Keith Haseley knows that even Falcons need to stay grounded.

It would be easy, however, for the Niagara-Wheatfield Federation hockey team to get some air under its wings these days. Winners of five straight, the Falcons handed reigning state private school champion St. Joe’s its first Federation loss of the season on Saturday.

Niagara-Wheatfield is currently ranked No. 10 in the state according to the Jan. 29 poll conducted by the New York State Sportswriters Association. The numbers are looking up for Niagara-Wheatfield, but Haseley said the team needs to stay focused on what’s ahead.

“Don’t get a big head,” Haseley said. “I’ve been around a lot of guys that have skill and a big head. No one wants a captain and a leader like that.”

Haseley, a senior captain for the Falcons, lives by his own advice on and off the ice. Keep your head down, keep working and reap the rewards.

“He’s pretty quiet, he leads by example,” Niagara-Wheatfield coach Rick Wrazin said. “We’ve tried to get him to loosen up a little bit, but he’s very serious. He loves the game, he’s a great kid to coach.”

Haseley said he likes the physical aspect of hockey, battling along the boards and fighting to make plays. He calls himself “a grinder,” but Wrazin said the 5-foot-9 forward is a versatile weapon on the ice.

“He’s always been a good, hard-working kid,” Wrazin said. “He likes to take the body, he likes to be physical. He does everything. He can control the puck, he can play the body, he can work on the power play. He’s just a good all-around hockey player.”

Haseley worked his way into the lineup as a sophomore. Wrazin said his quick feet and strong skating ability made an immediate impact.

“He’s one of the faster players on the ice no matter who we’re playing. He’s hard to knock off the puck he uses his body well,” Wrazin said. “He’s a possession-minded kid. He likes to have the puck but he’s not selfish. He’d actually rather get an assist more than a goal most times. Skill-wise he stands out as one of the most skilled players on the ice.”

Haseley has six goals and four assists this season. Scoring usually comes in bunches for him, but Hasely said he’s just worried about making plays this time of year.

“I don’t really focus on who has the most points, as long as we’re winning that’s good for me,” Hasely said. “I know a lot of kids my age focus on goals and getting noticed. I just like being a part of it. Setting up the plays and being a playmaker. That’s a big part of my game. I know that’s what I focus on.”

A 5 p.m. meeting with Canisius today at Hyde Park is the Falcons’ final regular season game. Another good showing after the 2-1 win against the Marauders last weekend could be the springboard for the Falcons as the postseason nears.

“It was the best team effort we’ve had overall,” Wrazin said. “As a team, we had guys blocking shots, we really picked it up in the ‘D’ zone. They had 26 shots and a lot of opportunities, they’re a really good hockey team. But we did a good job of covering the zone and clearing the puck.”

Haseley said the defense-first focus of the team finally paid off against St. Joe’s. Keeping the opposition down has been a struggle for the Falcons at times this year.

“We’ve been one of the highest scoring teams in the league for a while but we’ve also given up our share,” Wrazin said. “It was nice to bear down and only give up one against a really good team like that.”

The Falcons tied the other reigning public school champion Williamsville North this season as well. Haseley said those outings prove the Falcons are no fluke this year. They just have to prove it once the playoffs start next week.

“I just want to go as far as we can as a team. We have the talent to do so,” Haseley said. “It would be a shame if we didn’t go far. We have a bunch of hard-working guys. They won’t give up.”