Jones' Defensive Play Lacks Fierce Checking

Picture it: Kevin Petitt cruising in on right wing, across the blue line. Then, a Crimson defense man throws a hip check and the Cornell forward is sitting on the ice. Section 18 goes wild.

"I'm the last one on the team to get furious," defense man Dave Jones said. The Crimson senior never learned how to use his physical strength on defense in high school, so now Jones doesn't get the cheers from the fans that an aggressive Doug Elliot draws.

"You've got to be brought up hitting so that you have the timing down perfectly," Jones said. "But at Needham we had such a strong team that I concentrated on offense and didn't have to worry too much about being caught up ice. It sounds funny because I've scored so little here at Harvard, but I was a forward until my senior year in high school."

"Elliot is a checker, and Kevin Hampe has a great block into the boards. But I tend to give more room to the shooter and make sure I'm always blocking the shot on net," Jones said.

Jones' style on the ice reflects his mild personality. "I'm probably the quietest guy on the team," he said. "I never say much in the locker room, but it doesn't take yelling and screaming to get me psyched up."

Cooney Weiland is a reserved coach, and Jones feels their personalities have matched well. "Cooney is restrained with people who don't know him well." Jones said. "He doesn't get us yelling in the locker room because he wants us to do it out on the ice when we're doing our jobs. Cooney hides his emotions during the game, but that's so he won't get carried away in the excitement. I guess it's part of his pro experience."

Jones' reserved play has kept him near the bottom in team penalty minutes. "It helps not to have a reputation as a hitter. I've found this year that I could get away with quite a few hooks because the referees weren't looking for me."

Reflecting on the victory over B.U., Jones emphasized the importance of the back checking from the forwards. "When our line covers the wings, the defense can stay up at the blue line and throw a body check or force an off-sides on the center."

"I don't blame the guys for not back checking in every game. When I play forward in scrimmage, the last thing I want to do is back check. Hell, that's the hard work. But with everything riding on a tournament game we'll be back checking."

Jones is hoping that B.U. wins on Thursday. "They may be number one. but they're a known quantity and we know we can take the big game from them."

The western teams are very similar to B.U. in style. "Eastern teams tend to rely on an individual's talent to take the puck the length of the ice. Western squads, and B.U., emphasize passing and hitting more," Jones said.

When it's all over. Jones will turn to the golf team. "It's an awful lot more relaxing," Jones said quietly.