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RedHawks' Jones plays with pain, dishes some out
Miami's senior forward also scores — his 30 goals lead the nation this season.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
OXFORD — Ryan Jones is an iron man. Or, as he prefers to view himself, he's an iron man with good trainers.
Whatever your opinion, there is no disputing that Jones, a Miami University senior forward, is one of the toughest, most physical players in college hockey. And he's never missed a RedHawk game.
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"The main thing is just wanting to be out there all the time," Jones said. "I've had some nagging injuries, but I just kept playing through them. Most of the credit should go to the trainers. They do a great job of making me one piece again."
There have been times when he was hurt badly enough that he probably shouldn't have played.
Jones can recall a rib fracture at some point in the last two years and a hip pointer last season. And those were just the most painful injuries. Physical hockey can be an invitation to agony.
"Being physical is just part of my game," Jones said. "I know I'm not going to be able to score goals every night, but every night I will be able to be that physical presence.
"Other teams, when you're constantly hitting them, you're wearing them down," he added. "Just having them be aware that there's a physical presence out on the ice has the ability to change the game, even when you're not scoring. And I take pride in the fact that I like to hit clean."
He scores a lot. His 30 goals lead the nation this season. But it's his hit-or-be-hit mentality that often causes fans to roar.
RedHawks coach Enrico Blasi said Jones, a Hobey Baker Award Top 10 finalist, is clearly a different kind of forward.
"He goes into areas that guys don't normally like to go into," Blasi said. "Not only does he go in there, but he pitches a tent and stays for a while. He takes a lot of abuse out there. His will to play is unbelievable."
Jones pointed to a pair of players he's used as role models — his cousin, John Tonelli, who played for five NHL teams, and former MU All-American Andy Greene.
"People have called me kind of a throwback player," Jones said. "I kind of play a power forward style that's not really seen much anymore. Basically that's just from watching my cousin play in the NHL and seeing what got him to where he was. He was a guy that was always in the corner, always playing physical, always out in front of the net."
And what if Jones does suffer a serious injury as his Miami career winds down in the NCAA tournament? Blasi said it might take more than a simple statement to keep him on the bench.
"Unless he has two broken legs, he's playing," Blasi said. "We'd probably have to hide his equipment, too. Otherwise, he'd still find a way to get out on the ice."
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2194 or rcassano@coxohio.com.
