(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: DOUBLE TROUBLE: Princeton Day School senior co-captain Noni Ammidon, center, races up the ice in a game earlier in her career. Ammidon, who moved to defense from forward last year, has emerged as a two-way threat for the Panthers. Last Thursday, Ammidon quarterbacked the PDS defense and scored a beautiful goal on a breakaway as the Panthers topped Summit 6-1 in their season opener. In upcoming action, PDS plays at Hill on December 5 before hosting its annual PDS Invitational on December 8 and 9.

With Ammidon as a Two-Way Threat, PDS Girls’ Ice Hockey Wins Opener

Bill Alden

Noni Ammidon was an offensive mainstay in her first two seasons with the Princeton Day School girls’ hockey team.

But last winter in her junior season, Ammidon was shifted to defense to shore up that unit for the Panthers.

While Ammidon was apprehensive at first about the move, she has grown to love her blue line position.

“I think I may like it more than offense now,” said Ammidon. “You get a much better picture of the ice so it’s easier to see who is open and who isn’t. If the ice is open, I can skate up it as long as I hustle back.”

Last Thursday, Ammidon displayed her versatility, quarterbacking the PDS defense and scoring a beautiful goal on a breakaway as the Panthers topped Summit 6-1 in their season opener.

Junior Georgia Travers led the Panthers with three goals with senior linemate Katherine Levinton chipping in one and sophomore defender Savannah Hecker adding another.

Senior co-captain Ammidon was happy with how the youthful Panther squad responded in its first test of the season.

“We have a very young team; nine of our players are freshmen,” said Ammidon.

“It takes them a little time to get into the game; they caught on very quickly tonight. I’m really impressed with how quickly they have learned.”

Ammidon is also impressed with PDS’ star junior goalie Bryanna Mayes. “She’s an amazing goalie; she barely lets anything by,” said Ammidon.

“It’s very comforting to know that she is back there. It definitely allows a little more freedom on the defensive end to go behind the net more and take the puck up the ice. You don’t have to worry about leaving a man open for a second because she can handle it.”

The Panthers have found comfort in the program’s new coaching staff which has previous assistant Gretchen Jaeckel and newcomer Kat Smithson serving as co-coaches with head coach John Cook having retired.

“It’s been really good,” said Ammidon. “They have been really taking a lot of input from the senior class. We plan practices beforehand; we are very, very structured. We get a lot done with a lot of conditioning and skill work. We keep practice at two levels for part of it so the girls who have played longer can still remain competitive while the girls who are still new can brush up on their skills.”

Coach Smithson was happy with how the Panthers competed in the win over Summit.

“I think it always takes a little while to get into the rhythm of it,” said Smithson, a former star for the St. Lawrence women’s hockey program.

“The girls’ energy made up for that. We are still learning things but I was happy with the way things turned out. We have a long way to go but it’s a great start.”

Smithson liked the way Travers and Levinton jump-started things offensively.

“They are two of our veteran players,” added Smithson, whose team plays at Hill on December 5 before hosting its annual PDS Invitational on December 8 and 9.

“They are pretty experienced players and it’s nice to have them on a line together. They see the ice really well; they have good vision. They have good communication with each other.”

PDS is certainly benefiting from the way Ammidon sees the ice from her defensive spot.

“Noni is definitely one of our key players,” asserted Smithson. “She knows how to move the puck well. She is excellent on defense. She has a good balance; she knows when to rush the puck and when to hold back.”

The Panthers are finding a balance with their two-coach set-up, according to coach Jaeckel.

“We are both taking responsibility for running practices,” said Jaeckel. “We meet before practice and based on what happened in the game, we know what we have to work on for the next practice. The girls are really enthusiastic. We have eight freshmen and the girls are supportive of each other and the lesser skilled players.”

In Ammidon’s view, the win over Summit should trigger an extra dose of enthusiasm for the Panthers.

“I think that win was a big confidence boost,” said Ammidon. “They know they can do it now so they won’t be afraid to try the next time.”

And PDS is certainly lucky that Ammidon took a try at defense.

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