Highland forward Korte has superb season on hockey rink
Wins were hard to come by for the Highland hockey club during the 2019-20 season as the Bulldogs went just 4-19-1.
Despite the rocky campaign, the club had one major boon that kept opposing Mississippi Valley Club Hockey Association coaches and teams uneasy every game: The presence of explosive forward Lucas Korte.
Korte, a smooth-skating, shooting, passing senior, was the Bulldogs offensive heartbeat all season, as he scorched MVCHA opponents for a league-high 75 goals and 102 points.
His banner senior season put him in second place in 2019-20 just behind Granite City’s Hunter Parker, who led the league in overall points with 107.
“it was amazing really that he was able to produce as he did on a team that struggled as we did,” Highland coach Joel Hawkins said.
Korte had big plans at the outset of the season and was relentless in his pursuit to excel on the ice.
“It felt pretty good (to have this season),” Korte said. “I had a goal that I wanted to reach and I set out and set it so it feels really good to end (my career at Highland) on a high note.”
Big goal games were the rule and not the exception for Korte in his senior season at Highland High School.
During the season, he racked up 14 games where he scored hat tricks. In addition, he scored four goals or more in a game, including a whopping seven-goal outburst against East Alton-Wood River on Nov. 19.
“He really did help us by staying out there (on the ice) and when he did stay on the ice, we had a chance at success,” Hawkins said.
Club play assists Korte during high school season
Korte, who plays with Twin Bridges 18-U Junior club out of Hazelwood, Missouri, credits his play with them over the summer and hard training on and off the ice with helping him turn into an elite player this winter.
“I played a lot of hockey over the summer and just trained a lot on and off the ice and then just had a good season, I think,” Korte said.
Hawkins also points to Korte becoming more disciplined on the ice this year in avoiding unnecessary penalties and being focused on doing things to help the team win.
“His volatility has always been his biggest impediment and so after that first game this year when he was off the ice and they scored and we lost by one goal, I said to him afterward ‘how much does it helps the team if you come off the ice?’” Hawkins said. “He (then) came to realize how important that was over the course of the year.”
Korte saved his best work for the MVCHA playoffs as he scored nine goals for the Bulldogs in their three-game quarterfinal round loss to Edwardsville. Highland did not make it to semifinals, but Korte said he felt the team improved steadily during the season and played well in the playoffs as they lost two of the three games to Edwardsville by just one goal.
“I think it was fun to see where we were at the beginning of the season and were down then to see everyone come together and build throughout the season and had a lot of success,” Korte said.
What does the future hold for Korte?
Korte, who first picked up a hockey stick at the age of 3, is now mulling over his options for his future after playing for HHS. He has interest from Division-II hockey programs such as SIU-Edwardsville but he has his sights set a little higher than college, as he potentially eyes a pro hockey career a few years down the road.
“I’m really interested in (playing) juniors,” Korte said. “I could play in the country or in Canada. Last week I had a juniors team from Quebec messaging me, so it’s really (open) all over.”
Hawkins believes Korte will be successful in whatever direction his career heads next.
“He’s a decent kid if he puts his mind to it, he very capable of accomplishing whatever he sets out to do,” Hawkins said. “Especially when it comes to hockey.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 5:00 AM.