After winning the Sutherland Cup, St. Catharines Falcons coach Tyler Bielby was already thinking ahead.
On the bus back from Chatham after the Cup win, Bielby approached Jonah Boria with an offer to captain the Falcons next season.
“I didn’t really see it coming,” Boria said. “It was right after the Sutherland Cup. Ty just said during the bus ride if I wanted to do this and of course I said I definitely would.
Boria is familiar with the history of wearing the C for the Falcons.
“It’s hard to put into words. It’s the first time I’ve seen the jersey,” he said. “I know it’s a very historic organization and I’m really excited to take the next step and wear the C.”
Boria, a 20-year-old Grimsby native, was the natural choice to succeed graduate captain Joe Colasurdo.
“It didn’t take too much conversation between coaches and management,” Bielby said. “He was an obvious choice with his commitment and loyalty to the Falcons really shining through over the past two years and we thought it was time to repay him and honor him with the captaincy.
“He didn’t wear an A for us, so to go from not wearing an A to a C. It’s so well deserved. We just can’t say enough good things.
Boria established himself as one of the most dangerous offensive defensemen in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League last season with his blistering speed while acting as a leader.
“If they can’t communicate or don’t have the respect of the room, they don’t make very good leaders,” Bielby said. “Coaches and I have seen Jonah grow right before our eyes because we’ve been with him for almost four years. The maturity and the way he performed during the playoffs, he spoke on the bench and helped the youngsters guys and just the way he raised his game on occasion while playing with guys like Howie (Mason Howard) and Ollie (Olivier Desroches) speaks a lot about his character.
Boria feels that actions speak louder than words.
“Just lead by example. To be the first to do it and not wait for someone to do it,” he said when asked what makes a good captain.
He also credits veterans Howard, Desroches and Andrew MacLean for their support last season.
“Having the older guys stay behind you and push you around was really nice and meant a lot,” he said. “Knowing that they were there to support you through that was nice and I think that was a big part of our success last year.”
Bielby is a big proponent of communication and plans to be in constant contact with Boria.
“I think a lot of our success over the last year has to do with the amount of communication we’ve had to make sure no one has question marks or wondering where they are,” said he declared. “It’s constant with the leadership group. There are separate chats where we text to make sure we’re on the same page and they’re also kind of my ears in the locker room although they have to respect and be there for their teammates. It’s important to have an open dialogue so you can control things in the locker room.
Boria could have easily moved to another level for his final season of junior eligibility.
“It’s just nice to be home. I like to sleep in my own bed. I’m going to Brock, so it’s a pretty easy decision to stay here,” he said.
The Falcons open the 2022/23 season in Hamilton on Thursday before hosting Welland on Friday, September 9 at 7 p.m. at their new home, the Seymour-Hannah Sports Complex.
Boria can’t wait to get started.
“Really excited. I didn’t realize how much I missed hockey until I got away from it a bit and then when I saw the guys again,” he said.
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