IRISH WAKE: Princeton Day School boys’ hockey senior captain Garret Jensen controls the puck in recent action. Last Friday, Jensen chipped in an assist as PDS topped Notre Dame 4-1. The win was particularly sweet for the Panthers as they had lost to the Fighting Irish in the semifinals of last year’s Mercer County Tournament. In upcoming action, the Panthers, now 15-4-1, play at Academy of New Church on February 1 before starting play in the state Prep tournament. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

For Garret Jensen and the other veteran players on the Princeton Day School boys’ hockey team, the pain from their loss to Notre Dame last year in the Mercer County Tournament still lingers.

“I think it left a bad taste in our mouths when we lost the MCT semifinals because we definitely felt that we were the better team,” said senior captain and forward Garrett Jensen. “We just didn’t get a few bounces.”

As a result, the PDS players had an extra bounce in their step when they hosted Notre Dame at a jam-packed McGraw Rink last Friday in a regular season rematch.

“You could see before the game that everyone was focused in warmups; in the locker room everyone was motivating each other,” said Jensen.

“The crowd really, really helps; playing in front of them makes it all that much better. They give us a lot of energy.”

Jensen didn’t waste any time giving the PDS supporters something to cheer about as he assisted on Grahame Davis’s goal 2:36 into the contest. Some three minutes later, freshman Ross Colton tallied a shorthanded goal to give the Panthers a 2-0 advantage.

“That helps a lot to take all the momentum away from them in the beginning and secure that lead,” said Jensen, reflecting on the Panthers’ strong start. “We know we are the better team; we had to keep playing.”

The Panthers kept playing well, pulling away to a 4-1 victory as junior Rob Colton added two goals to go with the tallies by his younger brother and Davis.

In topping the Fighting Irish, PDS completed an impressive week that also saw it defeat Seton Hall 8-0 and then post a 6-3 triumph over Portledge School (Pa.) as it built on the intensity it showed in a 2-2 tie against Lawrenceville on January 19.

“The Lawrenceville game gave us a lot of motivation; that was another bad taste in our mouth because we felt like we could have won that game,” said Jensen.

“We played really well against Seton Hall and beat them 8-0 and then we came out and played Portledge, who had beaten Lawrenceville and we beat them handily 6-3. So I definitely think that has given us a lot of motivation.”

With the state Prep tournament around the corner, Jensen believes the Panthers are in a good position to defend the title they earned last year with a thrilling victory over Pingry.

“I think we are really starting to play our best hockey; I think as a good team we have to face adversity,” said Jensen.

“I think we are definitely starting to come through adversity. The team is really coming together and playing really well.”

PDS head coach Scott Bertoli knew he didn’t have to do much to motivate his team before the rematch with the Fighting Irish.

“I didn’t have to say much before the game; the kids all knew what that game meant,” said Bertoli.

“We are not going to play in the county tournament so in our minds that was the county finals. We want to talk about who the best two teams in the county are, Lawrenceville aside because they don’t compete in that tournament. I don’t think there is any doubt now who the better team is.”

Bertoli tipped his hat to Notre Dame for competing hard, particularly goalie Steve Anderson, who made 61 saves on the evening.

“I give them credit, they play hard, they work hard,” said Bertoli, whose team outshot the Fighting Irish 65-23.

“They are having a great year, they don’t win 16 or 17 games by accident. They are a good team. I just think we benefit from playing a tougher schedule and we benefit from having more depth than they do. It was pretty evident tonight. We carried play for the majority of the game. You look at the shots and the scoring chances; had it not been for Anderson in net, I think that margin is six or eight goals.”

A big part of PDS’s depth this season is the addition of the Colton brothers. “They are obviously two kids who find the back of the net,” said Bertoli.

“Any time you can add two talented players like that, it goes a long way. In addition to that, they are good 2-way hockey players, good teammates, they care, they are passionate. They wanted to play a higher level of hockey and we have been able to provide that.”

In Bertoli’s view, his team has been building momentum since the tie with Lawrenceville.

“We had a lot of confidence coming out of that Lawrenceville game, to us it was a benchmark game,” said Bertoli, whose team improved to 15-4-1 with a 5-2 win over Rye Country Day (N.Y.) last Monday.

“We want to play at that level. I thought we were awesome all week long. We took it to Seton Hall; there was no doubt from the drop of the puck who the better team was. I look at a Portledge team that is very successful; we haven’t beaten a top team in a number of years. We outchance them, we outplay them, we stick to our game plan and we have a pretty convincing win. We follow that up with a strong, strong effort today. The kids feel good about themselves and they should.”

Jensen, for his part, feels good about the help he has been getting as he carries out his captain’s role.

“It really means a lot, everyone is rallying around each other and feeding off each other’s energy and it is really nice to see,” said Jensen.

“I am the only captain; it is a lot of responsibility trying to keep everyone together and on the same page.”

As he wraps up his PDS hockey career, Jensen is trying his best to end things on a high note.

“It is unfortunate that it is winding down,” said Jensen, who is heading to Trinity College. “Every game I try to give everything I have and take every moment in. It definitely means a lot.”