Nicholas Jones wants to fire the puck more.
It’s something the Penticton Vees captain is striving to do. Following a 6-0 win over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Jan. 14, the Edmonton native felt there were a few other times when he could have shot the puck, instead electing to pass or making a move.
“I’m trying to get that out of my game. Come playoff time, you’ve got to keep it simple and play the right way,” said Jones, who scored twice in that game and has four goals in his last three games. “I want to get more pucks to the net and crash the net. Trying to add that to my game.”
Vees coach-GM Fred Harbinson said leaders have to produce and Jones has done that the last while. He leads the team in scoring with 17 goals and 44 points in 41 BCHL games which puts him 22nd among the league leaders. When asked if there is a difference in Jones from last year, Harbinson said Jones, committed to the University of North Dakota next fall, is the same player.
“He plays hard every shift. You know what you are going to get with Jonesy,” said Harbinson. “He is going to give you his heart and soul every time he steps on the ice.”
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Along with being a threat offensively and shifty on his five-foot-11, 185 pound frame, Jones plays with a chip on his shoulder, but he wasn’t always that way. Playing on weaker teams, he was counted on to score. As Jones puts it, when you get older and players get better, you have to do something different, which involves getting in an opponents’ face.
“I always said to myself ‘I want to be the player that I’d want on my team if I was a coach’,” said Jones, who played 29 games in the National Collegiate Athletic Association with the Ohio State Buckeyes before returning to the junior A level. “You can play a skill game and all that, but you can bring a little grit to your skill game. I think that adds a different element to your game. You’re not going to get pushed around as much.”
Jones was also pushed by his father to be a complete player when he was younger. Bringing that gritty element is something Jones has worked to add. Jones said it’s hard to be a completely skilled player and make teams. He is in constant contact with staff from the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. They watch his games and are aware of what he is doing. He also said they have trust in Harbinson’s ability to develop players.
“Freddy is a very elite coach,” said Jones.
Since joining the Vees last season, Jones credits Harbinson for growing his hockey sense. Being older, Jones said he is seeing things differently.
Skating alongside Duncan Campbell and Chris Klack, it gives him lots of opportunities. He said they are getting chances. He is just trying to play the right way.
Along with Jone’s goals, Matt Gosiewski netted the winner against the Bulldogs, while Taylor Sanheim, Joseph Leahy and Mitch Meek also scored. Gosiewski’s goal required video review to be used for the first time in league history.
Gosiewski got his stick on a rebound at the side of the Bulldogs net and roofed a shot that went out as quickly as it had gone in at 6:23. It was ruled a good goal after the review showed the puck had hit the back bar of the net.
“Our organization spent the money to do it,” said Vees coach-GM Fred Harbinson. “It was a goal that was waved off. It was clearly in. That one play in itself made it worthwhile.”
Harbinson said the video that is shown on the jumbotron is not the video that video review officials use.
“There is a better camera than that. It is right above the net on both ends,” he said. “There is an official up in the press box, along with a technician. Any play that is at the net, they are basically all game long watching plays.”
After Gosiewski fired his shot in, the officials are checking and made the call to the penalty box. The referees do not make the decision on the play. That is decided by the official in the press box who is paid.
