Isabelle Zizzo '26 Recruiting Profile

          For as long as I can remember, hockey has always been an important part of my life. I knew this is what I wanted to do since the first time I got on the ice when I was 22 months old. I loved being in the rink, the atmosphere, the intensity of the game, and the willingness and commitment it takes for one person to want to be apart of something bigger, something that means a lot, not to just them, but to their teammates, and coaches. 

          As I got older I enjoyed playing hockey but I didn't know playing in college was an option until later. I had always intended to join the Army after I graduated from college, mainly because my dad served, and my mom is currently serving, and I always felt it was my job to continue that through our family. That was until I decided hockey was it for me. I have 2 older sisters and they are on older teams. By the time I was 10 I was playing 14U, and when I was 13 I was playing 16U. Playing up had done me a huge favor. The progress I made  in just a single year was insane, and when I would play teams my own age you could really see how much I had improved. I knew I couldn't just stop there so I kept going. I started taking hockey more seriously, knowing I was trying to get myself to at least play hockey in college. I knew I always had to continue to push myself no matter what, so me and my sister did it together. We worked out, shot pucks, developed cleaner eating habits, and pushed each other on the ice every single time we go out there. 

          My dad coaches me and my sisters, but he never does any special favors for us, he treats us like everyone else on the team. He makes sure we understand the most important aspects of the game, and does his absolute best to teach us hockey the right way, to get us as far as we are trying to go with hockey.  He's always taught us to never compromise the fundamentals and to always give 100%. That we are never out of the game unless we take our selves out, and that we never give up on ourselves or anyone else. 

          Trying to learn and adjust because of covid was definitely a challenge. The first school year during covid was difficult, and I did struggle a bit. I knew if I wanted to play hockey in college that along with the ability, I needed to have the grades to really set myself apart from everyone else. Knowing that and coming out of that school year and into the next one, I made sure to push myself to the highest academic level I could be at. I maintained straight A's in all my classes during the 2021-2022 school year, and coming into the 2022-2023 school year, that carried over and is bringing me into all honors classes. I am certainly proud of my academic achievements, and with that, came a stronger sense of confidence I needed to adopt, in order to continue to push myself, and be the absolute best I can be in anything I do. I intend to play D1 hockey in college, and to continue to play hockey for as long as I can. Once I have reached my time playing hockey, I would like to be a Military Prosecutor, or practice Anatomy Physiology. 

          The hard work and dedication to continue to push myself, and always be at my best, is a main part what got me to where I am today, but there is no way I could have gotten this far without my coaches and teammates. They have always been there to teach, encourage and push me even when I thought I had nothing left. I always intend to be at my best for myself and them, but to also never give up on myself or anyone else.