FUN RUN: Princeton Day School girls’ hockey player -Madison McCaw enjoys the moment during a game this season. Freshman forward McCaw helped the Panthers enjoy a superb season as they won seven of their last eight games, placing third in the WILHMA (Women’s Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic) playoffs and finishing with a final record of 15-8-1. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Opening its season with a trip to Wyoming Seminary in northeastern Pennsylvania in early December, the Princeton Day School girls’ hockey team hit a roadblock as the bus broke down and the team never made it to the game.

But even though her team never made it to the ice that day, PDS head coach Lorna Cook saw an attitude that proved to be a harbinger of good things to come.

“We were gone for eight hours and we are on the bus for the whole time; it was pretty crazy,” said Cook.

“The girls had such a good time with it, that is what started the season seeming like it had that optimistic feeling to it. They handled that so well, they were just having fun with each other. I think it set the tone early on that you can’t control everything, you kind of have to roll with it and enjoy each other.”

The Panthers ended up going on a special ride this winter. After starting 8-7-1, PDS got rolling, winning seven of its last eight games, placing third in the WILHMA (Women’s Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic) playoffs and finishing with a final record of 15-8-1.

“We just gained a lot of confidence as the season went on and that came from everybody improving, not just our best players,” asserted Cook. “It was everybody trying to do the best they could and realizing how important that is.”

The team’s growing confidence was highlighted as it rebounded from a 3-0 loss to eventual champion Shady Side (Pa.) in the WIHLMA semis to rally for a 2-1 win over perennial nemesis Morristown-Beard in the tourney’s third place game.

“We put more pucks on net the first period than we did in any other game, we still struggled to score and after not scoring the day before that can get in your head a little bit,” said Cook.

“In the second period, we were not as strong and I think Mo-Beard turned it up and we let one in. We were able to put more pucks on net in that third period and were able to complete the comeback.”

It was a breakthrough win for PDS on several levels. “We hadn’t beaten them since 2003,” said Cook, noting that the team’s eight losses came against four teams and that the PDS avenged two of those losses late in the season.

“What is interesting was that all three games we played with them were 2-1. It was just a great matchup for us so it was a lot of fun. We have been in that semifinal position for the past four years and come up short and then kind of fall apart in that third place game. So for them to really have that confidence going into this one and doing whatever it took to win, I think says a lot about where the program is and has been going. It speaks to the leadership group that we had this year to finally make that happen.”

In Cook’s view, the squad’s core of returning juniors, Kiely French, Annika Asplundh, Ashley Cavuto, and Kristi Serafin, led by example.

“They did the best they could, just giving full effort and leading people that way,” said Cook.

“Each of them really wanted to compete and I think eventually that kind of example trickled down to everybody where everyone realized we are a part of it too and we have to compete also. I think they also included everybody; there was always a good support system and everyone felt like their role was key.”

French assumed the role of top scorer, notching a team-high 31 points on 14 goals and 17 assists.

“She gained a lot of confidence and I think with Kristi out early in the year, she really had to elevate her game a little bit to carry us more,” said Cook of French. “She rose to the challenge.”

The presence of stellar goalie Asplundh gave the team confidence on a daily basis as she gave up only 22 goals the whole season and had a sparkling save percentage of .954.

“Annika was already good as a freshman but she has gotten better and better,” said Cook.

“The thing that really impressed me with her this year is that while she has always been a really competitive goalie and not been able to get rattled and able to really focus in the games, but this year, I really noticed a change in her pre game stuff too. She is really figuring it out, getting her mind in the right place so she was even more consistent. I am really happy with her progress and am looking forward to seeing how much better she is going into next year.”

Cook was really happy with how PDS assimilated the 14 newcomers who joined the squad this year.

“The fact that there were so many really helped them; they had confidence in that strength in numbers,” said Cook, whose roster included eight freshmen and six other players who were new to the program.

“They would come and support each other, it was really fun the way that they accepted the fact that they really had to focus on their fundamentals first and that gave them even more confidence too as they were able to do that in a low pressure way. They were having fun with it and giving everything they could and then as the season went on we were able to infuse them more and more with what we were doing as far as our systems go. I think it was a really good progression.”

With no seniors on the roster this winter, PDS appears to have a really bright future.

“I think they believe in themselves a little more than they did at the beginning of the year,” said Cook.

“There is going to be a little bit of an adjustment period when you go into a new season but if they continue to work hard and we can get to the point where we finished pretty quickly, we are going to be in really good shape.”