Josh Zizek’s hat trick helped the Lakers defeat Elmira College 4-2 Saturday.

Zizek’s four total points on the night were a career high for the sophomore center from St. Catharines, Ontario.

“My line was going. I got to give props to them. They were buzzing the whole game,” Zizek said. “We just clicked as a line. We’ve been working hard in practices, and I think it’s starting to come together.”

Last week’s game against Elmira College was more than a regular game for the Lakers. It was the first TEAL Game since Mary Gosek passed away over the summer.

“We went into the game knowing it was a huge game for us emotionally,” Zizek said. “So to be able to play as a team, [it was] unbelievable and personally have a good game, there are no words to really describe that feeling.”

Gosek was a big part of the Laker family, and the players enjoyed getting to know her. Zizek was glad he could have been a part in helping the team perform well on game night.

“Mary meant everything to us,” Zizek said. “She was always at our games. No matter the outcome, she was always positive and she was always there for us. She really meant a lot to the team, so it was nice to get that win for her.”

Although Zizek only played nine games for the Lakers last year, he showed coach Ed Gosek and the rest of the coaching staff what he was capable of doing on the ice. Gosek likes the confidence Zizek has in himself and his overall work ethic.

“Last year, he was willing to pay his dues,” Gosek said. “He played a lot of good games for us. Other games, where he was out, he understood the process. It was never excuse making, it was always ‘What do I need to do better?’” We like that about him, and he’s very coachable from the standpoint that he’s willing to absorb and listen and watch the video. He’s a student of the game always trying to make himself better.”

The things that Zizek worked on to make himself better over the offseason were his conditioning, speed, and strength. The coaches wanted him to be able to handle the daily grind of playing a lot of minutes well on a consistent basis and so that is what Zizek’s focus was on over the summer.

“Coming in the coaches told me to work on speed and they wanted to get that extra jump in strength,” Zizek said. “Obviously, I’m not a big guy out there, but if I could get into those corners and hold my own coming in with the puck, that’s what they were looking for. So I spent most of my summer working on my strength for sure.”

Gosek has already seen the changes in Zizek’s game and believes he can be a focal point offensively and defensively for the team throughout the season.

“He put his work in and proved his overall conditioning,” Gosek said. “I think it’s paying dividends for him on the ice.”

As far as what role Zizek will have on the team for the rest of the season, coach Gosek said that it is still a little early to tell. With that said, he sees Zizek as one of their top centermen that he can trust to take important draws during crucial points in games.

“He’s been arguably our best centerman as far as winning draws,” Gosek said. “I think that’s a role he can develop into to take critical draws. He’s a good two-way player and I think we can trust him for important draws and defensive zone responsibilities at critical times in the game.”

Zizek has the same mindset on what he wants his role on the team to be throughout the season. He wants to be able to help the team both offensively and defensively. Zizek believes that although this Laker team is young and has new players stepping into big spots, they can do big things when the NCAA Tournament comes around.

“If I can produce offensively and defensively, contribute in any way to the team I can, then that’s what I’m looking for,” Zizek said. “As a team, we are young, but I don’t think that’s an excuse to not go far. I think we have the team that can make the tournament and has a run at the title.”

Photo: Dominick Lioto | The Oswegonian