BY: PHIL SHORE
NEW YORK HOCKEY JOURNAL

Making it to the National Hockey League takes many years of dedication and practice.

It's hard enough for one player to make it, let alone a pair of brothers.

While their journeys are not complete, Steve and Mike Zalewski (New Hartford, N.Y.) both have played in a handful of games in the NHL and live their dreams of playing professional hockey. While those brothers worked hard to get where they are, another Zalewski has been practicing, working out with them and getting better along the way — younger sister Annika, now a freshman at Colgate.

"Mike and I are close in age and competed together. We were always out on the ice or in the driveway working on stuff. I was fortunate to have them to look up to and compete against," Annika said. "I would say they've been role models for me the whole way through. They inspired me to work toward my goals. In the summer we all work together. We're reaching and striving to get better. Their success at a high level has helped me reach for the highest level possible."

Along with Steve and Mike, Annika's older brother, Richard, won a Division 3 championship at Oswego, and her sister, Erin, helped Geneseo win the 2010 SUNYAC field hockey championship.

Colgate head coach Greg Fargo said the influence her family has had on her is very noticeable. "She brings that drive every day to the rink with her," he said. "She has a professional approach where she just wants to keep getting better. We have to kick her off the ice sometimes. She wants to be there as much as she can. That all stems from her background, and her family, and the support from her brothers along the way."

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