The 2016 Rams Reflect is the first in a series of annual collections. Senior captains and representatives of Suffolk teams have been invited to contribute viewpoints based on personal experience from both their senior seasons and full varsity careers at Suffolk.
For a complete listing of the 2016 Rams’ Reflections, click here.
Zack Capozza, Hockey | Hometown: Spotsylvania, Pa. | Entrepreneurship
To An Incoming Freshman,
The first thing that I would have to say is playing hockey for Suffolk is not just another chance to go and win a championship, or to score fifty goals, (which it still obviously can be), yet instead it is also a learning and growing experience that teaches you lessons about life through hockey.
Even though that may be tough to understand, playing hockey for Suffolk is rather quite simple. You really just have to approach each day, each practice, and each rep as another chance to get better. Being able to have a short term memory, an ability to deal with adversity, and to be able to clear your mind and stay positive will help you to focus on the moment instead of what could’ve happened or what you think should happen. Adversity comes in many different forms, as well does success, remember to allow yourself to embrace both. You will start to learn how your decisions off the ice affect what happens on the ice. Have a reason to celebrate.
In terms of actually playing the game, my philosophy is that if you are going to make a play, whether that be a shot, a pass, a deke, or what have you, remember to fully commit to it – make your decision and stick with it. Don’t come off the ice after a shift saying you should’ve shot the puck when instead you made a pass. Indecisiveness creates hesitation which results in a missed play. The more you commit yourself and the harder you train, the better your team becomes. You play for the boys. Know that if your teammate scored a hatty and you only played four shifts, a reason he was able to do so was because of how hard you went against that guy in practice. You make each other better.
Only 6 million out of the 7 billion people on this planet play hockey – that is .0008 percent of all people. Be grateful, aside from the select few that get to play at a higher level, and maybe the Navy Seals, you are athletically more capable than basically the rest of the world. And you might only get four more years of it if you’re lucky, so make the most of it. A lot of guys tend to quit. And don’t forget about school, that stuff is actually even more important. Suffolk has so much to offer, and everyone always says that they wish they got more involved. Hockey is quite a commitment, but you will have brief windows where you can take advantage of other opportunities, which I recommend you do so, join the entrepreneurship club or something.
So I leave you with this - realize how much the game of hockey has given you, I mean, it is what brought you to the beautiful city of Boston, which is more than most can say. So really when it comes down to it, tis for the game of hockey itself you should play.
Sincerely,