ON THE DEFENSIVE: Princeton Day School boys’ hockey player Gianluca Travia guards the blue line in a game last season. Junior Travia is being counted on to spearhead the PDS defense this winter as it looks to bounce back from a 3-16-1 season last year. The Panthers were slated to start the 2015-16 campaign by hosting St. Joe’s Prep on December 1, Montclair Kimberly on December 2, and the Hun School on December 7. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Going with a youth movement by necessity last winter, the Princeton Day School boy’s hockey team took its lumps.

As the proud program endured a 3-16-1 campaign, its younger players were fighting a losing battle on a nightly basis.

“Those kids were good hockey players last year,” said PDS head coach Scott Bertoli.

“They were put in a position where they were competing against teams, night in, night out that were older and more physical. Those were big challenges and it just didn’t really allow us to have a lot of success.”

In Bertoli’s view, his younger performers have been steeled by that experience.

“When you don’t see a lot of wins and don’t score a lot of goals, you are not leaving the rink feeling good about yourself,” said Bertoli, whose team is slated to start its season by hosting St. Joes’s Prep (Pa.) on December 1, Montclair Kimberly on December 2, and the Hun School on December 7.

“If you are an athlete and a competitor, you want to go out and do what you can to personally improve and develop and control what you can control to allow yourself to be a better player and a better contributor the following year. We, as a coaching staff, have noticed a difference in some of the younger kids in terms of their confidence level. Part of that is the work they have done away from the rink, whatever it was, they just seem to have a little more confidence and play a little bigger and a little tougher. Those are things that we need.”

Senior forward Connor Fletcher figures to play a very big role for the Panthers this winter.

“Connor hasn’t played a hockey game since last February and you get him on skates for a couple of weeks, he will be one of the best players on the ice every time we play,” said Bertoli, noting that Fletcher is a Cornell men’s lacrosse commit.

“He is just very athletic, very competitive. He is a tremendous leader and he is someone our young kids can look up to once again this year. He is our only senior. We expect him to be our best player, night in and night out and he will be, there is no question about it.”

Bertoli is expecting a lot from sophomore forward Tyler Coffey, who was sidelined for most of last winter.

“Coffey was injured all last year, he played three games,” said Bertoli. “Here is a kid who has been a proven scorer at whatever level he has played at. He has played Tier 1 hockey for the last six or seven years. I envision him playing the majority of the year with Fletcher and he is a guy we are going to count on to produce in the 5-on-5, the power play, the 4-on-4, and the penalty kill. He can put it in the back of the net. He is talented and he is very competitive. He is not the tallest kid but he plays with an edge, he can win those puck battles.”

In order to get back in the winning track, the Panthers are going to need some scoring balance.

“Our success is going to weigh heavily on our ability to get secondary scoring,” said Bertoli.

“If you can get match ups, you can neutralize the Fletcher and the Coffey line and most teams are going to focus on that matchup so it is going to fall on our second and third lines to produce.”

That group will include junior Keith Asplundh, sophomore Ryan Lisk, sophomore Russell Freidman, junior Jack Mascali, and freshman Coby Auslander.

“Asplundh played bigger minutes in key situations last year, I expect much of the same from him,” said Bertoli.

“Guys like Ryan Lisk, Russell Freidman, and Jack Mascali need to step up. Cody Auslander is a freshman and he is a tough kid. He plays hard, he plays the same way he does on the soccer field. He is tenacious. He likes to get after it and he has an edge to his game. I think it will really help.”

Along the blue line, junior Gianluca Travia should provide some toughness for the Panthers.

“Travia is our most experienced defenseman, he is a kid with confidence and understanding,” said Bertoli.

“He is the elder statesman of that group and he can take ownership of that group and run with it. He can be a really effective player.

Sophomores Eric Sherman and Nic Petruolo have gained a lot of confidence since last year.

“He has some really talented kids on the line after him with Sherman and Petruolo,” added Bertoli, noting that sophomore newcomer Brian Frister will also help shore up the Panther defense.

“They are kids that can really control the game offensively. When we get them to be complete players at both ends of the rink, they are going to be a really dynamic duo. They are playing together right now and expect them to control the tempo and get involved offensively and produce.”

Three-year starting junior goalie Logan Kramsky has proven he can control games with his skill and composure.

“Logan is looking unbelievable to this point,” said Bertoli. “He is like Connor Walker in that they are competitive. They have a really nice way about them in terms of being level headed and not getting too high or too low — both aren’t the tallest goalies but just athletic with recovery on second or third opportunities. They get the pucks that you, as a coach, just turn your head and think it is already in the back of the net. Not too many pucks are going to beat him. Our group feels really good and confident with him being in the pipes for us. I think him being and playing at a high level will be critical to our success. I am very confident that he will give us that.”

Getting off to a good start will be critical as PDS looks to reverse its fortunes from last winter.

“So much of it is going to play itself out early on; I think it is important for us to experience some success early on and feel good about ourselves,” said Bertoli.

“If we can get a couple of good performances early, we will feel good about what we are doing as a team. Our assets are our speed and our skill and I think we will get after it and play in the offensive zone and generate opportunities. If we go out and play hard and play the right way, I like our chances.”