WHY NOT: Princeton Day School boys’ hockey player Wyatt Ewanchyna controls the puck in a game last season. Last Thursday, senior star forward and team captain Ewanchyna scored two goals to help PDS defeat Gloucester Catholic 4-2. The Panthers, now 9-8-1, are starting play in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public State tournament this week where they are seeded sixth and slated to host 11th-seeded St. Joe’s (Metuchen) in a first round contest on February 25. The victor will play at third-seeded Don Bosco in a quarterfinal contest on February 27. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As the captain of the Princeton Day School boys’ hockey team Wyatt Ewanchyna looks to set a good example for his teammates on a daily basis.

“I have tried to be a leader on the team, but I have never had a letter on my jersey before,” said senior forward Ewanchyna. “It gives me a sense that I have to prove something every day. I have to lead the freshmen.”

Last Thursday as PDS hosted Gloucester Catholic, Ewanchyna led the way, scoring two goals on set-ups by Jake Harrison as the Panthers posted a 4-2 win.

On his first goal which gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead late in the first period, Ewanchyna got some lucky bounces.

“I had a little monkey in my back right now in club for sure,” said Ewanchyna, who plays for the North Jersey Avalanche outside of PDS. “Jake gave me a great pass and it was a bit of a wobbler.”

Early in the second period, Ewanchyna took another feed from Harrison and blasted in a one-timer as PDS took a 3-1 lead.

“I think Jake was on the left side, he won a battle and I knew he was going to find me,” recalled Ewanchyna. “He is a great player and he found me in that seam and I put it in.”

The team’s top line of junior Harrison, Ewanchyna, and junior Filip Kacmarsky have been putting it together all winter.

“Me and Jake have been playing together since we were basically squirts so there is a lot of chemistry there,” said Ewanchyna, who now has a team-high 33 points on 13 goals and 20 assists. “Filip has been his good friend for a long time so we work together really well. They are both really skilled players, it is fun playing with them.”

With PDS improving to 9-8-1 with the win and starting action in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public State tournament this week where it is seeded sixth and slated to host 11th-seeded St. Joe’s (Metuchen) in a first round contest on February 25, Ewanchyna believes the Panthers are primed to make a deep postseason run.

“I have full confidence in our team to get the job done,” said Ewanchyna. “In all my years at PDS, I think this is the one that we really have the biggest chance. We have tied Delbarton, we beat Christian Brothers Academy, we can hang with anybody. We just have to go out there and do it.”

In order to do well, the Panthers need to come out firing. “We just have to get the start going a little bit better,” said Ewanchyna.“We have to get it going from the start, In most of these games before we were letting up two goals in the first five minutes. We have to come out there with juice and a little bit of jam and get the job done.”

PDS head coach Scott Bertoli believes that his squad is in a good place as it heads into states.

“We had struggled getting off to good starts in games,” said Bertoli. “Over the last two weeks, we have identified an approach that we think works. We have done a lot of good things, we have created lot of scoring chances. I think we are in a pretty good mindset heading into next week.”

Ewanchyna has done a lot of good things this season for the Panthers.

“He scored more than he has scored in the past which is great,” said Bertoli of Ewanchyna. “He has got an unbelievable shot. He has such tremendous vision.”

The trio of Ewanchyna, Harrison, and Kacmarsky has made a tremendous impact for PDS.

“Him and Jake and Filip really drive our offense, they play in every situation,” said Bertoli. “They are playing 20, 25 minutes a game in meaningful, hard minutes. They have been unbelievable. Wyatt and Jake really see the ice well, they see things before most people even realize they are going to happen. Any type of success we are going to have against those top programs is going to fall on their shoulders.”

It will take a total team effort for the Panthers to overcome the top programs in the state.

“We are going to need good goaltending and Calvin [Fenton] is fully capable of that,” said Bertoli, whose team would be playing at third-seeded Don Bosco in a quarterfinal contest on February 27 if it can defeat St. Joe’s (Metuchen). “Guys like Wyatt, Jake, and Filip along with Fred Ringblom and Zach Meseroll are going to have to outperform the top players on those other teams and we are going to have to be disciplined.”

Bertoli believes that PDS can go far in states if it brings its A-game.

“The program has made some good strides but we really need to get over that hump and get into a semifinal game,” said Bertoli.“We need to win one of those games on the road to really take that next step. We are there, we know we can compete. We competed in the regular season against these teams. We have had some great results. We have the guys in there to do it, our top guys have been great all year. We don’t need to get lucky, we just need to bring our best game. If we do, and that is in our control, then we have a chance to win all of those games.”

Ewanchyna, for his part, is looking to end his PDS career on a high note.

“I remember when I was a freshman, we lost to St John Vianney (in states) and everybody was heartbroken,” said Ewanchyna. “I am going into this basically not trying to do the same thing. We are trying to make a run because this is the year to do it 100 percent.”