Oct. 7, 2016
By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Growing up in Scarborough, Ontario, freshman forward Liam Folkes and his twin brother Tre split their time between playing hockey and running track and field. The duo had been skating since they were three years old but didn't start organized hockey until they were seven.
Folkes' father, Carl, competed for Team Canada in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. He competed in the 4 x 400 meter relay.
The 5-foot-8-inch center explained that his father had a significant influence on his athletic career, both inspiring him to play the sports that he did and by giving him advice when it came to training.
"The work ethic and the commitment you have to put in for both sports is similar," Folkes said. "I think cardio, of course, but in hockey it's a bit different because you can glide, in running if you stop your feet you're obviously not moving."
In high school however, playing two sports became too difficult and the Folkes brothers had to decide which sport to dedicate their time to. They both chose hockey.
Folkes liked the team aspect of hockey, and credits the camaraderie as being a big influence on picking the sport.
"In running you're pretty much running against yourself and it's all timed and you have to be very focused and I didn't really like that," Folkes said. "I enjoyed being part of a team."
Both Liam and Tre played on the same teams growing up, most recently spending the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons playing for the Brockville Braves of the Central Canada Hockey League.
This season, Tre is playing for the Smith Falls Bears of the Central Canada Hockey League. Smith Falls, Ontario is more than a six hour drive from State College, making this the farthest the brothers have even been from one another.
Folkes explained that although it's unusual being this far from family, he speaks with his brother every day, and emphasized how important his family has been during both of their journeys through the sport.
On the ice for Penn State Folkes wears the No. 26, because his birthday is on Feb. 26. Wearing that number hasn't always been the case. Prior to playing Junior hockey, he wore No. 48 because his favorite player was Daniel Briere.
Folkes has already started to make his own mark on Penn State Hockey. During Thursday night's contest against St. Lawrence, Folkes was vital in reading the play the led to a David Thompson goal. Folkes, who heard Thompson tapping his stick in anticipation of the puck, passed and was credited the assist on the goal, which gave the Lions a 2-1 lead in the first period.
"Folkes is a right-hander and for a lefty to make that play would have been a lot easier," head coach Guy Gadowsky said. "He actually had to pull up and look. His vision was excellent. That's a tough play for a righty to see and he saw it and made a great play, good finish. That was a hockey player's play right there."