March 20, 2018

PDS Hockey Star Auslander, Stuart Hoops’ Spaulding Earn Nod as Town Topics’ Leading Winter Performers

COBY BEEF: Princeton Day School boys’ hockey player Coby Auslander controls the puck in a game this season. Junior forward and captain Auslander starred as the Panthers went 17-7 and advanced to the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League (MAHL) championship game. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Coming into the winter, Coby Auslander was determined to step into a leadership role for the Princeton Day School boys hockey team.

“Last year I was one of the guys and we had a bunch of seniors,” said junior forward and team captain Auslander.

“They were great guys who taught me what it is like to lead. We have a young group in there so it is important for me to get all of those guys and help them learn the game a little bit and get used to the speed.”

Auslander led by example, bringing competitive fire and productivity to the ice for the Panthers as they emerged as one of the top teams in the state.

Sparked by Auslander’s heroics, PDS earned a string of impressive wins as the Panthers topped such formidable foes as Delbarton (1-0 on December 13), Wyoming Seminary (Pa) (4-3 on December 10, 3-0 on January 3), Lawrenceville (3-1 on January 25), LaSalle (Pa.) (5-2 on January 17, 4-2 on February 14), St. Augustine (4-2 on January 18) and Hun (5-4 on January 23 in a shootout).

Forming a potent combination with line mates, senior Ryan Lisk and junior Ty Eastman, helped Auslander pile up the points.

“It is easy to feel in a zone with the two guys I am playing with; it is a connection right away,” said Auslander.

“Ty Eastman is such a good hockey player. He is big and strong. Ryan and I have playing together for eight years. It is a very unselfish line, which is important. Everybody contributes, everybody is doing well.”

Auslander contributed the most, tallying a team-high 36 points on 14 goals and 22 assists. He was the leading scorer in Mid-Atlantic Hockey League (MAHL) play and was the top vote getter for the All-League team.

PDS head coach Scott Bertoli credited Auslander with being the engine that drove the Panthers this winter.

“Coby [Auslander] is our best player,” said Bertoli. “Chip [Hamlett] and Coby were elected all league first team, Ty [Eastman] was all league second team. They are obviously doing a lot of good things and having those three back as leaders and captains is encouraging.”

Auslander‘s fiery and skillful play makes him the choice as the Town Topics tale male performer of the high school winter season.

Top Female Performer

After playing for the Lawrence High girls’ basketball team as a freshman, Jalynn Spaulding transferred to Stuart Country Day School in the fall of 2015, hoping to be part of something special for the Tartan hoops program.

The smooth, talented guard made an immediate impact in her sophomore season, emerging as a star in helped the Tartans go 19-9 in 2015-16. In her junior campaign, Spaulding continued her progress as Stuart went 18-10 during her junior campaign.

Coming into her senior year, Spaulding was focusing on improving as a leader as much as being a top scorer.

“It is leadership and trying to keep us together so like if we get down or we have problems in a game we can just come together and not go separate ways,” said Spaulding.

Spaulding showed her team-first attitude as she passed the 1,000-point milestone in a 60-35 win over PDS in mid-December.

“I wanted to get a win; I wasn’t too worried about it,” said Spaulding. “It was just play normal and not be selfish, pass and do the right plays for the team. I think it is good, I am trying to focus on winning and things like that. It is important; I am trying to stay humble but it is pretty big.”

The Tartans kept winning as the season unfolded, getting seeded second as they headed in the state Prep B tournament. Stuart rolled to the title, topping third-seeded Newark Academy 67-29 in the semis and then routing fourth-seeded Academy of St. Elizabeth 62-22 in the title game, earning the program’s first-ever Prep B crown.

“I just feel that we bond really well together and we really mesh well,” said Spaulding, reflecting on the team’s title run. “I feel like when one of us is off, the other ones pick up slack. As every game goes on, we are playing more as a team so it is working out for us.”

Stuart went on to defeat Princeton High 62-33 in the first round of the Mercer County Tournament before falling 51-40 to Allentown in the quarterfinals.

Spaulding averaged 12.2 points and 5.8 rebounds a game and led team with 92 assists and 119 steals as the Tartans posted a final record of 17-9.

Stuart head coach Justin Leith credited Spaulding with making a major impact in the program’s championship campaign.

“Jalynn is fantastic; she is a great kid,” said Leith. “She has gotten better each year, I think the biggest jump is from last year to this year. She has been finishing around the basket, she has been pushing the ball, and she has been shooting the ball well. Overall she has been a leader to our eight freshmen.”

For providing leadership and production as Stuart made history, Spaulding earns the nod as the top female performer this winter.

Top Newcomers

Ian McNally had trouble hiding his excitement when he assessed what the addition of freshman Matt Argentina would mean for the Hun School boys’ hockey team.

“We always have one or two players who have to jump in right away and he is the next one,” said Hun head coach McNally. “He is very capable and is highly touted; he will be an instant impact freshman.”

Argentina didn’t disappoint, picking up three assists in his Hun debut as the Raiders topped Holy Ghost (Pa,) 5-2 in its season opener. He kept on piling up the points, tallying 17 goals and 31 assists on the season and forming a point partnership with junior star Kyle Mandleur (44 goals, 23 assists).

“It has been great playing with Kyle,” said Argentina. “I just have to set him up and he can score on every shot.”

Argentina’s greatest moment this winter came when he tallied two goals and two assists to help Hun defeat Princeton High 9-4 in the Mercer County Tournament championship game as it won its fifth straight county crown.

“I knew it was going to be something special,” said Argentina, reflecting on the title. “It was my first time and it was better than I expected. It was a great atmosphere and all.”

For Argentina, his debut campaign proved to be a special experience. “It has been a lot of progress,” said Argentina, who has committed to attend the University of Notre Dame and play for its men’s hockey program.

