Asbury Park Press du lieu suivant : Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page C3

APP.COM ASBURY PARK PRESS 3C sports As Shore Conference athletes continue to sign their National Letters of Intent (NLI) this week around Monmouth and Ocean Counties, one local luminary put his name on the dotted line in Michigan. Freehold Township hockey alum Zach Berzollahad announced his commitment to NCAA Division I Colorado College back on Dec. 1 2014when the de- fenseman was a junior star on the Patriots blue line. He had captained his high school club to both Shore Conference and NJSIAA Public A state tournament appearances. Berzolla, an All-Shore First Team selection as a junior, did it all while dedicating weekends to travel and junior hockey, jetting around the nation with the New Jersey Junior Titans, before taking a weekend trip to Muskegon, Michigan where the blue-liner made his debut for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League (USHL), the most revered junior hockey league in the country and one of the top leagues in North America.

While a multitude of his friends and peers made their college selections official on campus over the past two weeks, Berzolla secured his future on Monday at the L.C. Walker Arena alongside several Muskegon teammates, including Marc and Anthony Del Gaizo, fellow New Jersey products and brothers who skated at Ridge and Delbarton High Schools, respectively. And a moment the local skater soon forget. was a pretty cool experience to share with my teammates, and all the other guys who signed their NLI yet. We all got to do it together on the same day, and it was special to sign mine alongside a bunch of guys who were go- ing to all different colleges around the said Berzolla, who left Freehold Township a year early and is now in his second full season with the Lumberjacks.

was a special day for me, and for my parents (Fred and Melissa) as added Berzolla, who has three goals and three assists through 16 games for Muskegon. parents have supported me my entire life, through all of this. lucky to have them by my side, and I wish they could have been there to see me sign, but I know they were excited. never forget the day, and just excited to officially be a Berzolla, who skated in the NHL Top Prospects All-Star Game a season ago and was invited to attend the New Jersey Devils Prospect Camp in July, is slated to join the Colorado College roster for the 2017-18 campaign. a big deal to me to make it official, and to know that going to be a part of their program, their school and their history.

I love the coaching staff, I love program and the fan base is great. I wait to play in that said Berzolla, who logged 85 points on 31 goals and 54 assists in three seasons with Freehold Township. the academics are a big part of it for me too. I know that by attending Colorado College, if for some reason hockey work out for me, have a lot of options with that SHORE CONFERENCE SIGNINGS Baseball: Jonathan Martin (Monmouth) of Middletown South, Toms River South's Justin Fall (St. John's), Connor Takacs (Albany) of Jackson Memorial, Middletown North's Mike Mercier (Felician), Freehold Boro's Thomas Holdorf (Seton Hall), Gene Napolitano (Marist) and Will Trochiano (Manhattan) and Noah Thomas (Philadelphia) of Marlboro; Softball: Jackson Liberty's Kayla Conners (Wagner), Middletown North's Riley Kernan (Rhode Island) and Kayla Gallo (Florida International), Chelsea Howard (Binghamton) of Lacey; Track Field: Jackson Liberty's Danielle Notafrancesco (UMass), Billy Kubarewicz (Kutztown); Cross Country: Hannah Lippert (West Chester) and Kerri Powers (Monmouth) of Middletown North; Volleyball: Southern's Brennan Davis (Belmont Abbey College); Lacrosse: Dylan Furnback (Mount St.

Mary's) of Jackson Memorial, Shore Regional's Ean Delehanty (College of Saint Rose); Field Hockey: Kelsey O'Neill (Fairfield) and Molly Santi (Towson) of Shore Regional, Kayla Igarta (Quinnipiac) and Hailee Hallard (Mercy College) of Middletown North; Tennis: Shore Regional's Halah Davis (Rhode Island); Soccer: Devon McDonough (Southern Florida) of Shore Regional; Bowling: Raritan's Hayley Connelly (Sam Houston State). RECRUITING ROUNDUP Ex-Freehold Twp. standout Berzolla recalls his NLI day CHRIS ROTOLO CHRIS PHOTO Zach Berzolla (19) scored 31 goals and added 54 assists in three seasons at Freehold Township. Thursday, including Providence at Ohio State. It wraps up Friday with St.

at Minnesota. Rutgers (2-0) at DePaul (1-0). Details: Thursday at 8:30 p.m. (Fox Sports 1). Series: Rutgers leads 6-4, winning the last meeting in 2016.

