Nathan Pichette is not the biggest player in Section 10, but he used his speed well and became a dominant player on the soccer field this fall for the Massena Red Raiders.

Pichette, the Times' All-North Northern Athletic Conference MVP, led Section 10 in scoring with 23 goals and 10 assists, and he helped his team to a 15-5 overall record, a tie for the NAC Central Division championship and a spot in the state playoffs.

"He just had an exceptional year," said coach Pat Henrie. "When we gave it to him, he was able to put it in the net. Every shot he took was a good shot."

Pichette, a senior, is just 5-foot-7, 155 pounds, but he's rarely bullied on a soccer field.

He credited spending time competing in a men's summer league with part of his improvement this season.

"I had an idea I was capable of it," Pichette said. "But I didn't know how I could be against other players. The men's league did make me more aggressive and physical playing with other guys."

Another step Pichette took to improve his game was working with St. Lawrence University men's soccer coach Bob Durocher. Of course, some of the moves he learned over the summer were put to use scoring goals against Durocher's son, Trent, who plays for Canton.

"One the one hand he was congratulating me on my goals, but on the other hand he was telling his son what to do to try and stop me," Pichette said of Durocher. "I learned a lot. He has a lot of individual ball-skill work that I learned all my moves from."

All the work Pichette put in prior to the season was noticed by his high school coach, as well.

"He did a lot on his own, individual ball skills and offensive moves," Henrie said. "He could trap and pass, but he did a lot of work on that. His shot got to be a lot more powerful this year, too. When he struck the ball towards the net it had a lot more pace on it.

"He's very fast and he ran down a lot of balls other people couldn't get to."

Pichette was part of Massena's state championship hockey team last winter and also plays baseball for the Red Raiders.

But soccer is his first love and where he hopes to make his mark somewhere next year on a college campus.

"He knows the game," Henrie said. "He knows where to go, where the run, and he strikes the ball well. He's a good handler of the ball. What he'll have a little trouble with is bigger, stronger guys. As you go up, more physical play is allowed. I don't see him not being able to handle that, it's just a matter of getting used to it."

Said Pichette, "This would be the sport I play in college. I definitely have to be better at controlling the ball and making sure my touches are close to me. I definitely have a low center of gravity to shield bigger guys off me."