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Jones leads team despite intense pain

Matt Sohn

The silence was deafening. The capacity crowd of 3,742 - some of whom had been camping out for almost 24 hours for the chance to witness the event - stood, sat, sulked and stared as Ryan Jones fell to the ice, writhing in pain.

This was supposed to be a celebration, a momentous day in the storied history of Miami athletics. After playing in the same warehouse-looking arena since its inception, Miami hockey was finally indoctrinating its spanking-new, $34 million facility with a roster ripe with All-American potential. But with one vicious stick slash to the jugular, the rocking crowd who'd earlier cost Miami a penalty for excessively celebrating, looked on in stunned silence as trainers crowded the RedHawks' effervescent captain. Jones was eventually able to get up and skate toward the locker room, but trying to defeat a team that's won two of the last three national championships while worrying about what in the name of Cheap-Shot City happened to your emotional leader is no easy task.

Then, in about the time it takes to say "the hell with being hurt!" Jones was back on the ice, launching his body into the Pioneers, and the crowd into a frenzy.

Jones knocked in two goals in Miami's 5-2 season-opening victory over Denver, but perhaps the most important thing he did was get up after he was knocked down.

Great sport captains succeed on a two-pronged spectrum. On the one hand, they must show vocal vivaciousness, which Jones might have more of than any other athlete I've encountered at Miami. He's one of those rare athletes who exude an enviable combination of unbridled enthusiasm and confidence while avoiding cockiness.

On the other hand, they must let their play set an example for their teammates. This is why Jones's reemergence on the ice Friday served as so much more than merely an additional offensive threat. Miami's level of play was noticeably higher with Jones playing. There's no skating by when Jones is skating.

While Miami's aggressiveness against Vermont Saturday resulted in so many penalty minutes you'd swear they were paying rent on the penalty box, effort is what will enable this team to reach the top. If Blasi is the patriarch of the Miami hockey family, then Jones is the oldest brother who encourages his siblings to do their homework and eat their vegetables.

A season ago, Jones tallied a team-high 22 goals, third most in the CCHA, but his success this season won't be measured by goals or assists, but by team wins. Nearly everything is in place for the RedHawks to compete, and win, on the national stage. The talent level is the highest it's been in Blasi's eight years as head coach at his alma mater. Steve Cady Arena at the Goggin Ice Center sets the mood as it's unquestionably among the finest college hockey arenas anywhere. The raucous student section only adds to the external game atmosphere - although, please, students save your team unnecessary penalty minutes and save your ice ornaments for a hat-trick.

But leadership is still essential, and as Friday's game showed us, Jones is up for providing it. Even if it's painfully difficult.


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