| NEWS |
  
 |
| FEATURES |
| ENTERTAINMENT |
  
|
| COLUMNS |
     |
| CONTACT US |
|
| HOW TO SUBMIT |
|
|
| BACK ISSUES |
|
|
caption:
|
Kerwin Producing Inspired Work Up Front for PDS Girls' Hockey
By Bill Alden
Meg Kerwin had some special inspiration when she hit the ice last Wednesday night for the Princeton Day School girls' ice hockey team in its game against visiting Pingry School.
"My mom, who usually comes to every one of my games, has been sick and in bed for the last three months," said Kerwin. "This is the first game that she came to this year and she said 'play well for me.' So I had a little extra motivation tonight."
Kerwin made her mom and everyone on her team proud as she fired in a career-best five goals to spark the Panthers to a 7-1 rout over the Big Blue.
For Kerwin, the scoring outburst, which lifted her season goal total to a team-high 12, was the product of a lot of hard work as well as inspiration. "I've definitely improved because I'm now skating with my travel team (the Princeton Tiger Lilies) and I've been playing twice as much," said the blonde-headed junior forward.
"Last summer I did the Atlantic District training camp and I went to Dartmouth for its elite hockey camp. I have a lot more confidence."
PDS head coach John Cook has a lot of confidence in the high-scoring Kerwin. "Meg is real strong and athletic," said Cook, whose team lost a hard fought 3-2 overtime battle to powerful Morristown Beard last Friday as Kerwin scored two more goals for the Panthers.
"Playing for the Tiger Lilies and PDS, she gets a lot of ice time and it shows. My first line of Carly [Berger] and Betsy [Welsh] and Meg play very well together. As the season has gone on, they're passing the puck between each other much better."
Kerwin's prolific evening gave Cook the chance to get some of his younger players some much needed ice time. "Basically, we got to play all four lines today," said Cook, with a smile. "What was really good about tonight was that I got the third and fourth lines in a lot. They're all freshmen and they need that game experience."
In Cook's view, the younger players are catching on. "I'm seeing progress in the level of team play in my girls and we're going to continue to work on that," said Cook, a star hockey player at Princeton University in the 1960s who is in his first year coaching the Panthers. "We've been doing a lot of shooting and passing in practice and hopefully that's going to bear fruit."
As the Panthers head into the meat of their schedule, Cook knows that success will depend on the production of his group of seasoned veterans which includes Hilary Cook, Kristina Costa, and Heidi Morse together with his top line of Kerwin, Berger, and Welsh.
"I have a very good core of veteran players," asserted Cook, whose team is currently 5-4 and hosts Stuart on January 14, plays at Greenwich Academy on January 16, and then hosts Millbrook on January 17. "They are terrific with the younger kids. They were all cheering for them when they got in there tonight."
Kerwin, for her part, relishes her leading role. "I'm one of the older ones now so I have to take that leadership role," said a smiling Kerwin. "I guess a lot of the girls look up to the older ones. They're brand new at hockey so I'm kind of like a role model for them."
Last Wednesday, Kerwin certainly provided her younger teammates with
an inspirational lesson.
