Ballwin's Zombo Growing Into Mavericks Hockey

Former hockey player Dominic Zombo had a slow start to his first season with University of Nebraska at Omaha, the Omaha World-Herald reports. The freshman carried a team-low rating of minus-15 (meaning the team conceited 15 more goals than it scored while Zombo was on the ice) after his first 26 games with the team, the report said.

In the last week, however, Zombo picked up an assist and bagged his inaugural goal as a Maverick, contributing to a plus-2 rating and newfound confidence with his new team, the Sunday article said:

"You get frustrated going up and down and up and down, but you have to realize it's all part of the game and part of getting better," Zombo said. "In the lineup, out of the lineup, not getting much ice time ... It helps you grow as a player."

According to his university bio, Zombo, 20, previously played with the United States Hockey League's Sioux Falls Stampede, where he scored a career-high 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points to finish fourth in team scoring.

Fans who find the forward's unusual last name familiar likely recall Dominic's father, Rick Zombo, who had a 12-year career in the NHL starting in 1981 with the Detroit Red Wings, and later with the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins. The senior Zombo presently serves as head coach for Lindenwood University's men's hockey team.