AMAZING GRACE: Princeton Day School girls’ hockey player Grace Ulrich controls the puck last Monday night as PDS hosted Randolph on the program’s Senior Night. Star forward Ulrich celebrated her Senior Night in style, scoring two goals to help the Panthers cruise to a 6-0 victory over the Rams. PDS, now 7-2-1, faces Oak Knoll on January 30 at the Rock Ice Center in Dunellen before starting play in the Libera Tournament on February 4. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Hours before her Senior Night game for the Princeton Day School ice hockey team last Monday, it hit Grace Ulrich that her emotions would be swirling when she hit the ice that evening at McGraw Rink.

“I was excited. Coming to PDS as a freshman, I have been through three Senior Nights,” said Ulrich, who was honored in a pregame ceremony along with classmates Eibhleann Knox, Aerin Bruno, and Julia Escobar. “I never felt the excitement until I woke up this morning and realized that it was my Senior Night. It really was bittersweet. I read some of the comments on my poster and I was like wow I am going to college next year.”

For Ulrich, playing for the PDS program has been a sweet experience.

“It is a great hockey community, the girls are all supportive of each other,” said Ulrich, who also plays lacrosse for PDS. “We work really hard inside and outside of practice. The coaches are also super supportive of us, they want us to compete and do really well. They coach with positivity, making sure we all feel welcome to the team.”

As the Panthers hosted Randolph on Monday, star forward Ulrich played really well, tallying a pair of second period goals to help PDS cruise to a 6-0 win. Della Gilligan, Sammy Dandy, Layla Sosner, and Knox also found the back of the net as PDS improved to 7-2-1.

The game was knotted at 0-0 heading into the second period before Gilligan scored to break the ice for PDS. Ulrich then took over, scoring her first goal on a one-timer off a nice deke and then chasing in on a rebound minutes later.

“It took me a little to get started, I think I was a little nervous with it being Senior Night,” said Ulrich, reflecting on her goals. “Once I got going, I felt good. I got that nice goal and that started my roll. We have been working on some rebounds so that comes from practice.”

Ulrich has been saving her best for last this winter, having tallied a team-high 15 points this season on nine goals and six assists, up from eight points last season. “I joined a new club team (the Princeton Tiger Lilies), my coaches are really supportive,” said Ulrich. “I have been working really hard on that team.”

The Panthers have put in a lot of good work, rising to No. 1 in the state in the NJ.com rankings before hitting a two-game losing skid, falling 2-0 to Morristown-Beard on January 14 and 2-1 to Immaculate Heart on January 21.

“I feel like we are on the upturn, we had a little down there for a little while,” said Ulrich. “It is a small team, we effect each other a lot. So when one girl is down it typically effects the team but when we are all rolling and feeling good and supporting each other, we typically do pretty good.”

With PDS facing Oak Knoll on January 30 at the Rock Ice Center in Dunellen before starting play in the Libera Tournament on February 4, Ulrich believes a focus on fundamentals is the key to going on a postseason roll.

“We have been working on power play, that is looking better,” said Ulrich. “I think we could work on our neutral zone regroup. It is working as a team to get the pucks deep, get some nice passes to move the goalie and get nice shots.”