FREED UP: Princeton Day School boys’ hockey player Russell Friedman races up the ice in recent action. Last Thursday, senior forward and assistant captain Friedman scored the winning goal as PDS topped Lawrenceville 3-1. The Panthers, who topped Bishop Eustace 6-2 last Monday to improve to 13-6-1, host Malvern Prep (Pa.) on January 31 and Chatham on February 5. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Russell Friedman had January 25 circled on his calendar for a while as it marked the annual clash between the Princeton Day School boys’ hockey team and local rival Lawrenceville.

“It is my favorite day of the year and being a senior it is super special,” said PDS forward and assistant captain Friedman.

“It is crazy how important it is. The school gets up for it and this year it was the most exciting I have ever seen it.”

After neither team scored a goal in the first period at a jam-packed McGraw Rink, PDS gave the home fans something to cheer about as it jumped into the lead early in the second period on a goal by Coby Auslander.

“The first goal, especially in a game like this, is really going to get you going,” said Friedman.

“It is real important to get that first goal. That really sparked us and we got more comfortable.”

Lawrenceville tied the game at 1-1 early in the third period and then Friedman got one of the most important goals.

“I got the puck off the boards, curled up, and then I shot it short side and there was a really small gap,” recalled Friedman.

“It hit off his hip and went in. I knew it went in right from when I shot it. No one else knew so there was a delayed reaction there.”

With Nic Petruolo notching an empty net tally in the last minute of the contest to seal the deal in a 3-1 victory for the Panthers, Friedman’s game-winning tally will always be etched in his mind.

“Right now, it really doesn’t hit home, but I am sure once the season is over and I graduate and look back, it is going to mean a lot,” said Friedman. “I am really happy that I could leave PDS with that memory.”

Friedman has been happy to assume a leadership role this winter for the Panthers, serving as an assistant captain.

“We looked up to kids, Connor Fletcher was a junior when I was a freshman and then we had seniors like Harrison Latham and kids like that,” said Friedman.

“You look up them and now I have to help lead the group. It is really different and it is something to embrace. I really enjoy it.”

The win over the Big Red capped an emotional week for PDS as it topped Hun two days earlier in a shootout after the neighboring foes tied  4-4 through regulation and overtime.

“That is huge, two big wins against two rivals,” said Friedman. “It is really special to be wearing your school’s logo and getting big wins like that. It is not so much about individual points, it is just about the wins. It is a great time.”

While Friedman is focused on team goals, he has worked hard to contribute  more individually.

“I play at a pretty high level of club hockey,” said Friedman, who competes for the N.J Titans U-18 premier team.

“I have grown a lot in that program and it has helped carry over into high school. Club is so high paced and it prepares me for high school. It is a little bit of a slower pace but we are playing good competition here. I have a lot of confidence after I play club games.”

PDS head coach Scott Bertoli liked the way his players fed off the high level of excitement at the rink for the clash with Big Red.

“You have to appreciate it,” said Bertoli. “The first thing I told them is I want you to go out and have fun and embrace this opportunity because most kids that get to play high school athletics don’t get to play in an environment that fun, that loud, and that intense.”

Bertoli appreciates the intensity that Friedman brings to the ice. “There has been a few kids, Ty Eastman is one of them, Chip Hamlett is another, and then Russell, that have really taken their game to another level this year,” said Bertoli.

“Russell has always played the game hard; he competes the full 200 feet so it is just nice to see a kid like that started getting rewarded for all of his hard work. He deserves to score a goal in a big game like that with the right opportunity. His compete level is off the chart.”

PDS senior goalie Boris Gorelenkov competed hard against the Big Red, recording 29 saves in the win.

“In some of the biggest moments this year and some of the biggest games, he has made saves when he had to and that is encouraging,” said Bertoli.

“He didn’t have a great game against Hun but when it came down to it in the shootout, he makes the save that puts us in position to win the game. Tonight in the third period, he made some really good saves.”

The Panthers produced a good overall effort in overcoming Lawrenceville.

“I like the way we played today,” said Bertoli. “We got the puck down low, we did a lot of things that allow us to be successful. What I think I am proud of is that where we let games slip away last year, we have found ways to finish those games off this year.”

With PDS having clinched second place in the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League (MAHL) and a home game in the league semifinals, Bertoli is looking for a big finish.

“I like our group and I like our chances against anyone,” maintained Bertoli, whose team topped Bishop Eustace 6-2 last Monday to improve to 13-6-1 and is slated to host Malvern Prep (Pa.) on January 31 and Chatham on February 5.

“Of all the things that I am proud for this program, it is to be a part of that league and have success in that league. We want to put ourselves in a position to play for that championship game. One of the other goals was to put ourselves in position to host a semifinal game, now we have taken care of that.”

In Friedman’s view, the Panthers have what it takes to win a championship.

“I am confident in this group,” asserted Friedman. “We are not the biggest kids, but we play hard and have some skills too. It is a lot of excited kids having a lot of fun.”