February 27, 1992
If you’re a hockey player, why not get advice from the Great One himself? “In a book, Wayne Gretzky said that it’s not that important how hard you shoot the puck, but where you shoot it,” West Chester East ice hockey star Joe Widdis said. The senior center has followed this advice. This season, he is the area’s leading scorer with 35 goals and 13 assists in only 14 games. “I feel my speed is the best part of
my game,” Widdis said. “The worst part is sometimes mental. Other teams know I score a lot and do a lot to stop me, and that bothers me. But I’m working on that.” Widdis has been playing ice hockey since he was 9, and in addition to playing for the Vikings, he plays for the Junior Flyers, a select team composed of the top players from the Delaware Valley. “I just love playing the game,” Widdis said. “I’ll play anytime we can get some ice time, anywhere.” According to East coach Nick Russo, Widdis is more than just a goal-scorer.”He is my captain and a great leader,” Russo said. “It’s tough being the most talented kid sometimes, but he talks to the other kids and encourages them. If our goalie lets in a bad goal, before I can tell him to go talk to him, Joe’s already halfway there.” Widdis is also quick to credit his teammates with his success. “With John Schneider and Ted Hoffman on the wings, I think we have one of the best lines around,” Widdis said. Widdis is most likely headed for State University of New York at Brockport this fall. The school has a very strong Division III hockey program.
By Steve Wartenberg
The original
