As soon as the referee drops the puck onto the ice, the players' concentration levels rise. Star forward Cooper Zullo ‘23 takes a deep breath, calming himself. An environment of nervous excitement fills the rink, but it all goes away as soon as the referee blows the whistle. Game on.

Zullo is used to the atmosphere of a chilly ice rink. Growing up, he fell in love with the sport when he watched field hockey on TV during the 2008 Summer Olympics. Encaptured by the fast paced rhythm of the game, Zullo soon began to enjoy its winter equivalent, ice hockey.

“I thought it was kind of fun, especially at that age,” said Zullo. “Hockey is [a] super fast [paced sport], and I wanted to try it out, and I’ve loved it ever since.”

However, Zullo’s family wasn't able to bring Zullo to ice rinks as often, as the family was balancing their time on different sports as well. Zullo had to motivate himself to work hard at the sport, finding ways to practice even when he couldn't train on ice.

“Hockey forces players who are serious about it, to say, ‘What am I going to do today to try and create an environment for me so I can get better?’” Zullo said.

For him, this included playing floor hockey with his net in his backyard as well as roller hockey which uses wheels instead of skates, to help his balance.

While Zullo didn't have much help playing the sport, he did have many people to look up to in his childhood. One of his biggest inspirations growing up was his brother, who played basketball.

“It was very easy for me to model myself after him because he was such a hard worker,” Zullo said.

At Princeton High School, Zullo is trying to become a role model himself for the underclassmen hockey players who are trying to settle in.

“I want to create an environment that is inclusive for all teammates while still having fun,” Zullo said.

Princeton High School has always been a competitive scene for ice hockey. The school has a long history of winning the Mercer County Tournaments. This year, the boys ice hockey team is currently second in the Colonial Valley Conference, on a three-game winning streak. Zullo’s contributions have been critical to the team, scoring a team high of 27 points, which he hopes to add to this season.

One of Zullo's biggest attributes is how integral he is to the spirit of the team. Julian Drezner ’23, a forward and key player to the squad, admires the qualities that the team has. Having been with the team since his freshman year, Drezner has seen Zullo’s progress and the influence that he’s had on the team.

“He's had some ups and downs, some great and some slow, but he’s usually given key points for the team,” Drezner said.

Rik Johnson, the head coach of the boys hockey team, has also seen the impact of Zullo’s attitude on the team. He recalled the story of how surprised Zullo was to be picked as captain his junior year over other contenders for the position.

“When Cooper was named captain, he quickly re-evaluated himself... it put him in the [position] to where he was like, alright, I'm going to have to step up,” Johnson said.

Winning the Mercer County Tournament was Zullos main goal to finish the season, and to finish his high school career. Leading the line, Zullo was able to earn his team a place in the final against Hopewell Valley, where an overtime goal from Ethan Garlock clinched the title in a 3-2 victory.

“It was one of the best feelings in the world and I still can't believe it,” said Zullo, recalling the moment. “For us seniors ending our career in the best possible way really was just so amazing.”

While capturing the Mercer County tournament has been one of the highlights of the season, Zullo sees this trophy as having a much stronger purpose. He hopes it serves to encourage anybody remotely interested in ice hockey to join the team.

“It’s really a no-pressure environment. Our goalie who never played hockey before, plays every game, and enjoys it. All the guys come to have fun for two hours [at practice]. It's a really awesome environment.” Zullo said.