MOVING FORWARD: Princeton High girls’ hockey player -Maggie Herring controls the puck in recent action. Junior forward Herring has triggered the offense this winter for the Little Tigers. She tallied four goals and an assist in PHS’s 5-3 win over Pingry in late December. PHS, now 1-6, plays at Princeton Day School on January 14. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

When the Princeton High girls’ hockey team fell behind Pingry 3-1 after one period in its final game of December, it looked like the Little Tigers were headed to their fifth straight loss to start the season.

After the period, PHS head coach Christian Herzog didn’t mince his words as he addressed his players.

“Plain and simple, ladies, this is your best chance, let’s go,” said Herzog, recalling his message to his players.

The Little Tigers followed Herzog’s instructions, outscoring Pingry 4-0 over the final two periods to skate away with a 5-3 victory.

Junior forward Maggie Herring triggered the PHS offense, tallying four goals and an assist in the victory.

“What I was saying to Maggie, and this is something we have been working on since last year, is that she gets these chances during games and whether it be breakaways or whether it be a 2-on-1, she has got to make them count,” said Herzog. “She has been working on giving herself the best angle, seeing more holes and more opportunities to score.”

Herring is also helping to get scoring opportunities for her teammates as well, setting up Alexa Zammit for the game-winning goal against Pingry.

“Maggie tied it up at 3-3 and then they took a penalty and I called timeout and we ran a play,” said Herzog.

“I told Maggie they are leaving Alexa open on defense, walking right in. I said you go behind the net and pull two people and as soon as you take the people behind, look for Alexa coming short and that was the go-ahead goal.”

Senior goalie Callie Urisko also came up big in the victory, bouncing back from a shaky first period to shut the door on Pingry, making 27 saves on the evening.

“Callie finished out the game strong,” said Herzog. “It is good to see you can have a bad period and bounce back. That was good for her.”

Herzog liked the way the Little Tigers came on strong collectively in overcoming the early deficit.

“To be honest, the thing I was most proud about is that we were down and we came from behind,” said Herzog. “In so many other games, whether it be this season or over the years, we haven’t done that.”

Producing that rally sparked an emotional outburst for the Little Tigers.  “They celebrated like they won the cup because they know that this season is going to be tough,” said Herzog.

While PHS fell to 1-6 after losing 11-1 to the Hill School (Pa.) last Wednesday, Herzog believes the team is making progress as the season has unfolded.

“A litmus test is have the players gotten better and I would say yes,” said Herzog. “The issue, more or less, is that the teams we are playing have much more depth.”

Sophomore defenseman Zammit has gotten much better. “Alexa has gotten a little more relaxed,” said Herzog. “She has stepped up, she has been more consistent. I like that she is physical. She has a pretty decent wrist shot.”

Herzog is seeing more physical play from the Little Tigers across the board.

“The girls have been more physical, they are not opening the door and allowing girls to walk in on them,” said Herzog.

“They have no qualms about blocking shots. This group will take bruises like no other. They are not afraid to be a little more physical and play the body a little more.”

In Herzog’s view, PHS has a good shot at picking up some more wins in the last month of the campaign.

“I would like to see us finish our winnable games,” said Herzog, whose team plays at Princeton Day School on January 14.

“It is quite possible that we could be seeing Pingry three times this year. We have them for Senior Night on January 29 and most likely we will both be in the B bracket of the WIHLMA (Women’s Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic) tournament. We need to try to do the best we can in general.”