Gene's Blog: Our Mr. Adversity is easy to root for, on and off the ice

He has the first name of a rock star, and the last name of a fictional film icon.

And his nickname could be "Mr. Adversity," since he has faced more than his share throughout recent years.

Meet St. Thomas' Jackson Bond... one of the many fun and interesting stories in college sports this season.

Bond's dream to play in NCAA hockey hit several roadblocks throughout the last decade. He was at times labeled either too small, too damaged, too rusty or too old to compete in the top tier of the sport in college.

But if Bond's performance last Saturday night is any indication, here's one 5-7, 155-pounder you shouldn't bet against.

In just his second game as a Tommie, Bond did something last seen by a St. Thomas men's player 14 seasons ago. The forward contributed four goals on the night, and each score was needed in a 4-2 win over previously-unbeaten St. Mary's in Winona.

The speedy, smart Bond has always relied on intangibles to help him succeed on the ice.

"I have to be mindful of my size, but like the saying goes, you can't hit what you can't catch," he said. "I rely on my speed and skating ability, and I know I have to outwork and outcompete guys to stay relevent."

Bond wasn't even on the ice for St. Thomas' previous two games but he looked the part when opportunity knocked as he helped the Tommies remain unbeaten (3-0-1).

After the Cardinals took an early 1-0 lead, things turned unlucky for St. Mary's in a hurry as the Toms' No. 13 scored the game's next four goals. SMU recorded an extra-attacker goal late in the contest but never got closer in the final minutes.

"The support from my teammates was incredible, especially since I hadn't playing a game in 28 days," Bond said. "I really credit my line mates and all my teammates. I don't know how it happened like it did, it was almost like another act of God with all that has happened in my career. It just reminds you to be grateful and stay humble. I had never broken that three-goal threshold. It was a nice moment."

How rare is a four-goal game in college or pro hockey? It's unique enough to gain its own identifier: "A Texas Hat Trick."

Bond becomes the first MIAC men's player over the last seven seasons to record four goals in a game. And it's also Bond's personal best in Juniors or college hockey.

The last Tommie to score four was Nick Harris in February 2007 in a 9-3 win over Concordia. One of Harris' teammates that winter was current Tommie assistant coach Garrett Gruenke, so Coach G can say he witnessed both rare feats 14 years apart.

The St. Thomas school single-game goals record is five, and the three who share that record either set or tied it more than 35 years ago. The first Tommie to score the five-pack did it against Air Force Academy in 1974 -- none other than Bond's current head coach, Jeff Boeser.

Besides the J.B. initials and their Twin Cities roots, Bond and Boeser share another detail: Both are among a select group that wore or currently wear jersey No. 13 as a St. Thomas player.

Busy Weekend

Last Saturday's contest marked the third game in three nights for St. Thomas, who had to sit 24 days in COVID protocol after opening the season Jan. 30 with a 5-1 home win over St. Scholastica. Boeser had to put together games whenever he could get them.

The Toms recorded the program's first unbeaten run over three consecutive days since November 1997, when the MIAC conducted its last three-day Thanksgiving Tournament. That 1997-98 Tommie team went 3-0 for the holiday title.

The Toms won 3-0 Thursday at Gustavus, then rallied for a 2-2 overtime tie Friday over 65 minutes at home against St. John's.

With a deep roster of 30-plus and with fewer practices and games, this year's St. Thomas team has numerous talented players who have to wait for their shot. That group includes Bond, who was Hamline University's leading scorer last season as a freshman.

Boeser's decision to insert some fresh legs on Saturday night at St. Mary's turned out to be a wise one, accented by Bond's breakout scoring game.

"Jackson really deserves the recognition," Boeser said. "We were a very tired hockey team that night, and he brought a lot of energy."

The Toms come into this week's two scheduled home games with one of the longest unbeaten streaks in college hockey at nine (8-0-1). That dates back to mid-February 2020 when the Purple's last defeat was a 3-2 road overtime loss to Bond's Hamline team.

Interesting Resume

After skating for Roseville High, Bond played three seasons of Juniors hockey. His stops including Long Island, New York; Saskatchewan; and Hoyt Lakes, Minn. But a serious leg injury incurred in his last season of Juniors in 2016 looked like it had ended his hockey career.

"I shattered my left tibia in six pieces, and had to endure about an eight-month recovery," Bond explained. "By the time I was healed, classes were starting. At that point I stepped back and decided to pause on going to college. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do academically, and I didn't think I could play hockey again.

"I basically retired as a player. I started working as a hockey coach and as a skills coach helping train younger players, and I did some construction work on the side."

Bond said he kept in shape the best he could, and he realized he still had a passion to play.

"It was early in the summer of 2019 that I decided I wanted to play hockey again," Bond recalled. "I started training pretty hard."

It wasn't easy, he admitted, and it wasn't a sure thing.

"I remember one moment where it was really hard, and I felt shockingly out of shape," Bond said. "I recall thinking 'I don't know if I can do this,' and wondering if I was wasting my time. But I thought that if I didn't at least try, I might wake up in 20-30 years with regrets and wonder why didn't I grind it out and give it my best shot."

He persevered and at age 23 -- with no college credits and having been out of the game for more than three years -- Bond was able to realize a goal to join a Division I team. He used his connections to meet Hamline coach Cory Laylin, and eventually received an opportunity to join the Pipers for the 2019-20 season.

In 24 games at Hamline, Bond scored 11 goals and 12 assists, and he made the league's All-Rookie team and honorable mention all-conference. He said enjoyed playing for Laylin and with his Hamline teammates, and left with many good memories. But in deciding to switch majors, he looked at some other colleges in search of a better career fit.

A New Test

Bond said he felt an immediate comfort level last summer when he explored St. Thomas. Its academics provided several options, and he enjoyed meeting Boeser and learning about the program's traditions. He jumped at the chance to start this next chapter as a Tommie, knowing the competition for lineup spots would be stiff but realizing he could continue to chase a dream.

"We have a large roster with a lot of depth and a lot talent on this team," Bond said. "They probably had 20 guys coming back from an NCAA playoff team last season, and they had a lot of freshmen coming in. There's just a lot of healthy competition here every day on the ice."

The Covid challenges and the Tommies' path to Division I hockey starting next fall has added an interesting backdrop for Bond and his teammates.

"We've had a few shutdowns, and we weren't even sure we were going to have a season for awhile," Bond said. "As a team, we just committed to playing and living one day at a time. We adopted that as our team motto. This year has tested the character and resilience of all of us, but in turn I think that has really brought us closer. Given where the program is going next year, there's a silver lining to all the frustration with this pandemic. We have really formed a tight bond in our locker room that will only help us as we take the next step in moving up to Division I.

"I definitely feel that my age and my time away from the game has made me appreciate every day that I get to step on the ice. I hope in a small way that maybe I've been able to provide some wisdom and can be an example for some younger guys to just enjoy every opportunity and enjoy the game of hockey."

You can catch our Mr. Adversity with his St. Thomas team in two home games this week: Wednesday against Bethel and Friday against St. Mary's, both with 7:30 p.m. starts in Mendota Heights.

Gene's Blog is a sports column penned by UST sports information director Gene McGivern. Gene is in his 27th season at St. Thomas and 33rd overall in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He blogs periodically on various topics regarding the Tommies, the MIAC and Division I and III sports.

If you have comments or questions, e-mail Gene at ejmcgivern@stthomas.edu

University of St. Thomas Athletics

Gene's Blog: Our Mr. Adversity is easy to root for, on and off the ice

Players Mentioned

Jackson Bond

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