With 298 goals in 470 career NHL games, Washington Capital’s forward Alexander Ovechkin has a career goal-scoring average of 0.44 goals per game – just under one goal every two games.
But this season, Wellesley resident Jacob Thompson has put his idol to shame by tallying an incredible 133 goals in just 34 games – or 3.9 goals per game – while playing centre for the Twin Centre Novice Local League #3 team.
The seven-year-old has honed his shot in the basement of his Wellesley home by taking at least 50 shots every night on goal with the help of his father, Shawn.
“He passes it to me and then I shoot it,” Jacob said with a smile – a smile that is missing one front tooth and draws a striking resemblance between himself and the Washington star dubbed Alexander the Great.
Much like Ovechkin, Jacob’s dedication to the sport and desire to improve will never be questioned, either.
His coach, Phil Palermo, said that Jacob is one of the most competitive kids on the team and will do anything to score and help his team win.
“You can tell he’s very competitive and he brings that out on the ice. He always wants to win,” Palermo said.
“He has a passion for the game, and an excellent shot; I’ve never seen a shot like that. He’s something else to watch.”
His mother Michelle can personally attest to the dedication and competitive nature in her son.
“Every night after supper, he says ‘Mom, you want to play hockey?’ or first thing in the morning ‘Mom, you want to play hockey?’ He just always wants to go into the basement and do that,” she laughed.
Jacob’s team enjoyed enormous success this season as well, in part thanks to Jacob’s scoring prowess but also because the team made enormous strides playing together, the coach said.
“We had a few kids that were just beginners, and a few kids that hadn’t played in a few seasons. There were some kids who couldn’t skate at the start of the season but by the end you couldn’t tell. I thought as a team they did great,” Palermo said.
The team finished with a 15-2-1 record in the regular season, but lost in the league finals to Twin Centre Local League #2, 4-3 in overtime last Saturday, with Jacob scoring all three goals in the game.
Jacob is not only a great goal scorer, but a good teammate and a respectful opponent as well. When asked how he felt after his team lost in overtime in the finals, he paused for a moment and replied, “kind of sad, and kind of happy.”
When asked why he felt both ways about the loss, he simply replied, “Because I kind of feel sad that we lost, but I feel good for the other team for winning.”
