Brothers powering Waubonsie
It’s double vision and double trouble on the co-op Waubonsie Valley hockey team, featuring players from Waubonsie and Metea Valley.
That’s because two brother combos skate for this Metro West powerhouse: Louis and Joe Storto, a junior and senior, respectively; and Cale and Luke Morin, a sophomore and senior, respectively. All attend Waubonsie Valley, except Louis, who deep down bleeds black and gold for Metea.
“It’s rare, but it’s cool having two sets of brothers on the (same) team,” said Louis, 16, in his second season on the varsity. “Having my brother on the team provides additional motivation at times.”
And certainly support.
“I think it’s pretty cool. It makes certain plays more personal, like if someone goes to hit your brother or pick a fight. It makes your blood boil easier,” said Joe, 18, a two-year varsity player who also played football.
Louis, known as Louie to his teammates, is the lone defenseman of the foursome, and he too played football. Louis won a hockey state championship two years ago as a bantam and his team that season missed a trip to nationals after a triple overtime shootout loss in regionals. He’s a 5-foot-9, 190-pounder who shoots right-handed.
Cale is the youngest of the bunch. He’s 15, yet stands 6 feet and weighs 155 pounds and is a two-year varsity player. Nicknamed Calvin, he plays center and shoots right-handed.
Joe, or Joey as he’s known, is a right-handed shooting forward who also played wide receiver on the football team. He’s 5-11, 170 pounds and celebrated a career game last season against Sandburg; he scored 4 goals to help the team come back from a 4-1 deficit and win 5-4.
Luke, 17, is a three-year varsity skater who also played for the school’s golf team. He is a 6-1, 180-pound, left-handed shooting left wing.
“It’s great to have two sets of brothers on the team, but out on the ice all of my teammates are like brothers to me,” Cale said. “I love playing with my brother when we’re on the same line. Since I’ve seen him play so much, I know his playing style and know where he’s at on the ice at all times.
“He is always pushing me to become a better player. The only bad thing is, he always tries to protect me which can lead to penalties for our team.”
Said Luke: “I really don’t treat him different than any of the other guys (on the team). We have good chemistry (on the ice). We are put on the same line often. Being older, I sometimes want to stick up for him.”
The Morins live in Aurora. The Stortos live in Naperville.
Louis said he definitely has good on-ice chemistry with Joe, which no doubt is attributed to the hundreds, er, thousands of hours they’ve spent “goofing around with shots in our basement,” Louis said. “On the other hand I can lose my cool if something dirty happens to him.”
Louis is a fast, physical player. Joe, meanwhile, is the hardworking grinder in the family, but he too boasts speed and a physical approach.
“If we are on the ice at the same time, you know your going to have backup,” he said. “Also, if he makes a good play, it motivates me to make a better play because I can’t let him look better than me. Nothing is bad about having him as a teammate.
“He pushes me to be better than he is. We have always been competitive with each other since we were very young, so we’re always trying to beat each other, and as a result we get the best out of each other.”