SHIN GUARD: Princeton Day School boys’ hockey player Han Shin controls the puck in a game last winter. Senior defenseman Shin is primed for a big final campaign for the Panthers. PDS opens its 2023-24 season by hosting the Delbarton School on December 7. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Showing flashes of brilliance, the Princeton Day School boys’ hockey team has proven that it can compete with the elite programs in New Jersey as a member of the Gordon Conference.

But PDS has fallen short of breaking into the upper echelon, struggling in the Gordon Cup and New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public postseason competition.

“I felt like our first two years in that conference, we hung with teams, we were around in third periods,” said PDS head coach Scott Bertoli, whose team went 7-11-3 last season. “We didn’t have the difference makers that the other teams had, being Delbarton, CBA (Christian Brothers Academy), and Don Bosco. We haven’t gotten over that hurdle since we have been in that conference. We have had tremendous games, we have tied some of those teams, but we haven’t beaten any of those three teams. Ultimately to get where we want to be we have got to figure that out.

Heading into the 2023-24, Bertoli believes he has the talent on hand to make a difference.

“I think now we are equipped, having the best kids on the ice,” said Bertoli, whose team opens its 2023-24 season by hosting the Delbarton School on December 7. “Those are the kids late in games who get on a power play, they get odd-man chances and they get grade-A opportunities. I feel really good about the fact that they are going to do what they need to do to change the games in our favor.”

Bertoli feels good about his group of battle-tested forwards that features senior Liam Jackson (10 goals and 20 assists in 2022-23), sophomore Brady Logue (11 goals, 9 assists), junior Wyatt Ewanchyna (10 assists), sophomore Jake Harrison (1 goal, 4 assists), sophomore Filip Kacmarsky (3 goals), and junior Colton Simonds (1 goal, 2 assists).

We have got six returning forwards that are going to play a role,” said Bertoli. “They are all very capable 200-foot players who can play in every situation. Liam and Brady are our two returning leading scorers, those guys look good. We know what we are going to get from them offensively. They produced last year and they will be leaned on this year, as will the other four returning kids. We feel really good about the top six and the ability of those kids to play to perform and score and do what they need to win hockey games.”

The Panthers also boast a group of skilled young players in freshman Chase Logue, freshman Marshall Matyszczak, freshman Lucas Hsuan, freshman Holden Change, and sophomore Fred Ringblom.

“We are filling out the third line with younger kids who are talented and play at a high-level on their club teams. Chase Logue, Brady’s younger brother, is a very, very talented kid — he plays with an edge. In the one scrimmage with CBA, he scored a really nice goal. He had a ton of chances, the puck just seems to find him.”

After rolling four lines most of the time last season, Bertoli is adjusting his approach this winter to get the most out of his talent.

“We are committed to playing primarily three lines and playing our top kids a ton at the forward position and on defense,” said Bertoli. “When I think about playing at the collegiate level as a skilled forward, you need to get into a rhythm. The only way you get into a rhythm is playing.”

Seniors Han Shin (8 goals, 5 assists) and Connor Stratton (2 goals, 5 assists) will be the top kids along the blue line for the Panthers.

“Han and Connor have been top four defensemen since they have been freshmen,” said Bertoli. “They have looked great. They have done a lot of things we need from our older players so they are going to be relied on heavily. They are going to play on the power play and the penalty kill. They are going to play a ton of minutes.”

Bertoli will be relying on junior Max Guche (3 assists), sophomore Hubert Shin (1 goal, 1 assist), junior newcomer Reilly Gilligan, and freshman Tyler Nevrotski give the Panthers some good minutes on defense.

“Max is a very reliable defensive-minded kid who will play with Han or Connor,” said Bertoli. “Hubert is a younger version of Han, he has come a long way. He got hurt last year, so we didn’t see a lot of him. We have a physical type of junior transfer who came in from a Philadelphia area high school in Reilly. That is something we haven’t had in a long time, he is a kid who likes to play physical. It is really nice to see that and the older kids like to see that. They recognize that has been a deficiency, you think about going in front of the net, in scrums and winning those puck battles and changing the momentum of the game just through physicality. Tyler is our sixth defenseman, he is huge kid. He is probably 6’2, he is a talented kid. He has a really high skill level for a big kid.”

At goalie, junior Calvin Fenton (214 saves, .826 save percentage in 2022-23) and senior Mason Watson (156 saves, .862 save percentage) bring skill between the pipes.

“Calvin has made a jump, I know he has done a lot at the club level,” said Bertoli. “He is year older, he is bigger, he is stronger. He has looked good. Mason is a physical presence, he has looked very good too. He is a very talented kid. I think we are in a really good position — they will dictate ultimately who is the guy when it counts. It may go to the other situation where it doesn’t happen and they continue to share.”

Looking ahead to the season, Bertoli believes the key to success will come down to dictating things through disciplined play.

“I think the biggest thing is the commitment to playing better defensive hockey,” said Bertoli. “There philosophically needs to be a shift where we need to get pucks deep, we need to play in the offensive zone, we need to limit odd-man chances and just be way better. I feel more comfortable winning games 3-2 than 6-4. Come playoff time, that is what wins. You just limit odd-man chances and you are disciplined. Your penalty kill is good, you are
opportunistic when you get chances and you have a good power play.”

In addition, the PDS players will need to develop a comfort level with each other in order to excel.

“I am excited, from a culture perspective, it is very encouraging to see and hear what is going on,” said Bertoli. “You need to be positive, supportive, and an endearing teammate. The more of them that we have, the more success we are going to have and the more fun these kids are going to have. Their experience is going to drive any success that we have.”