Tyler Sadler of the Brockport Stylus wrote this fine article about Alex Monteleone's hockey career...
Alex Monteleone: defending the ice
Oftentimes there is an association between hockey and Can- ada. Montreal native and senior defenseman Alex Monteleone found his place in hockey culture when he picked up his stick for the first time. Playing since he was two years old, Monteleone did not always have the love for it as he does now.
“Growing up in Canada, hockey is pretty big up there. I grew up playing hockey and hated it at first. I pretty much didn’t touch the ice for like a whole year, and then I eventually got back into it and haven’t stopped since,” Monteleone said.
While it may have taken some time for Monteleone to find his love for playing the game, watching hockey was a different story. Monteleone was able to model his game after players he felt he had a similar stature and build to. This is also how he determined he wanted to play defense.
“I was a bigger kid growing up and I really loved watching Sheldon Souray play,” Monteleone said. “He was a big guy with a heavy shot, and he’s who I grew up watching. So he’s someone who I modeled my game after. Guys like him who were bigger, stronger guys who really took care of their own end and took care of their teammates.”
Because the team did not find the success they had hoped for, Monteleone was surprised when he found out he was named SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year.
“Honestly, it was a huge shock to me. I just wasn’t expecting it. As a team, we didn’t have the year we hoped for. So, I wasn’t expecting to receive that from the coaches,” Monteleone said.
Athletes put their bodies on the line every time they go out and
play, and sometimes that risk can lead to an injury. The same is the
case for Monteleone who suffered one more devastating than a normal
bruise or fracture.
“About six years ago, I was playing at a prep school and I ended up breaking my femur. I didn’t know if I was ever going to play again,” Monteleone said. “The crazy thing about the injury was the rink I broke my femur on was at Norwich University, and that’s the college I ended up attending and playing at for four years. I played for four years on the same ice surface where I got stretchered off and the most traumatic accident in my life happened.”
After his devastating injury at Norwich, attending the same college Monteleone got seriously injured at isn’t something he anticipated.
“Honestly at first it played a role in not wanting to go there,”
Monteleone said. But then it played a factor in picking my undergrad
which I have from Norwich for athletic training. So
a bunch of people
who helped me get back on the ice were those same athletic trainers
that were with me day to day. Them helping me get through that two year
long process definitely influenced my path of life.”
Being one of the more experienced players on the hockey team, Monteleone has taken a leadership role on the team and is doing his best to share his knowledge with the younger guys.
Even though hockey was never his first passion, Monteleone eventually
found his way to his country’s sport and Brockport is thankful that he
did.
Source: https://thestylus.org/alex-monteleone-defending-the-ice/
