STICKY SITUATION: Princeton Day School girls’ hockey player Logan Harrison controls the puck in recent action despite getting a stick to her neck. Senior forward Harrison’s play at both ends of the ice has helped PDS get off to a 3-2 start. The Panthers, who fell 8-0 to the Portledge School (N.Y.) last Saturday, face Randolph High on December 20 at the SportsCare Arena in Randolph in their last action before the holiday break. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Although the Princeton Day School girls’ hockey team took its lumps last weekend as it fell to the Shady Side Academy (Pa.) and the Portledge School (N.Y.), Jamie Davis believes his players will be better for the experience.

“I am glad we played these games because you need some adversity, you need to get beat at times and fight back,” said PDS first-year head coach Davis, whose team lost 5-0 to Shady Side on Friday and then got defeated 8-0 by Portledge a day later.

“I just told them that if you play this hard like we did last night against the teams in our league, we are going to be tough to beat. We actually played up to them; Friday night was a much stronger effort. We had scoring chances, we just couldn’t put them in. We did all right today, it was a tough one.”

With the Panthers off to a 3-2 start, Davis believes his squad is in a good place.

“We have a strong team,” said Davis. “We have a team that can really go far.” In taking the helm of the program as he has succeeded Julie DeSimone, Davis is looking to get everybody involved.

“It is just nice when you have a couple of more players, last year we were only playing three defense basically the whole year,” said Davis, noting that a trio of freshmen — Della Gilligan, Sammy Dandy, and Hark Sandhu — have shored up the Panther defensive unit. “We are trying to do the same things as last year, but we can actually do them. We want them to cycle, we want them to use the puck. We want a five-player offense and a five-player defense. Everyone needs to contribute, whether that is defense, just keeping it in the zone, and getting shots on net. Every single person has a job in the offensive zone and the defensive zone. Last year that was a lot harder to do when your offense was exhausted and defense was exhausted.”

Junior star Eibhleann Knox has been leading the PDS offense, tallying three goals and two assists in her first three appearances this season.

“She is just a pure goal scorer and every team needs that,” said Davis.

The Panthers have been getting a much-needed contribution all over the ice from senior forward Logan Harrison, who has tallied one goal and two assists so far this season.

“Logan is a really strong two-way center, she doesn’t get enough credit on the stat sheet,” said Davis. “She is the one who is winning those battles and bringing the puck out. She definitely deserves some more points.”

Another senior stalwart, Lily Ryan, has displayed a battling spirit.

“We moved her to center, she works hard,” said Davis. “She can go grind out things, she can battle. She can go get those pucks, that is what we need our centers to do.”

With senior Emily McCann having committed to attend Northeastern University and run cross country and track there, she is making the most of her last season on the ice.

“Emily is doing really well,” said Davis of McCann, who has chipped in two goals. “She is a college runner and she is committed to that. That is amazing, I love that. I am happy that she is on the team. She does the smart plays, she knows where to be. You tell her something, she goes and does it. It is a good dynamic for what we have this year.”

In goal, senior Brigid Milligan has been a rock, having posted two shutouts so far.

“Brigid is strong, she is a big goalie; she takes up the net and is playing positionally really well,” said Davis. “The team is playing really well in front of her. She gets shots from the outside and is getting those rebounds out. It is a team effort, but she is doing her job.”

With PDS facing Randolph High on December 20 at the SportsCare Arena in its last action before the holiday break, Davis is looking for his players to keep doing a good job.

“Effort is the game, you have to work hard every single time,” said Davis. “If you don’t have the puck, you have to be moving. You can’t be standing still, that is the focus. We have to get everyone engaged at all times in the game.”