DOWN PAT: Princeton Day School girls’ hockey player Julie Patterson heads down the ice in recent action. Last Thursday, freshman forward Patterson scored a goal to help PDS defeat Princeton High 6-1. The Panthers, now 7-4-1, host the Hill School (Pa.) on January 20. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Even though Julie Patterson is just a freshman for the Princeton Day School girls’ hockey team, she has been around the game a long time.

“I started playing when I was four,” said Patterson. “I started with the Flames and then I went to the Tiger Lilies for girls.”

As a result, Patterson feels a responsibility to be more assertive than the typical rookie.

“A big challenge is being a leader even though I am only a freshman,” said Patterson. “I am so young but I am one of the more experienced players so I am trying to help out the other girls and trying to get them out on the ice.”

Last Thursday against Princeton High, forward Patterson helped the Panthers get off to a strong start, scoring an early goal as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first period on the way to a 6-1 victory and improving to a 7-4-1 record.

“It was a good face-off win and a good pass by Palmer (White),” said Patterson, reflecting on her tally which gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead.

“We just skated up and got around them and I had a shot on net and it goes in.”

Having previously defeated PHS 7-0 in mid-December, the Panthers were looking to play their game in the second meeting of the local rivals.

“We have progressed throughout the year, we try to make our own level,” said Patterson.

“We are a good team. We try to move fast and we wanted to set our pace with them.”

Three days earlier, PDS showed marked progress as it posted a 5-1 victory over the Portledge School (N.Y.) after having skated to a 1-1 tie in the first meeting between the teams in early December.

“We improved a lot against them, going up to their rink and winning, it was cold,” said Patterson, who contributed an assist in the win. “I think we have learned as a team to keep our heads up and pass more.”

With no seniors on the PDS roster, the team’s core of juniors has helped sparked that improvement.

“They definitely set a good example for us,” said Patterson. “They don’t let us get down if we make a bad play, they keep our heads up and tell us what to do.”

PDS head coach Lorna Cook credits her veteran players with bringing up the intensity level around the squad.

“We challenged the juniors at the beginning of the season, telling them that they had to lead this team,” said Cook, whose junior veterans include Kiely French, Ashley Cavuto, Annika Asplundh, and Kristi Serafin.

“It is a young group with a lot of new players and they have really elevated the tempo at practice. They have started being more vocal in the room as well and just bringing everybody up to their level.”

In the win over PHS, the Panthers got the chance to give its young players some valuable ice time.

“Tonight was a good opportunity for us to roll everybody in and get some more time working on the things we have been working on, as far as supporting each other and moving off the puck,” said Cook, who got two goals and an assist from French with freshman Flynn Gorman contributing a goal and an assist while sophomore Sam Dwyer and freshman Maddy McCaw each added a goal.

Coming off a tough 2-0 loss at Hill School (Pa.) on January 8, PDS produced some good work in its win over Portledge.

“It always tough to keep the momentum from the games that we had against Hill and Portledge,” said Cook.

“This time against Portledge, we had Kristi (star defenseman Kristi Serafin) back, that made a big difference. We brought a lot of speed and just got our confidence going. The game against Hill, as disappointing as it was that we lost, I think it helped the girls all believe in each other more. We played well enough to win but we didn’t bury our chances so I think they were extra motivated to put the puck in the net this time.”

Cook likes the way Patterson buries her chances. “Julie plays with an edge; I think that is the biggest thing,” said Cook.

“She wants to score every time she is out there. That’s what we need and she just brings everybody up to that level when she is out there.”

In Cook’s view, the Panthers need to focus on raising the level of their play.

“I want to see us bring our compete level up even more,” said Cook, whose team hosts Hill on January.

“I think that is a good thing for us, battling harder, getting rebounds, and just taking advantage of any chances that we get. They are supporting each other well, things are really coming together nicely as far as the way they are moving. We have just got to start scoring more goals.”

Patterson, for her part, is on the same page with Cook. “I think we definitely need to work on getting more shots on net, especially when we play big teams like Hill,” said Patterson. “We have to capitalize on opportunities.”