FAST START: Princeton Day School boys’ hockey player Jake Harrison races up the ice in action last season. Junior forward Harrison scored a goal for PDS as it fell 7-2 to Don Bosco Prep last Wednesday. The Panthers, now 2-1-1, are on a holiday break and will return to action when they host La Salle College High (Pa.) on January 2. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

With the Princeton Day School boys’ hockey team trailing undefeated powerhouse Don Bosco Prep 2-0 in the second period last Wednesday, Jake Harrison seized opportunity.

“They were on the power play, we were short-handed and their defenseman got the puck flat-footed,” said PDS junior forward Harrison. “I jumped him and I got a breakaway. “

Harrison cashed in the breakaway to bury the puck into the back of the net as PDS cut the Don Bosco lead in half. When the Ironmen responded by going up 3-1, Fred Ringblom scored for the Panthers to trim the lead to 3-2.

“I thought we were in good shape there and then we gave up the goal on the next shift, which was kind of deflating,” said Harrison. “We still had life after that but they scored another one.”

Don Bosco kept scoring as it pulled away to a 7-2 win over the Panthers, handing them their first loss of the season as they dropped to 2-1-1.

While Harrison credited the Ironmen, now ranked No. 1 in the state by NJ.com, with being a high-level squad, he maintained that the score was not indicative of how well No. 5 PDS played.

“These guys are deep, they definitely had structure,” said Harrison. “It was definitely a test for us. That wasn’t a 7-2 game.”

With PDS having passed a major test on Monday as it earned a dramatic win over Christian Brothers Academy, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to pull out a 7-6 victory, Harrison believes that PDS is a top tier team.

“That shows we can compete with anyone, that is going to be important for us down the stretch,” said Harrison.

Having tallied three goals and three assists so far this season, Harrison is competing better this winter.

“Playing for the Rockets, my club team, we are playing against top competition every weekend,” said Harrison. “That has helped me become a better player. For example on the power play, I am playing the point now because we lost two seniors from last year on defense.”

PDS head coach Scott Bertoli knew that his squad needed to play very well to overcome Don Bosco.

“That is a very good team,” said Bertoli. “They are the best team we have played. They are the deepest, the most talented and they have the best group of defensemen.”

Although the Panthers drew to within 3-2 with 6:30 left in the second period, Bertoli realized that the Panthers weren’t necessarily in a good place.

“At 3-2, on the scoreboard, we are still in the game,” said Bertoli. “But just in terms of the game and territorially, we were still chasing it. You have to stick to what you believe in and what works regardless what the opponent is throwing at you.”

Heading into the clash with Don Bosco, the PDS players had extra belief in the wake of their win over CBA two days earlier.

“On a lot of levels a huge win for the program and a big step in the right direction,” said Bertoli, noting that it was the program’s first-ever victory over the Colts. “Just from a purely team and culture perspective, to be down 4-1 on the brink of seemingly getting blown out and to just slowly chip away and stick with it and stay positive, it was awesome. It was such a good moment for our kids. From a belief standpoint and a buy-in standpoint, there is no question it helped.”

The Panthers have displayed their buy-in by edging Bergen Catholic 4-3 in their season opener and then tying Delbarton 1-1, sparked by their core of veterans.

“We have been resilient, we have been down in games and we continue to fight back,” said Bertoli. “We stay positive on the bench, we are able to shift momentum and create opportunities. I give our older kids a ton of credit. The older kids that we lean on like Wyatt [Ewanchyna], Jake, Fillip [Kacmarsky], Max [Guche], and Fred [Ringblom] have been exceptional in those big situations.”

Bertoli credited Harrison with giving PDS some smart play.

“He is a very cerebral player,” said Bertoli. “He and Wyatt really think the game well. They play together.”

Junior forward Ringblom has raised his game, tallying four goals this season, including the game-winner against CBA.

“In the years past, Fred has been in more of a third, fourth line role,” said Bertoli. “I think his skill set is more suited to playing on a top two line role. He is doing that and he is having success, which is awesome to see. He has grown as a player.”

Another player who has shown growth is senior forward and assistant captain Colton Simonds as he has done the dirty work to emerge as an unsung hero.

“Colton has been incredible, he has been that third line guy that can play on our top two lines,” said Bertoli. “He has been really great on the penalty kill. He is physical. He has done a really nice job from a leadership perspective, buying in and representing what PDS hockey stands for and what we expect from our kids. When they go out on the ice, we want them to lay it out there.”

In reflecting on his team’s play in the 2024 portion of the schedule, Bertoli likes what he is seeing.

“It has been a tremendous start to the season, both from an execution perspective and a results perspective,” said Bertoli, whose squad returns to action by hosting La Salle College High (Pa.) on January 2. “The programs we are playing are huge. Our older kids have generally been the best players on the ice and we needed that. We needed them to produce and they produced. They played a lot of hockey here and at club so this will be a nice little break to re-set.”

Harrison, for his part, believes that the Panthers can do some big things when they start play in 2025.

“I think the start of the season has been great for us, it showed us that we can be a top team in the state,” said Harrison. “We just need to work on getting tighter as a group and getting the culture of this team better.”