Zito key cog in Gupps attack
By Dickie Dunn
May 7, 2003
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Jason Zito's emergence is one of the many reasons the Killingworth Guppies
have become a serious contender every year for the B League Championship.
The 2002-03 Guppies leading scorer with 17 goals, had 33 goals and 21 assists
in 19 games during the past two seasons.
In his fourth full season with the Guppies the 24-year-old native of Rocky
Hill, had played several seasons for different teams before signing with Killingworth
in 2001.
You could look at Zito's record of accomplishments and think he has always borne the mantle of greatness but he is where he is today solely as the result of hard work and great attention to detail.
"When I was younger I was a late bloomer with no plans of playing roller hockey," Zito said. "I was thrilled to get a contract with the Guppies. I was really pumped to go to Killingworth."
| "This has been really fun, so far. Actually, it's been an unbelievable experience." - Jason Zito on his career as a Guppie. |  |
"(Guppies Forward)Robert Murphy was very helpful in my development,"
Zito acknowledged. "These three seasons in Killingworth have changed
me as a player and a person and I'm very grateful for that."
Despite his success, Zito went undrafted after college due to concerns over his size. He's a little bigger now than in his college days and is listed at 5-foot-9, 150 pounds by the Guppies. In 2001 the Guppies took a chance and drafted the speedy forward in the first round #1 overall. One thing's for sure, the well-balanced Zito is hard to knock off his skates and makes great cuts while carrying the puck. He's also a tenacious defender and excellent on faceoffs.
During the past two regular season, Zito finished second in scoring, each season, for the Guppies.
Zito said he's really enjoying himself playing at the Zrink, in which the Guppies have managed to capture two straight Championships and a 24-0-0 record heading into this season. Zito has scored many very important goals for the Guppies.
"This has been really fun, so far. Actually, it's been an unbelievable
experience." - Jason Zito on his career as a Guppie.
"It's awesome," Zito said about the Guppies current winning streak "This has been really fun, so far. Actually, it's been an unbelievable experience."
Zito said that while he would love to win another Championship, nobody on the Guppies is thinking any further ahead than the game they're playing or the one they're waiting to start.
"We're just trying not to think about it too much," Zito said. "Every game has been a battle that could have gone either way so, honestly, we're just taking it one game at a time. Well except for Mierk, who is always checking himself out in the mirror"
Zito had to laugh about his highlight-reel penaly shot in the 2002-03 semi-finals game against the Blue Devils.
" I never did that move in my life," he said. ". I had screwed up early and my only chance was to fire it into the goalie's chest"
| "This is a higher stage but once you've been in the playoffs, you know that the smallest mistake can lose the game." - Jason Zito |  |
- Jason Zito "This is a higher stage but once you've been in playoffs, you know that the smallest mistake can lose the game and the smallest bit of extra effort might be all you need to win," Zito said. "So, I think my past experience can be helpful at this level."
Last year, A lot of pre-season prognosticators overlooked the Guppies because their season plan depended on the return to health of several key players like Mike Halle and the development of older players, like Armenia and backup goaltender Marc Crayton who had an OK season. Then GM Brian Kelly added useful players through the late part of the season like Mike Szwed, and Peter Fink.
"A lot of guys have resurfaced as players this year and led to our success," Zito said.
"It's not like we're happy to be here. Our captains have helped us develop the mentality to do the best every night, every shift and try to make the most of it. Once you learn how to win, it's contagious and will carry over for years to come."
Zito credits eight-year Captain Brian Kelly.
"He's a great motivator who has us mentally strong and physically prepared," Zito said. "We know our jobs and our strategies. He's been good for me and helped me as a player and lot of other people as players."
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