There may not be a more interesting ice hockey player in the Colonial Valley Conference than James Gow. That might seem like a bold statement considering the Lawrence High senior has 10 goals and 24 assists in three-plus seasons.
But a guy doesn’t have to be a high scorer to be interesting.
Consider that despite not playing travel hockey until after his 10th grade season, Gow was named Cardinals team captain as a sophomore.
He only attends LHS for half a day. The other half is spent at Princeton University, where he takes a molecular biology course with a classroom full of college students. Gow plans on majoring in cell biology in college, with the long-term goal of going to medical school and performing academic research in medicine.
He’s one of those rare players with a high educational IQ that translates to a high hockey IQ—which is rare for many hockey players with high intelligence, because they tend to overanalyze things on the ice.
“He’s certainly not one of my top guys that’s going to light up a score sheet, but he’s someone who deserves to be recognized,” Cardinals coach John Ritchie said. “He does the right things, he’s worked hard. He’s a leader on the team, he’s starting to contribute offensively. James is the epitome of a guy that’s going to be in the middle of a roster, who loves his role and enjoys playing the game. He’s a great role model for the kids.”
Gow began playing in-house hockey at Iceland when he was 9 and was content to stay there for five years. He managed to make Lawrence’s team as a freshman and although he did not score a goal, he had six assists and showed Ritchie some innate abilities.
The following year, the coach felt there were no upperclassmen who would make good leaders and awarded the captain’s C to Gow. It was a bold move considering his experience paled in comparison to many of his teammates.
“As a freshman, he didn’t play that much,” Ritchie said. “But in the practices and on the ice he worked hard. He was vocal, and that’s what I was looking for as a captain. James is unique, in that he’s very mature beyond his years, and he’s one of the smartest kids I’ve ever coached.”
All that being said, there were growing pains.
“That was a really interesting experience for me,” Gow said. “I think that was probably the toughest year I had in high school hockey. We definitely struggled that year, we didn’t have a lot of talent. It was difficult to raise the morale of the team and push us toward fighting against some teams with more depth and talent.”
Looking back on it, Ritchie admits that Gow may not have been ready for such a role. And yet, he and Gow are the only ones who realize it.
“Nobody else would have known how uncomfortable he was wearing the C,” the coach said. “Nobody else would have known the pressure he was putting on himself. He embraced it.”
But not to the point where it went to his head.
“His leadership style isn’t oppressive,” Ritchie said. “He’s not going to be a guy that’s necessarily in your face. I think the seniors recognized that. His intelligence level and understanding of the game, even though he’s not a tier one player, speak volumes to the higher-end players. They know he might not be able to do what they do, but he understands his role and understands the team, so they respect him for that.”
Gow has grown into his role, and feels his foray into travel hockey helped. After his sophomore season he played with the Lawrence Flames AA team, which consisted mainly of members of the Notre Dame varsity team. Despite not getting much ice time, just practicing with that kind of talent improved his game.
He returned to Lawrence, and his offensive production took a huge leap. After scoring three goals and two assists as sophomore, his totals went to seven and 16 as a junior. In the Cardinals’ 3-1 start this year, Gow had three goals and two assists.
Gow’s main duties have been with the team’s second line, which has the job of shutting down the other team’s top offensive line.
“He’s really embraced that role, but what’s great is we’re four games into the year and he’s adding offense, too,” Ritchie said. “He’s made his game two-dimensional. He’s finishing strong, he’s fast, he can shoot. I told him, ‘If you’ve got a chance, you have to take it.’ He’s on our top power play line now. He’s gone from being just a lockdown defensive forward to getting a two-way game.”
Gow has learned the game all over the ice. He played defense during in-house, got moved to forward as a sophomore, back to defense as a sophomore, and then up to forward midway through his junior year.
“It’s definitely been a journey,” he said. “Last year, I moved up to the front line for half the year and got a taste of what it’s like to score a few points. I embraced the role. Our goal this year will be to certainly shut down the other line from scoring and give our top guys a chance to play against their second line and pop a few goals. But I certainly will be out there looking to score goals when I get the chance.”
Gow feels this is the best team Lawrence has had in his four years. The squad also includes players from Ewing and Hightstown, but the captain ensures that doesn’t make a difference.
“A lot of hockey players know each other anyway from playing together on club teams before they get to high school,” Ritchie said. “Even with that being said, James makes it a point that nobody should be better than anybody else, no one should be treated any different from a different school. He’s helping me eliminate any of those cliques that would happen on a normal team.”
It’s all part of the maturation process for Gow, who says he feels more comfortable in his role with every game and practice.
“We have guys who played hockey for much longer than me at much higher levels,” he said. “I have to recognize that fact, but I still need to embrace that leadership role.”
Gow hopes to lead the Cardinals into the state playoffs for the first time since his freshman year. Lawrence had a strong regular season that year, but was stunned by the talent of its first-round state opponent.
“This year we play a few tougher teams,” Gow said. “So we can get a glimpse of what it will be like when we do make it to states.”
Much like he is getting a glimpse of college while taking his course at Princeton.
With a weighted GPA of 4.3, to go along with membership in the United Nations Club, Model Congress Club and the LHS Debate Team, Gow is a sought-after recruit by academic schools. He has added Princeton as a possible choice.
“When I started going to Princeton, I never thought I would want to apply there because it was too close to home and I thought I wanted to go a little farther,” said Gow, who has already applied to Dartmouth. “But I’ve liked spending time there, and I might apply during regular decisions. There are a couple schools on the radar. I’m not totally sure where I’ll end up yet.”
Which is unlike his life on the ice, where he has become a sure thing as a quality captain.
Lawrence hockey player James Gow collides with a Hopewell opponent during a 6-0 win on Dec. 14, 2016 at Mercer County Park. (Staff photo by Samantha Sciarrotta.),
