SPEARHEADING SUCCESS: Princeton High girls’ hockey player Cassie Speir controls the puck in recent action. Last Monday, senior star Speir tallied two goals and an assist as PHS defeated Newark East Side 4-0 in the quarterfinal round of the Annis Cup. The Tigers, who improved to 4-6 with the win, will play at Madison in the Annis Cup semis on February 6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Standing just off the ice at Hobey Baker Rink, Cassie Speir was overcome with emotion last week as she reflected on playing her final regular season game in the building for the Princeton High girls’ hockey team.

“My sister is a sophomore and she became the team manager because we are really close, I am going to miss her a lot next year,” said Speir with her voice cracking and tears coming to her eyes. “It is an amazing rink and I am so lucky to play here.”

As PHS hosted Cranford in the January 28 contest, Speir was unlucky in the early going as she was held scoreless through the first two periods, banging some pucks off the post as PHS trailed 3-1.

“I was off a bit, hitting the posts was hard,” said Speir. “That is always a tough one when you are so close.”

In the third period, Speir cashed in her chances, picking up a goal and an assist in a 14-second span as the Tigers narrowed the gap to 4-3.

“We were just really thinking about how far we have come as a team,” said Speir. “The last time we played this team, we got mercy-ruled (losing 12-2 on December 6). We weren’t focused on the fact that we were losing. We were just really enjoying the last period.”

While PHS ended up losing 6-3, Speir enjoyed connecting with sophomore standout Taylor Davidson as they skated together on several shifts in the third period.

“It was good to play with Taylor, I don’t get to play with her much,” said Speir. “We were really moving, we were on tonight. We both play for a travel program (the Tiger Lilies), we are not on the same team. We have gotten pretty close driving to practice together. We never play together and it was really nice to get that chance to play with her. She is such an amazing player, she feeds me the best passes.”

Over her four years with the PHS program, Speir has developed maturity and versatility.

“I don’t get as upset or frustrated when the pucks just aren’t going on or I am hitting the post,” said Speir. “It has been good getting the experience of playing defense, I play offense on my travel team. It has been really good for me to learn that side of the game, it has made me a better player overall.”

The best part of the Tiger experience for Speir is the bonds she has developed with her teammates.

“It is lifelong friendships; my amazing fellow captains are my best friends who I love playing with and am going to miss so much,” said Speir, referring to Maya Hagt and Sabrina Hull. “From that sophomore season having no wins to here, it has been really fun to see how our team has grown. I want to keep introducing new players to the game. It is great to see people get excited about hockey.”

PHS head coach Christian Herzog was excited by the way his players got out of the gate against Cranford.

“That first period was the best 15 minutes of hockey I have seen all season, it was a 1-1 tie,” said Herzog. “I am very proud of them. In the first period, they played extremely well. Our goaltender Madison [Tepper-Decarlo] played very well. She was coming out and making some big saves. It was good to see her get some confidence. This is the most effort I have seen collectively from this team all season.”

Although Herzog typically splits up his top scorers, Speir (16 goals, 4 assists) and Davidson (15 goals), he enjoyed putting them together against Cranford.

“The chemistry between Cassie and Taylor when they are paired together is really good,” said Herzog.

Herzog credits Speir with leaving a special legacy for the program.

“It was good to see her not get frustrated, sometimes she will hit two or three posts in a game and you can just see it on her face,” said Herzog of Speir, who tallied two goals and an assist as PHS defeated Newark East Side 4-0 last Monday in the quarterfinal round of the Annis Cup. “It is keep trying and keep trying, she has been very patient. I have nothing but good things to say about Cassie, we are going to be sad to see her go.”

Speir and her fellow seniors have done a lot of good things on and off the ice for the program.

“It has been a real emotional period, they have all brought some dynamic that has benefitted the team,” said Herzog, whose squad improved to 4-6 with the win over Newark East Side and will play at Madison in the Annis Cup semis on February 6. “I had a little conversation with the seniors before the game tonight and true to their nature, they are already thinking about next year’s team, even though they are not going to be on it, and what kind of enduring things and traditions can they leave behind. It is going to be a difficult year to see that many players leave, not even just from the talent aspect, but just the personalities.”

Herzog is heartened by how far the Tigers have come this year.

“We have come a long way since the first game of the season and it is good to see the girls have a little more confidence,” said Herzog. “We talked about playing Cranford and a few of them said that was the team that smoked us in the first game. I said, ”Ladies, you have come a long way from where you were, each of you individually. Even the strongest players have worked on something, whether it be patience or trying to set people up. They have worked really hard, so I am really proud of them.”

Speir, for her part, was confident that the Tigers would keep working hard as they got into Annis Cup action. “I think we will come out hard,” said Speir. “We want to win.”