From Big Rapids Pioneer
By John Raffel
BIG RAPIDS — Zach Jones had planned on attending Lake Superior State University to pursue a degree in fisheries and wildlife.
But hockey has come into play.
Jones was introduced at a signing program on Monday at BRHS for his plans to play club hockey at Lake Superior State.
He was a three-sport athlete who participated in tennis, hockey and golf at BRHS.
“Zach is a tough, hard-nosed defenseman who was a great teammate,” BRHS coach Tim Blashill said. “He played every position for us and did every role we asked, with positivity. Zach did record one shutout when stepping in to be goalie for the team when they needed one.”
“Hockey has been the sport I’ve played for pretty much my whole life,” he said. “As long as I can remember I’ve been playing it. I decided to keep going with it.
“They have a couple of teams I can play for. They have a couple of ACHA (American Collegiate Hockey Association) teams and I’ll be playing for one of those,” Jones said. “I was planning to go there to school for my degree in what I want, fisheries and wildlife. Their (ACHA) coach said they were open to kids playing hockey because they don’t have very many.”
Jones considers forward to be his strongest position for college hockey.
“This summer, I plan on lifting and getting stronger,” Jones said, “and developing hockey skills more by stickhandling and shooting with stuff I can do on dryland. This shows for those who say I wasn’t the great hockey player that I can actually play somewhere.”
(Originally published at https://www.bigrapidsnews.com/sports/article/Big-Rapids-hockey-player-to-take-the-next-step-17186233.php)
