HARD KNOX: Princeton Day School girls’ hockey player Eibhleann Knox brings the puck up the ice in recent action. Last week, senior star forward Knox tallied two goals and three assists as top-seeded PDS defeated second-seeded Immaculate Heart Academy 7-0 in the final of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Girls’ Ice Hockey Tournament at the Prudential Center in Newark. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Eibhleann Knox’s senior season for the Princeton Day School girls’ hockey team got off to a rough start this winter when she was sidelined by a broken collarbone.

As star forward Knox watched PDS pile up wins in December and January, she was frustrated by her inability to contribute.

“It was terrible; when I was closer to getting better, I started dressing and I was sitting on the bench in my gear,” recalled Knox, who got injured playing for her club team, the Junior Flyers. “I was oh my God, let me play. It was really bad.”

Knox finally returned to action on January 21 against Immaculate Heart Academy.

“I was so excited, I was so nervous,” said Knox. “It was just a mixture of everything.”

Getting up to speed, Knox tallied three goals as PDS defeated Oak Knoll 7-0 in the Librera Cup final in mid-February.

“I have been waiting to play and I guess it just clicked for me,” said Knox. “I had been trying the exact same amount.”

Things kept clicking for Knox and the Panthers as they rolled to the program’s first-ever title in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Girls’ Ice Hockey Tournament.
“I was saying before every game, it is ours,” said Knox. “We knew we were going to win.”

In the quarterfinal round, Knox contributed three assists as top-seeded PDS defeated eighth-seeded Summit 5-0 on February 28.

“I love other people scoring, assists are a big thing for me,” said Knox. “I would rather pass than take a shot because I don’t want to be selfish.”

Five days later, PDS rallied from deficits of 2-1 and 3-2 to edge fourth-seeded Morristown-Beard 4-3 in overtime in a dramatic semifinal contest.

“That was amazing for us, the whole game we were so nervous,” said Knox, who tallied three assists in the win. “The toughest game is always Mo Beard. We wore the exact same clothes, sat in the same places, it was a whole day of superstitious things that we did. I am so happy we won. OT is so exciting.”

As PDS prepared to face second-seeded Immaculate Heart in the state final on March 10 at the Prudential Center in Newark, Knox and her teammates were not nervous. Having made it the Rock for the 2022 state final where they lost 7-0 to Mo-Beard, the Panthers were hungry to end their return trip with a win. Coming full circle, PDS rolled to a 7-0 win over the Blue Eagles.

“I think it was important for all of us but especially us seniors because we were there freshman year and we lost 7-0,” said Knox. “It was really embarrassing, it was terrible. We were back and we won.”

The Panthers brought some extra motivation into the title contest as they had lost 4-3 to Immaculate Heart in the 2024 state semis, squandering a 3-1 third period lead.

“It feels good because with them, it is always a really physical game whenever we play them,” said Knox. “We have people in the box and there are mini-fights. It is really fun to play them, I like it, they are going to hit us and we are going to have to keep our heads.”

With both teams getting whistled for several penalties in the first period, PDS broke through with a goal by Brynn Dandy to forge ahead 1-0.

“I think it was really important that we scored first,” said Knox, “We are the type of team where once we get going, we get going.”

Knox helped PDS to keep going as she tallied a goal on a nice feed from Brynn Dandy.

“It was an amazing pass, I had a situation like that before in that shift and I missed it and I was like oh my god that was terrible,” said Knox. “Then I got another one and it was like this is going in the net, you are not stopping me.”

There was no stopping the Panthers as they tacked on another goal late in the second period and then tallied four unanswered goals over the last 15 minutes of regulation.

“We definitely played well, we were moving,” said Knox in assessing the third period onslaught. “Sammy [Dandy] had some really nice plays. Everyone was playing great, nobody had a bad game that game.”

Knox had a great game in the final, ending up with two goals and three assists.

“It is great to get points in a game like that; to get five is like crazy, said Knox, who ended up with 8 goals and 11 assists in 10 games. “I think it is my career best.”

Getting the first Non-Public hockey state title for PDS was a great achievement.

“It is so awesome because we made history, we were the first one for boys or girls,” said Knox. “I think it just shows that we are important too.”

In reflecting on the team’s 15-2-1 campaign, Knox pointed to team camaraderie as a key factor in its success.

“I think we all really care,” said Knox. “We care about each other, we care about the game, and we care about the team. If someone is down, you pick them up. The whole team is basically a friend group. We spend all day, everyday together. We love each other so much and that is why we play so well.”

PDS co-head coach Jamie Davis believed that his team had it together heading into the state final.

“Personally, I was confident heading into Monday,” said Davis, who guided the squad along with Jade Meier. “My main thing was just take it all in, have fun, make an experience out of this. At the end of the day, win or lose, let’s make this fun.”

After a choppy start to the game, getting the 1-0 lead was critical.

“That was nice, it was great to get that first goal,” said Davis. “I wasn’t totally satisfied after the first period with all of the penalties. I told them that is the only way we are going to lose this game is if we keep getting into the box.”

Settling down in the second period, the Panthers got it going. “In the second period we came out and there were way less penalties and we really took it to them,” said Davis. “The second period was nice to regroup and just find our game.”

As PDS dominated the game in the third period, Davis urged his players to stick to basics.

“It was let’s just finish this thing, we are right here,” said Knox. “It was let’s run this down, get pucks deep and do nothing crazy. We are in control, let’s run this clock down and end this game.”

Davis enjoyed seeing Knox finishing her career in style. “She is obviously one of our best players, she was injured early in the year and she wanted to prove herself,” said Davis of Knox. “When you miss time, you are really fired up and you want to keep pushing. After the first two or three games she played, she knocked off the rust and got right back to her level. She had a great season. I would have loved to have had her for the whole year.”

Junior transfer goalie Kelly Stevens took things to a higher level in the final, making 20 saves as she battled hard to keep Immaculate Heart from scoring.

“Kelly really pushed for that shutout and she made some big saves,” said Davis. “There are some videos, she made this crazy stick save. She made some butt end saves and she made some high blocker saves.”

While PDS possessed skill through the lineup, it was an intense work ethic that made the difference in its title run.

“They definitely persevered, they worked really hard and that is what I push for,” said Davis. “That is the main thing that differentiates teams – effort and working hard. We had a lot of skill. We probably had more skill than any of the teams but that doesn’t mean that is what wins it. You really have to work for it and I think we worked really hard all year. I know what it is to give 100 percent so I like to push them. They don’t like to hear it, you have got to work hard out there.”

Pushing hard resulted in the Panthers making history. “For the boys and the girls, they haven’t had this title so it is really great,” said Davis. “We had seven players at one game, eight skaters at another so they battled all year. I am happy for them. I am happy for myself but they are the ones out there earning it. It was exciting for sure, it is a big deal for them. They got the full experience. Last year, I thought we were destined for the championship. I thought we could have won that and we didn’t get it done. I wanted to put in the effort this year and finish it off.”

For Knox, finishing her PDS career celebrating a state title on the ice at the Rock triggered a flood of tears.

“It was so amazing, I started crying,” said Knox, who will be continuing her hockey career at the college level at St. John Fisher as that school launches its Division III women’s program. “I was like, ‘oh my gosh, no way we just won, no way this is my last game ever here.’ It finally hit me that I am a senior and we just won the most important thing we could have won.”