(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction)
caption: SUPER SAVER: Princeton Day School junior goalie Nick Jabs prepares to make a save in recent action. Last Wednesday, Jabs recorded 34 saves but it wasn’t enough as PDS fell 4-0 to Morristown-Beard in the state Prep title game at Mennen Arena. The Panthers, now 11-6-2 on the year, were slated to host LaSalle on February 19 before facing Notre Dame on February 25 in the quarterfinals of the Mercer County Tournament. |
Midway through the second period of the state Prep boys’ hockey championship game last Wednesday, a couple of Morristown-Beard players banged the board in frustration as Princeton Day School goalie Nick Jabs made yet another save.
The PDS junior goalie was on an island, making one stop after another as powerful Mo-Beard controlled the puck and hit Jabs with a barrage of shots.
In the first two periods of the contest at the Mennen Arena in Morristown, Mo-Beard outshot PDS 27-6 but the team headed into the second intermission knotted in a scoreless tie.
In the third period, Mo-Beard broke through with a goal with 12:48 left in the period and then added another, scored 3:47 later.
By the end of the evening, the PDS players skated off the ice with their heads down as they absorbed a 4-0 loss.
Even before hitting the ice last Wednesday, Jabs knew he was going to play a pivotal role for the Panthers.
“Coming into the game coach [Scott Bertoli] asked me if I was ready to make 30 or 40 saves and I said ‘yeah,’“ recalled Jabs. “It started in warm-ups; I felt good.”
Jabs was forced to get into a rhythm quickly as he was under the gun almost from the opening face-off.
“I went out there and after the first couple of shots, it just started to click,” said Jabs, who had 13 saves in the first period, including several point-blank stops.
Feeling that he was in a groove, Jabs thought PDS could ride his goaltending to title. “Definitely, all the way up to their second goal, I thought we had a chance,” said Jabs.
“Those two goals about halfway through the third period really killed us. They are a really good team; they have four lines on that team that can really skate. We just got worn down.”
PDS head coach Bertoli acknowledged that Jabs kept his team in the contest. “They carried the play in the first period and halfway through the second,” said Bertoli.
“We had a little spell for about five or six minutes in the second period where we had a few opportunities. Let’s be honest, if it wasn’t for Nick it could have been two or three to nothing in each period.”
The second-year coach, however, thought his team could steal one if it capitalized on some opportunities.
“I told the guys going into the third period that if we are going to win this game it’s going to be by 1-0 or 2-1,” said Bertoli.
“We weren’t going to score three or four goals. To give up that early goal in the third period was kind of deflating.”
It was also deflating for PDS to be at less than full strength as they battled the Crimson.
“At the end of the day, we aren’t healthy,” said Bertoli. “Clint O’Brien was sick, he wasn’t very effective. Donovan is coming off of an injury and he still isn’t where he needs to be. Brooks Herr got hurt halfway through the first period.”
Still, Bertoli wasn’t about to take away anything from what Mo-Beard accomplished as it won its second straight Prep crown.
“I’m not going to make excuses because they are a heckuva team,” said Bertoli.
“They are deeper than we are. They probably have the best group of defensemen I’ve seen in terms of their ability to control the play.”
Now the Panthers are in control of their destiny as they play in the Mercer County Tournament with seventh-seeded PDS facing No. 2 Notre Dame in the MCT quarterfinals on February 25.
“Our focus now is the county tournament, not to downplay the next two games,” said Bertoli, whose team lost to St. Joe’s Metuchen last Thursday to move to 11-6-2 on the season.
“We have lost three in a row and we don’t want to go into the Notre Dame having lost five in a row and not feeling good about ourselves. We need to establish what was successful for us early in the year, trying to do the little things right.”
Jabs, for his part, is looking forward to playing back in the county. “We felt a little stranded here today,” said Jabs.
“We didn’t have any support. We’re hoping we’ll get support from our fans at the Mercer County and that we’ll be healthy by then.”
If Jabs can get some support from his teammates, PDS could make a healthy tournament run.
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