Jabs lives up to big-game billing
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Nick Jabs grew up in hockey skates, but it was his first season of high school football that taught him an important lesson to be used on the ice.
”Make every play 25 seconds long,” said the Princeton Day School junior. “My mental side of the game wasn’t good last year. Football taught me to relax and make every play 25 seconds long.”
Jabs, though, must also be quick to forget as a goaltender for the Panther boys’ ice hockey team. He did so when Bergen Catholic scored a goal as time ran out in the second period to open a 2-0 lead last Monday.
”Last year, it would have really bothered me,” Jabs said. “I would have kept thinking about it. This year, I just smiled about it and said, they got lucky.”
Bergen Catholic did not get lucky again. Jabs was perfect in the third period as the Panthers slowly chipped away at the deficit before winning, 3-2, on a goal by Max Popkin with barely two minutes left. Jabs finished with 31 saves to hand Bergen Catholic, a team ranked as highly as third in the state, a stunning loss.
”He was good,” said PDS head coach Scott Bertoli. “In that game, he was good right from the get-go. We weren’t good in the first period. He did everything he could to keep us in the game. He didn’t have a chance on either goal. They’re a good team and had a lot of good opportunities. He didn’t give up any outside chances. He gave us a chance to win in the third period.”
Jabs returned for a rare back-to-back appearance in goal as the Panthers opened the Mercer County Tournament against Pennington last Friday. He built on his third-period performance against Bergen Catholic by not allowing any of Pennington’s 21 shots in for a 3-0 shutout win. With the win, PDS improved to 9-3-2.
Nick Jabs is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
”He’s been tremendous,” Bertoli said. “He’s played better this year than at any point last year. Throughout the season, he’s played better and more consistent than at any point last year. He’s had better results this year.
”He played football. He’s in better shape than he was last year. He’s not playing travel hockey. He’s more at ease. He’s having more fun. He’s definitely playing a lot better and a lot more consistently than he did last year.”
Jabs is playing better overall, but it’s the big games — games like the upset of Bergen Catholic and the MCT win over Pennington — in which he has improved since last season.
”He played 70 percent of the games last year and he’d have his good games or bad games,” Bertoli said. “He never was as consistent as he’s been this year. He had the potential to be a big game goalie last year. He would admit he didn’t rise to the occasions on a few occasions he wanted to. This year, he’s come through for us.”
Explained Jabs: “Last year, I was playing club hockey along with high school hockey. It was extremely stressful. When I got out in the stressful games like Lawrenceville and St. Augustine, those were huge games and I wish I performed better. I was so stressed. I would come out and flop. This year, I come and just play hockey. It’s been a lot of fun, and it’s especially great in games we’re not expected to win.”
Jabs is expected to be back in goal when PDS plays Pennington for a third time — this time in another big scenario, the Prep B state semifinals. Pennington inched closer to the Panthers in their second meeting, but they couldn’t solve Jabs.
”They had a few opportunities,” Bertoli said. “They have some good players over there. They created some flurries. He had some reaction saves on rebounds. At 0-0, he made a big save. And at 1-0, he made a nice pad save with eight or nine minutes to go. He’s older. He’s able to react to situations better.”
It was Kenny Turner who was in goal for PDS in a 3-2 win over Portledge on Wednesday. The goalie rotation has had to be good given that the Panthers have rarely scored more than three goals in a game this season.
”Last year we had so much offensive firepower with our forwards and defensemen,” said Jabs, an Allentown resident. “We lost just about all of that and sometimes we don’t have our best forwards because of club games. The big change is Kenny and I just had to keep us in the games and give us a chance last year. Now games like the Bergen game, we have to come out big and win or steal a game for us rather than just keep it close.”
Bertoli believes Jabs is better suited this year to be a big-game winner. Football helped him come into the hockey season in better shape overall, and from there his hockey skills have taken over.
”He’s not the biggest guy, but he plays big,” Bertoli said. “He seems to get better as the game goes on. He’s quick and cuts down the angle. He doesn’t try to make highlight reel saves. He keeps it in front of him and doesn’t give up rebounds.
”Kenny has played great too. Without a good goaltending tandem, we wouldn’t be anywhere this year. I think our success this year is a direct correlation to how they play. I don’t know that Kenny has lost a game this year. Nick has played a lot of the bigger games against some of the better teams. They’ve given us a chance in every game.”
That is all any coach would ask of his goalie. Jabs started playing hockey in his native Minnesota, and by age 8, he was in the goalie pads. He has blossomed into a reliable stopper for the PDS defense, something he showed early in his high school career. He still counts a win between the pipes when he was a freshman as his biggest high school highlight.
”We played against Hill and pulled one out against them in the third period with Coach (Chris) Barcless,” Jabs said. “It was my freshman year and there was a senior goaltender but things weren’t going well. Coach Barcless gave me chance to play and we won in the third period. That was one of the best feelings in my life.”
Two years later, Nick Jabs found himself in another huge game, down two goals to Bergen Catholic going into the third period. There was no panic on Jabs. Just pure enjoyment at how he had developed.
”I was sitting outside the locker room between periods,” he said. “It was a little hot. Coach Howie Powers came by to ask if I was all right. I looked up and smiled and said, I love playing hockey. I just kept playing and tried to get my body in front of the puck.”
One period later, he had one of the biggest wins in his career and with it, the PDS boys’ ice hockey team had all the momentum it was looking for in the final month of the season.