“I didn’t know what to expect in the high school league. I think it went fairly well. My strengths are puck handling, starting and stopping on the pucks, just simple hockey.”

For making an immediate impact in helping Hun to another county crown, Argentina is the pick as the top male newcomer.

It didn’t take long for Princeton High freshman Becca Della Rocca to develop a comfort level with high school swimming.

“The biggest challenge is that there a lot of people watching,” said Della Rocca.

“It is not just something I want to just do for fun, everyone really cares about it. The team is so great, I love everyone on the team, they are so nice.”

Della Rocca had a lot of fun at the Mercer county Championships, winning the 400-meter freestyle, taking second in the 100 butterfly, and helping the 400 free relay to victory as PHS placed third in the team standings.

For Della Rocca, prevailing in the 400 free stemmed from a disciplined approach.

“I always think about it as eight 50s, my plan was just to descend the 50s and get faster,” said Della Rocca. “I felt really confident when I jumped in. It is so awesome, I love the energy, it is so cool.”

PHS head coach Carly Misiewicz credited Della Rocca with giving the Little Tigers a big lift.

“Becca was crucial,” said Misiewicz of Della Rocca, who also competes for the X-Cel club program.

“She was the anchor in the 400 free relay, the butterfly leg in the medley, winning the 400 in a dominant way, coming a close second to a senior from Lawrence in the 100 fly so a phenomenal performances for her.”

Della Rocca’s winning blend of versatility and energy makes her the choice as the top female newcomer.

Top Coaches

Tim Chase has been around hockey for years as a star player for the Brown University men’s program and then joining the Montreal Canadiens organization in 1993 and making several stops in his stint as a pro.

After working as a trader, Chase was drawn back into the game, becoming the Director of Hockey at ProSkate Ice Rink in Monmouth Junction and the general manager for the New Jersey Stars travel program.

But when Chase took the helm of the Princeton High boys’ hockey program, that marked his first chance to be a head coach at that level.

“It wasn’t really what I was looking for this year but opportunities pop up,” said Chase, who succeeded Terence Miller. “You look at the team and I thought it was a great fit.”

Chase was looking for PHS to generate scoring opportunities this winter.

“We will definitely be hardworking, we will definitely force the play all over the ice and we will be aggressive and physical,” said Chase.

“I try to make things up tempo, I want to play that way. Some programs try to stack a line or two and hope to fill in with the rest. I want to roll three lines against good teams. You can’t beat a good team on two lines, you are going to run out of gas in the second or third period.”

Featuring a balanced attack, PHS produced a dramatic run in the Mercer County Tournament, pulling out overtime wins against Robbinsville in the quarterfinals and Notre Dame in the semis to make the finals.

After PHS lost 9-4 to five-time champion Hun in the title game, Chase sensed that the defeat could spark a deep run in the state Public B tourney.

“I think it is a good wakeup call; Hun plays a lot of good teams throughout the year so they are used to a little faster pace,” said Chase.

“We have got to get there. We started out there but we didn’t keep that intensity the whole game through.”

The 11th-seed Little Tigers showed intensity in the state Public B tourney, topping sixth-seeded Middletown North 4-1 in the Round of 16 and then stunning third-seeded and defending state champion Ridge 4-3 in overtime in the quarters.

While PHS fell 6-1 to second-seeded and eventual champion Northern Highlands in the state semis, Chase was proud of the team’s late surge.

“Terence definitely left me with a pretty good team, they did a good job, they battled,” said Chase, who guided the Little Tigers to a final record of 18-9-2.

“We came up north to play some good teams to get ourselves better and I think that helped us in the run here.”

For doing a superb job in his debut campaign at the helm of PHS, Chase earns the nod as the top coach of a boys’ team this winter.

Longtime Princeton High math teacher Dave Kosa noticed something was missing when he would look at the team banners hanging on the wall of the PHS gym.

“Seeing the girls’ basketball banner in the gym with nothing on it, that is something I wanted to change,” said Kosa, who coached the PHS boys’ program from 2002-07 and then worked as assistant coach for the St. Rose girls’ team before stints as the head coach of the Haddonfield and Piscataway girls’ squads.

“I have had success elsewhere so it is let me see if I can use that experience and help with where I call home.”

Taking the helm of the PHS girls’ team, Kosa was looking to instill intensity all over the court.

“We want to be aggressive both offensively and defensively,” said Kosa, who was taking over a team that posted a 6-20 record in 2016-17.

“From a defensive standpoint, I like playing a really good solid man-to-man and then throwing in in a press. I think forcing the action and being aggressive really lends itself to helping us offensively, creating points off of turnovers and in transition. We are going to play a motion offense, where everyone is moving, passing, cutting, and sharing the ball.”

With PHS getting off to a 6-2 start, it was clear that the program was moving in the right direction.

After starting February by going 1-4, PHS righted the ship, posting wins over Trenton and North Brunswick as it headed into the state tournament.

Achieving a big breakthrough, 12th-seeded PHS upset fifth-seeded South Brunswick 34-18 in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional, earning the program’s first win in the state tourney since the mid-1990s.

“It feels good; it is something that we really worked hard for and one of the reasons why I wanted to come back and coach here,” said Kosa, “We took the first step today.

While the Little Tigers fell 60-41 to Marlboro in the sectional quarters, PHS posted a 14-14 mark and is looking forward to building on this season’s success

“We have got a great vibe going, we have a great chemistry; that is what we have been preaching the whole year,” said Kosa. “It is just togetherness and enjoy the season. We want to put girls’ basketball on the map.”

Kosa’s success in creating that positive vibe and getting the PHS program on the upswing makes him the choice as the top coach of a girls’ program.