Jarvis Set to Hit 200 Game Milestone – R&T

Recorder & Times – Jonathon Brodie

A lot of things have changed for the Brockville Braves over the last five years.

Each season there has been a new coach. The team seems to always get revamped every off-season. Even ownership has changed during that time.

Defenceman Andrew Jarvis is one of the few things for the Braves that has always been consistent since he started suiting up for Brockville in the 2013-14 season.

When the Braves head to Kanata to take on the Lasers on Thursday the matchup will mark the 200th game played by Jarvis, putting the captain among elite company on a historic Brockville franchise.

According to unofficial records on hockeydb.com, Jarvis is just one of a handful of Brockville players to surpass the 200-mark and he’s competed in every one of those matchups in a Brockville jersey, racking up 95 points along the way. If the 20-yearold can stay healthy this season – and he’s been extremely durable over the years – he’ll finish within the top-three for CCHL games played by a Braves player. If you include playoff matchups then the defenceman is currently sitting on 218 games played.

He’s been joking around with teammates the last few weeks about hitting the double-century plateau, mentioning the feat to them when he’s looking to jump the line at Tim Hortons.

“They do (give me first in line), but I tell them not to worry about it,” said Jarvis, a Morrsiburg native.

In a sport and age where players easily move on and off rosters because of either their own decision or a general manager’s choice, it’s easy to see understand why Jarvis has been a continuing presence in Brockville.

What Jarvis has done in the CCHL and how he’s done it has defined him as a hockey player and as a person.

For four-and-a-half seasons Jarvis has carried a likeable demeanor where someone can always find him smiling off the ice, whether it’s around the locker room or at some community event. He has always been able to flip the switch to turn into a mean hockey player when he’s on the ice, ready to throw a hit and stick up for a teammate at any moment.

“Obviously, a lot of players come and go. It’s rare to see a guy stick around for awhile and it’s different, so I’m pretty proud about it. It’s a great organization I’ve got to spend my whole junior career with and I wouldn’t change it for anything,” said Jarvis. “It’s a tight-knit community. It’s something you want to be a part of and it’s somewhere you want to play junior hockey, a community like this.”

Jarvis remembers the nerves he carried into his first-ever CCHL game on Nov. 30, 2013 against the Ottawa Jr. Senators as a 16-year-old. He pointed to veteran players on the Braves roster that game with the likes of Taylor Henry, Ryan Walter, John Power and Hayden Hulton. Many of those veterans are now seniors at college or have moved on from playing.

Like them, Jarvis has grown through the ranks over the years, assigned the Braves captaincy last year. He’s now looking to put a stamp on his career with an organization that he’s won multiple accolades with, earning everything from best defenceman to the fan choice award.

On Thursday it’ll be just another game for him, he said, even if it is actually much bigger in other people’s perspectives for him personally and for the organization.

Whether he celebrates the 200-game achievement after Thursday’s matchup will be dependent on one thing specifically.

“Depends on if we win,” said Jarvis.

Spoken like a true Braves player.
Original Story at Recorder.ca