Zalewski Gives Team Hometown Tour
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The following article featuring Clarkson forward Steve Zalewski appeared in the January 24 issue of The Watertown Daily Times.
By Cap Carey
POTSDAM - The Clarkson University men's hockey team found itself with a free day on Saturday after its game at Cornell was moved to Sunday for an ESPN national broadcast.
So, after a 1-1 tie at Colgate on Friday night in Hamilton, the Golden Knights spent Saturday in nearby New Hartford, the hometown of senior assistant captain Steve Zalewski.
The team skated at the rink where Zalewski learned how to play the game, then went to his home for dinner.
"It was a lot of fun," Zalewski said of showing off his hometown. "It was good to have the guys over for a meal. We squeezed them in. I don't think there was room for any more (people)."
It wasn't the first time the team has visited the home of a player while on a road trip. In the recent past, Clarkson has had meals at the homes of current senior Mike Arciero and former player Kyle McNulty.
"It's nice to kind of get away from the rink," Clarkson coach George Roll said. "(Zalewski) scored a goal Friday and Sunday when he had a lot of people in the stands."
A humble athlete, Zalewski said there are no displays from his high school career in New Hartford's rink. He was the state Division II player of the year in 2003.
"I don't think anyone there thinks of me differently," Zalewski said. "They are people I have known since I learned how to skate."
Zalewski's older brother, Rich, skates for the defending national champion SUNY Oswego team and will be in Potsdam on Saturday night for a game against the Bears.
His younger brother, Mike, a sophomore at New Hartford High School, could be a future Clarkson recruit. He picked up a goal and an assist in a game at Ogdensburg Free Academy on Saturday and he had 18 goals with 21 assists through his first 17 games this season.
