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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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PDS' Kerwin Going Out With a Bang In Her Personal Hockey Swan Song
By Bill Alden
Meg Kerwin has seemingly lived at the ice rink the last several winters.
Starring for the Princeton Day School girls' hockey team and the Tiger Lillies club squad, Kerwin has been lacing up her skates nearly seven days a week.
In the summers, Kerwin has played at elite hockey camps looking to hone her already considerable offensive skills.
The prolific Kerwin, who scored 38 goals last season for PDS, appeared virtually certain to continue her hockey career at the college level.
Then last year, Kerwin took a trip south and everything changed. Visiting the University of Richmond, Kerwin fell in love with the area and school. Knowing full well that hockey wasn't an option in the heart of the Old Dominion state, Kerwin went ahead and applied for early decision at Richmond.
Having now been accepted at the school, Kerwin is looking to make the most of her final season of ice hockey. Through the Panthers' first 15 games, Kerwin has fired in 30 goals.
After finding the back of the net seven times last week in PDS' 8-0 rout of Stuart, Kerwin acknowledged that she has a special sense of urgency this winter due to her college choice.
"There is no more hockey for me, this is it," said the affable Kerwin with a bittersweet smile. "When I first looked at colleges, I was focusing a lot on playing hockey. I went south and I really liked it. Obviously hockey and the south don't go well together. I decided that hockey wasn't that big and that I'd like to have time to do other things."
Kerwin, though, knows that her teammates are depending on her to come up big. "I guess my teammates look up to me in a way," said Kerwin. "They are laid back. They don't get mad if I don't produce."
PDS head coach John Cook will tell you that Kerwin has produced at just about every opportunity this season. "Meg is doing great," asserted Cook, whose club is 7-8. "She's good around the net, she's got a real nose for the goal. If you give her a little leeway, she's going to get it in there."
Kerwin is hoping that the Panthers can find the back of the net on a more frequent basis as they head down the home stretch of the season.
"We definitely need to step up our game," asserted Kerwin. "I think we feel more confident now. I think the younger girls are feeling more confident. It's not like we have only one line. We are getting results from the second and third lines."
For Kerwin, getting good results is particularly imperative as she skates through the final phases of her hockey career.
"I'll definitely miss it," said Kerwin, who also stars at lacrosse and may pursue that sport at Richmond. "I'm also playing for my travel team and hopefully we'll make it to the nationals. That would be a good way to end it."
No matter how her teams ultimately fare this winter, there can be no doubt that Kerwin's life at the rink has produced many special moments.
