RARE AIR: Princeton Day School girls’ hockey player Aerin Bruno surveys the action in a game earlier this season. Last Friday, senior defender and team captain Bruno helped spark a superb defensive effort as top-seeded PDS defeated eight-seeded Summit 5-0 in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Girls’ Ice Hockey State Tournament. The Panthers, now 12-2-1, will face fourth-seeded Morristown-Beard in the state semis on March 5 at the Codey Arena in West Orange with the victor to advance to the state final on March 10 at the Prudential Center in Newark. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Aerin Bruno’s right shoulder was heavily taped but she smiled through the pain after helping the Princeton Day School girls’ hockey team defeat Summit 5-0 last Friday in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Girls’ Ice Hockey State Tournament.

With PDS having been seeded No. 1 in the tourney and getting a first-round bye, Bruno and her teammates were chomping at the bit to finally get going in the competition.

“We were a little antsy to get at it; we have been practicing all week long and have been excited,” said senior defender and team captain Bruno. “There is always pressure being the No. 1 seed but I think we are ready for it. We have been accustomed to that mindset. The past few years we have been on an upward trajectory. It really was a stepping stone, we feel like we are finally at the top.”

Bruno’s grit in overcoming her balky shoulder exemplifies the toughness the Panthers have displayed this winter as they have been shorthanded for much of the season due to injury.

“I had shoulder surgery last year so I have had an ongoing issue,” said Bruno. “It was getting better but then I had a small injury again. I am just pushing through, everyone is going through their own things.”

In the win over Summit, PDS pushed through a sluggish start to score three unanswered goals in the last 6:49 of the first period and never looked back.

“It was a slow start but I feel once we get into it, we get that momentum going,” said Bruno. “It was scoring from everyone. Even people who didn’t get on the scoresheet were helping out.”

The Panthers, who improved to 12-2-1 with the win, will face fourth-seeded Morristown-Beard in the state semis on March 5 at the Codey Arena in West Orange with the victor to advance to the state final on March 10 at the Prudential Center in Newark. As it heads into that clash, PDS will draw extra motivation from a tough 4-3 loss to Immaculate Heart in the 2024 state semis.

“We have a big new group that is coming up,” said Bruno. “We have told them the stories, we have told them what is going on. It definitely stings but I think we are going to grow from that and continue working on it.”

In serving as team captain, Bruno has worked hard to develop her leadership approach.

“It has definitely been a growing experience, I feel like I have learned from each captain every year,” said Bruno. “Being an assistant last year was a good learning experience. It is knowing that there are different types of leadership, there is not one right way to be a captain. I am not the leading scorer out here, I am on defense.”

Bruno has applied these lessons in leading the PDS defensive unit.

“We have a small core, we have been working well together,” said Bruno, who has been joined by the Dandy sisters, sophomore Samantha and junior Brynn, and junior Mariana Lee along the blue line. “Communication is a big part of it. It is good, just getting to know each other. We have been working with each other for a while. They are sisters, they know each other well. Forming those bonds with each other is very helpful and key to it.”

The play of junior transfer Kelly Stevens between the pipes has been a big help for the Panthers.

“Kelly is spectacular, she is an amazing, phenomenal goalie,” said Bruno. “I see her going places, she keeps us in this every single game. I don’t think there has been one game where she has been off.”

Having gone 1-1-1 against perennial nemesis Morristown-Beard this season, Bruno and her teammates are looking forward to round four with the Crimson.

“In my freshman year, we played them in the state final in the Prudential Center so it is a full circle moment,” said Bruno. “They are always a strong team so we are not going to take them lightly. It is definitely an exciting time, we always get riled up for this game.”

The Panthers are excited about the chance to make a return trip to the Prudential Center.

“We definitely talk about it, the motto is ‘Road to the Rock,’ we are very excited about it,” said Bruno. “We were there freshman year but there are a lot of people who haven’t been there. It is a very exciting chance, it was a great honor to get there. We are definitely hyped up about it.”

PDS co-head coach Jade Meier believed that PDS would be hyped up to start their state tourney run as it hosted Summit.

“We were certainly excited after getting the No. 1 seed, we definitely weren’t expecting that,” said Meier. “The power points weren’t really there, we won the toughest conference so that led to the ultimate decision. I think we just take each game as it comes. It is just trying our best each day in practice, moving forward, and doing our best.”

Getting the 3-0 lead on goals by Layla Sosner, Sam Dandy, and Grace Ulrich got the Panthers moving in the right direction.

“Any time we get a lead it is exciting, in most of our games we have had a lead,” said Meier. “It is harder when you are coming from behind.”

In pulling away to the 5-0 triumph, PDS displayed offensive balance as Sosner added a second goal and Brynn Dandy also found the back of the net. Della Gilligan and Eibhleann Knox each chipped in three assists.

“Our scoring and goals come from all of our players,” said Meier. “We have some girls who are contributing a little more but all of our girls get on the board. That is good to see, they all work together.”

Meier credited Bruno with spearheading the defensive effort.

“Aerin is the ultimate leader,” said Bruno. “She is doing whatever she needs to do to help the team, whether that is blocking shots, grinding in the d-zone and even just being vocal on the bench. She is always positive, it is awesome to see.”

The Panthers have gotten some impressive work in goal from Stevens.

“Kelly has been awesome, she was just named the athlete of the season for the school,” said Meier. “She has a .934 save percentage. She ultimately saved our program. Bridget [Milligan] graduated last year and we didn’t really have a goalie that had come through. She was a great addition.”

Meier knows that Mo-Beard presents a great challenge in the state semifinal matchup.

“I think we just need to come in really mentally strong,” said Meier. “Any time we get down by a goal, it is really, really hard to stay focused. It is a long game so we have time on our side. We just need to stay mentally focused and come out straight from the beginning ready to go.”

In reflecting on the team’s superb season, Meier points to its special camaraderie.

“I think they have good relationships with each other, they are all sisters,” said Meier. “It gets a little bit insane on the bench at times but I think it is all for the best. They all want to win.”

Bruno, for her part, believes that unity has helped the Panthers persevere through the adversity it has faced this winter.

“It has really been about fostering community,” said Bruno. “We had like seven players in a game against Pingry, so that was pretty brutal; it was just getting through that and understanding that we are all going through the same thing. We are all working for the same thing so it is being there together and going through it together.”