with the both of them this past season. 

CB: What do you expect with your playing time in Morrisville?

Sal: I don't expect to receive a lot of playing time in Morrisville coming in a freshman goalie but I do expect to get a fair amount of starts in to be able to prove that I have what takes to play and be successful and the D3 level.

CB: Do you have a course of study you'll be following?

Sal: Yes I do. I will be studying Human Performance and Health Promotion at Morrisville. For those that are unsure of what it is, it is a branch of Kinesiology/Exercise Science which is the study of the movement human body as a machine.

CB: Is there anything you'd like to say to the fans in Lockport?

Sal: I'd like to say thank you for welcoming me into your city as one of your own, I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to play in front of the many fans that came out to watch us play and I'd like give a big thanks to the Express organization for taking me in as one of their goaltenders and giving me an opportunity where no one else would. I can't be more thankful.

CB: Good luck, and congratulations again. We'll be sure to keep an eye on the stats coming out of Morrisville this season.

Sal: Thank you for having this interview with me, it was a pleasure. I had lots of fun answering these questions for you. I hope you guys will be able to come out to Morrisville to watch us play. Hopefully I am able to get a start when you come out. I wish the best of luck to the Express organization and to all the new and returning players. I'll be looking out for you guys this upcoming season and I will definitely be cheering you guys on.