Zambarano, Demers finish careers with All-State honors By ALEX SPONSELLER Cranston West hockey players Josh Zambarano and Dylan Demers finished their senior campaigns strong, capping off the shortened-season with a playoff berth and recently receiving Second Team All-State honors.

Demers led the state with 31 assists and finished second in scoring with 44 points overall. He will be receiving the Thayer Award, which is given to the state leader in assists.

Demers was excited to receive All-State honors and thanked his linemates for helping him take his game up a notch his final season.

“It feels great to get the recognition. It feels good to be known as an All-State player. It was the chemistry with my line, we scored a lot of goals together and we built up that chemistry all season. Chemistry, a lot of teamwork,” said Demers.

Zambarano returned to hockey his senior season after recovering from an ACL tear in the spring. Doctors initially told him to prepare to miss most, if not the entire season. However, Zambarano rehabbed and hit the ice in the early going and had his best season of his career.

“It was a really big accomplishment for me, especially considering that I didn’t even think that I was going to have a senior season. But thanks to the help of my physical therapists getting me to where I needed to be, it was a really big accomplishment for me. The doctors told me it would be 10 months to a year recovery, but I just wanted to prove people wrong. I had that mindset to prove people wrong and come back early,” said Zambarano.

Zambarano appreciated the help and support of his coaches and teammates as he worked his way back onto the ice.

“Experience helped me adjust, but also my coaches and teammates helped me out along the way. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them,” said Zambarano, who is also happy to know that he and his fellow seniors helped turn the program around during their time at West. “Knowing that my class was the team that kind of made the team go from a joke to having a winning culture, it was a big turnaround for the program and it gives you a different perspective.”

Both players are next headed to Bridgton Academy in Bridgton, Maine. Bridgton Academy is a prep school, and both players hope to further improve their game to prepare them for college hockey next year.

“Going from Division II to prep school is going to be a big jump but my focus has to be like it was last year, I just need to be the best player that I can be,” said Zambarano.

Demers added: “I want to develop as a hockey player more and I feel like I need to be surrounded by it to really work on it. College is a whole different thing than high school, the players are bigger and better. So I am looking to get better prepared for next year, that’s what I am hoping to get out of it.”

Demers will miss the team at West and his time playing for the Falcons.

“I’ll miss the brotherhood, it was more than hockey,” said Demers. “Even at practice it would be fun because of the people you were around. It was always fun to be there, I never had a connection like that with another team.”