Zanette's late-season scoring surge included five
of his seven goals in the last 11 games of the
year. |
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Key Statistics: Zanette
led all Purple Eagles freshmen in goals (7) and was
second in points (19). He closed with a flurry, scoring
five goals and adding seven assists in the last 11 games
of the season, including playoffs, after a slow start
due to a broken ankle suffered on the second day of
fitness training last fall. Arguably could have been
named to the CHA All-Rookie team as he finished with
more goals and points than the third forward selected.
What He Does: Zanette
is a power forward who can skate and plays much bigger
than his 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame would suggest. Typically
at left wing at even strength, he was a regular on the
penalty kill with great hands as shown in the final
series of the regular season when he stole the puck
from a Wayne State defenseman, spun and put it just
under the crossbar.
The Bigger Picture: With
center David Ross and right wing Egor Mironov, Zanette's
line jelled in the latter stages of the season and combined
for 19 points in its last six games together, including
seven in the CHA semifinal victory against Robert Morris.
Zanette could move up to the first power play unit,
joining Vince Rocco and Ted Cook, or at least find himself
on the second unit after the team lost Matt Caruana
and Kyle Rogers to graduation and the professional ranks,
respectively.
Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder
on Zanette: “The broken ankle put him
about a month behind, but when he came back he had an
immediate impact as a power forward. At the end of the
year his line was arguably our best line. When he gets
going he can be elusive with sneaky stick work.”
—
Warren Kozireski |
