Know Your Ice Jacks- James Korte

December 9 2013

The Division II Ice Jacks hockey team has had a tough schedule, but despite their  losses and tough playing, good defense is crucial. James Korte, senior goaltender for the DII Ice Jacks knows what it is like dealing with the pressure playing tough teams.

Playing hockey since he was just a kid at age seven, Korte didn't expect to become a goaltender, until his dad persuaded him into it. 

"My dad said, 'you wanna play goalie for this team?' and I was like sure, so I just put on the pads and just stayed goalie for the rest of the 15 years."

James Korte is coming close to ending his collegiate career at NAU. With 549 saves with a .874 percentage so far, ending his career with a bang is what it looks like can happen. 

But being goaltender can have its ups and downs. One day you will have a great day with 40 saves for the night, and another you will suffer an injury, and injuries are one thing that Korte has had to overcome.

"My freshman year I had two sports hernias like a month into the season, so I had to get surgery on those" he said.  And the injuries don't stop three years back; this year, he hurt his knee. Luckily none of these injuries have been as bad as they can be, but it is still dangerous.

Sitting on the bench during these games is not one of his favorite things to do, but sometimes it is the best thing that needs to be done.

During the DII games against Loyola Marymount Uuniversity back on October18 and 19, Korte was spending his time on the bench after he tweaked his knee in the first game. 

"It really sucked to watch" he said.  "We were up 3-1 when I came out, and they ended u tying the game. And it's really frustrating to watch from the bench and you can't really do anything about it. "

Korte has so only missed a few games prior to his last injury. From then he has switched out with alternate goaltender Anthony Caruso.

"It's a privilege to play with him, I've learned quite a bit from watching him in games and practices, he has this great balance of control and athleticism. He's able to get across the net in a hurry anytime he needs to, and still stay calm in the process." Caruso says.

Despite injuries and bumps on the ice that Korte experiences, one thing that he knows for sure is that playing with the Ice Jacks has been such a privilege.

"This year has been the best for chemistry and everything. We're all coming together as a team and it's been really nice." Korte says.

One thing that a few teammates mentioned about Korte is that whenever he gets scored on during a game, he is not the person to talk to. Getting mad is something that happens, as it happens to the best of us.

And it isn't just Caruso who thinks he is a good, genuine player, other teammates can agree.

"James is a great goaltender, he shows lots of emotion on the ice"  Forward Dylan Blankenship says. "He's kind of a leader even though he doesn't wear a letter" 

Having a letter on your chest is always an honor, but the fact that James Korte only carries a number, says a lot about a person. As there are plenty of men on the Ice Jacks that we can all say deserve a C or A on their chest, Korte doesn't need one to be such a star player.

"He's really competitive too", Blankenship adds. "If he gets scored on, you don't want to talk to him because he's mad." 

But if there was no emotion shown from Korte, there wouldn't be much care. And Korte is one of the players that shows he cares about the game and practices.

Forward Ben Russell, another one of Korte's friends on the DII Ice Jacks says, "he's a fun guy to have on the team on and off the ice...he's for the boys." And in a tough game of hockey, staying true to your team and keeping your composure, is always needed.

But sometimes keeping composure is a tougher thing to do. Back in November during the game against ASU, there was some scuffle between the refs on the ice, Korte, and Coach Travis Johanson which threw both Korte and the coach, out of the game.

"It happens. I didn't agree with what the refs said, and I said something that I probably could not have said on the ice." 

But dealing issues like these will happen.