FINAL SALVO: Princeton High girls’ hockey player Keely Herring prepares to send the puck up the ice in a game this winter. Senior star Herring scored four goals in her final game as the Little Tigers fell 6-5 to Shady Side Academy (Pa.) in the consolation contest of the WIHLMA (Women’s Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic) ‘B’ bracket. Herring tallied 30 points this winter on 20 goals and 10 assists and ended up with a total of 59 points in her career on 37 goals and 22 assists. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

It would have been understandable if the Princeton High girls’ hockey team had gone through the motions when it played Shady Side Academy (Pa.) in its season finale.

The Little Tigers brought a 1-10 record into the WIHLMA (Women’s Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic) ‘B’ bracket consolation contest, having fallen to Portledge School (N.Y.) the day before.

But sparked by senior stars Keely Herring and Abby Hunter, PHS battled to the final whistle as it lost 6-5 to host Shady Side.

“Keely was fired up, she said ‘girls this is our last game; we are going to bring it;’ both she and Abby were gung ho,” said PHS head coach Christian Herzog, noting that Herring scored four goals in the finale with Hunter adding the other tally.

“I was proud of the way we ended the season; we fell behind but kept coming back. They couldn’t put us away.”

Herzog was proud of the contributions made by Herring and Hunter over their four years with the program.

Herring tallied 30 points this winter on 20 goals and 10 assists and ended up with a total of 59 points in her career on 37 goals and 22 assists. Hunter had eight goals and 14 assists this winter to bring her career total to 44 points on 20 goals and 24 assists.

“It is tough to see them go; they really have a passion for the program,” said Herzog, noting that the Johns Hopkins University-bound Herring earned All-WIHLMA honorable mention recognition this season.

“They are not only great players, they are fine young ladies. Keely was our MVP. If you tell her we need a goal this shift, she will do everything to go out and get it. I really relied on Abby’s forechecking and Keely’s sniping. They carried the load in the junior and senior years. I wish we had more depth around them; they could have put up even better numbers.”

In a show of his respect for Hunter, Herzog created a new program award in her honor.

“We now have an award in Abby’s name for head, heart, and hustle,” said Herzog, who chose Hunter as the initial recipient of the award.

PHS’s other two seniors, goalie Tobi Afran and defenseman Vinita Su, also showed plenty of heart.

“Tobi gave everything she had, she played when she was hurt,” said Herzog, noting that Afran earned the Captains Award while Su won the Sportsmanship Award.

“She played really well in that last game and had 894 saves in her career. Vinita showed a lot of dedication. She was not the most skilled player but she always worked hard and was ready to take bruises for the team.”

A trio of freshmen, Lucy Herring, Campbell McDonald, and Julia DiTosto, helped raised PHS’s skill level.

“We had some younger skilled players who can really help us, Lucy Herring had 13 points and Campbell McDonald had 12,” said Herzog.

“Lucy got the Coaches Award. She never misses a practice and is always working hard. She is always moving her feet. When the puck is near Campbell, you see her fire. DiTosto really helped us on defense; she will be our No. 1 defensive player next year.”

While Herzog would have liked to see his team pick up some more wins, he loves the fire he gets from his players on a consistent basis.

“The girls had a ton of fun in Pittsburgh that last weekend,” said Herzog.

“They never stopped fighting. The other coaches always tell me that our girls play hard no matter what the score is.”