UPSET SPECIAL: Princeton High boys’ hockey player Aidan Trainor goes after the puck in a game this season. Last Monday, freshman star Trainor scored four goals as ninth-seeded PHS stunned top-seeded Morris Knolls 5-2 in the Public A state tournament  quarterfinals. The Little Tigers, now 19-3-4, will face 13th-seeded Watchung Hills in the Public A semis on March 2 at the Codey Arena in South Orange with the winner advancing to the title game on March 6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Playing at eighth-seeded Southern in the second round of the state Public A tournament last Thursday, the ninth-seeded Princeton High boys’ hockey team realized it faced a big test.

“We knew that Southern would have a good team and we obviously had to go on the road,” said PHS head coach Terence Miller. “We took that underdog role again; we knew we would be in for a battle.”

It turned out to be a bumpy ride for the Little Tigers as they fell behind 1-0 and 2-1.

“We fell down, they scored first and we managed to tie it,” said Miller.

“Twice we had to bounce back. They scored again and we answered right back which was good’ we tied it a minute later. To bounce back twice on them was important, you don’t want to go into a deep hole when you are on the road.”

With the foes knotted at 2-2 headed at the end of regulation, Miller was confident that PHS would ultimately come through.

“We felt confident going into overtime; we felt like we started to lean on them a little bit and we were getting the better of the play,” said Miller, who got goals from junior Justin Joyce and senior star Brendon
McCormick in regulation. “We felt like we had momentum on our side heading into the extra session.”

PHS ended up prevailing as freshman star Aidan Trainor scored with 1:30 left in overtime on an assist by McCormick.

“Aidan once again comes through in the clutch for us,” said Miller. “He really doesn’t play like a freshman. He and Brendon have a chemistry.”

Last Monday, Trainor came through again, scoring four goals as PHS stunned top-seeded Morris Knolls 5-2 in the Public A quarterfinals. The Little Tigers, now 19-3-4, will face 13th-seeded Watchung Hills in the Public A semis on March 2 at the Codey Arena in South Orange with the winner advancing to the title game on March 6.

In Miller’s view, the team’s group of seniors have set the tone in the historic postseason run as PHS has reached the state semis for the first time.

“It is a special senior class,” said Miller, whose Class of 2017 includes Sawyer Peck, Eamonn McDonald, Tooker Callaway, Zach Bouchenoir, Pascal Meier, and Anthony Trainor in addition to McCormick.

“I have had a lot of these guys since 8th grade, guys like Eamonn, Tooker, Sawyer, and Brendon. You add a kid like Pascal this year; it is a really special group. They really take the reins and the guys all look up to them. They have done a good job in that regard.”

Coming into the clash against powerhouse Morris Knolls, the 2014 state champion, Miller had the sense that PHS wouldn’t be intimidated.

“At the end of the day, we realized how good they are but at the same time we are pretty good too,” said Miller, who got 23 saves from star goalie Peck on the win over Morris Knolls.

“We look to embrace that underdog mentality on the road. We want to play a smart, simple road game. With our senior class and our experience, a lot of these kids have been playing a lot of minutes since freshman year, I don’t think the game or the spot will really be too much for them. We can play with anybody.”

By sticking to that game plan, PHS could find itself playing for a state title.

“We had a good year; we really wanted to make sure that we had a good run in the states to solidify the season that we have had,” said Miller.

“We haven’t had a lot of state tournament success in recent years. We haven’t been to quarterfinals since 2000.”