About DePaul After going 9-22 last winter, the Blue Demons are projected to assume their customary place in the Big East cellar. They do have a solid backcourt in Billy Garrett Jr. and Eli Cain, the latter of whom hails from Willingboro and attended St. Prep. Key matchup Corey first real test as a Pikiell defender comes in the form of Garrett, a four-year starter and son who at 6-foot-6 can create matchup problems.

Bottom line the first real test for Rutgers, and a winnable one. home court is usually dead, which should help. Last year the Scarlet Knights had a chance to make a statement in the Gavitt Games and squandered a huge lead at St. A win here would be the latest sign of a clear shift in the winds. Seton Hall (2-0) at Iowa (2-0) Details: Thursday at 9 p.m.

(Big Ten Network) Series: Iowa leads 1-0, winning 85-62 at home in 1982. About Iowa: It looks like a transition season for the Hawkeyes, who lost four starters from an NCAA Tournament team. pasted two low-majors so far, averaging 103 points. Sharpshooting junior wing Dom Uhl is a Point Pleasant Beach High School grad who has scored 10 through the first two. Key matchup: Senior guard Peter Jok is an All-America candidate, a scoring machine and a tough matchup at 6-6.

Look for some combination of Desi Rodriguez and Ish Sanogo to rotate on him. Bottom line Experience and match- ups favor the Hall, but no league defends home court quite like the Big Ten. If the Pirates focus on feeding big man Angel Delgado and taking care of the ball, they have a good chance to record a resume-boosting win that will register on the national radar. Staff Writer Jerry Carino: JERRY PHOTO Freshman Myles Powell is getting into the flow for Seton Hall. The Pirates are 2-0 entering game against Iowa.

Games Continued from Page 1C chanan said. that play, he took up the middle, and I took him on at full speed. It was a big collision, and I got the better of him on that It was a tone-setting hit that inspired the Lancers to shut down the Camden Catholic run game as the Irish only mustered 44 total rush yards in the con- test and seemingly spurred the Holmdel-based club to victory. every game, it usually takes one big hit to get everyone going and flying around out there. And from there almost like a competition.

When you make abig hit someone else wants to step up and make a bigger with our guys, we have a lot of them who can hit and like to As mentioned, Buchanan is one of St. John most versatile playmak- ers, a fact he solidified with a pair of rushing touchdowns in the opening round win. just special to know that I was able to come through for my teammates in a playoff setting. To win a game like that, by performing the way we did on offense, defense and special teams, it takes a total team effort. just happy my coaches believe enough in me to put me in the situations to After knocking off fourth-seeded Camden Catholic, Buchanan and the Lancers travel to top-seeded St.

(Monvale) for a 1 p.m. Saturday sectional semifinal showdown. Buchanan Continued from Page 1C TAMPA, Fla. Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos has a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee and will be sidelined indefinitely. General manager Steve Yzerman announced the diagnosis Wednesday after Stamkos returned home for further evaluation of the injury the two- time NHL scoring champion suffered Tuesday night in a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

are in the process of evaluating options for repair and rehabilitation and will release more information as it becomes Yzerman said. Stamkos, who last summer resigned with the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2008 rather than testing free agency, scored his ninth goal against the Red Wings and leads the NHL with 20 points in 17 games. The six-time All-Star center grabbed the back of his knee and limped off the ice to the dressing room after colliding with Gustav Nyquist along the boards. the third significant injury Stamkos has had over the past three years.

After helping Tampa Bay reach the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, he missed all but one game of last playoffs after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot discovered near his collarbone. He also missed significant playing time three years ago, when he broke his right leg against Boston in November 2013 and was sidelined 45 games. The 26-year-old cited loyalty, respect and the potential to win for years as major reasons for re-signing with the Lightning rather than testing free agency, where he likely would have commanded much more than the $68 million scheduled to earn over the next eight seasons. NHL Stamkos out with injury to his knee FRED GOODALL ASSOCIATED PRESS.