Forward-thinking Fogliatti, Stevenson finding success

Timmy Fogliatti is living up to the label student-athlete.

The Stevenson senior is a National Honor Society member looking to pursue a career in the military as an engineer (chemical, civil or mechanical).

"He is one of our best students in the classroom," Stevenson assistant hockey coach Tom Wood said.

Fogliatti shines on the ice, too.

"Timmy is a wizard with the puck," Wood said. "He is the quarterback on special teams and is a shot-blocking machine on defense. He provides a good example on and off the ice."

About a month into the season, Fogliatti already has had a momentous game. In an 11-0 win over the Skokie Flyers, Fogliatti had 7 assists, including four in the second period alone.

"Any defenseman (who) can get 7 points in one game is clearly a special talent," Wood said.

"During (that) game, I just kept focusing on giving the puck to the open man," Fogliatti said. "Luckily for me, my teammates were able to score consistently throughout the whole game. I was not keeping track (of assists during the game), but a few teammates were keeping a tally on the bench."

The left-handed shooting defenseman often skates alongside Daniel Dowd. Fogliatti is only 5 feet 7 and weighs about 140 pounds, but he's been playing like a powerhouse in his second season on the Stevenson varsity.

He was part of the Patriots' JV team that won the state championship his first season. Stevenson's road to a state championship this season seems peppered with obstacles. The Patriots are 13-11-1, including 2-8 in the eight-team Scholastic Hockey League.

"The team is quite young, having only five seniors," Fogliatti said. "I don't view this as a problem since all the guys on the team are very skilled and they each have a unique role."

"A strength of this year's team is our ability to identify our weaknesses and improve upon them both individually and collectively as a team."

Jordan Marcelletti is the team's leading scorer with 14 goals and 11 assists in 19 games. Jackson Leptich has 13 goals and 4 assists, while Daniel Levey has 5 goals and 15 assists. Joshua Pike and Nick Cimarusti have been splitting time in goal.

Freshman Seth Cohen scored the team's biggest goal of the season so far, when he tallied with less than three minutes remaining in the second 10-minute sudden-death overtime of the championship game in the 12th annual Stevenson Thanksgiving tournament, played in Buffalo Grove. The Patriots fell behind Waubonsie Valley 3-0, but rebounded to win the title on Cohen's tally, 4-3, on Nov. 29.

"With our willingness to put in effort on and off the ice, I could see our team going deep into the playoffs and possibly winning the whole thing," Fogliatti said.

The Patriots will have to contend with defending state champion Glenbrook North (29-10-2), SHL rivals New Trier Green (26-6-1) and Loyola Gold (17-7), plus Providence Catholic and last year's state runner-up Benet Academy.

Benet (25-3) jumped into the No. 1 spot in the state's Top 20 rankings (as of Dec. 1) after defeating New Trier Green 5-2 on Nov. 29 in the championship game of the 44th annual Loyola Thanksgiving tournament.

The Patriots are No. 9.

It's not a surprise that Fogliatti is a defenseman who likes to skate with the puck. After all, he previously played forward.

"Throughout my hockey career I have been fortunate to have (had) amazing coaches, but the one coach who had the biggest impact on my career was John Meo," Fogliatti said. "Before I had him as a coach, I played forward. By the end of the year, he taught me all I know about playing defense.

"I think the only way my size affects my style of play is that I'm not as physical compared bigger guys, like my defensive partner Dowd."

Growing up, Fogliatti said he admired the play of Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk - and naturally he modeled his style after those NHL stars. He does the same with Duncan Keith "trying to move the puck as well as he does," Fogliatti said.

"The biggest change in my game was the transition I made from forward to defense. Even though I changed position, I brought my offensive style of play to my new position."

Point taken.

• Stevenson is playing in the 22nd annual Chicago Blackhawks Charities Holiday Hockey Classic Dec. 26-29 in Bensenville. The Patriots' four-team division features Brother Rice, Glenbrook North and Missouri power Christian Brothers College. The 20-team tournament also features Barrington, co-op Glenbard, Neuqua Valley, Naperville Central and St. Viator.