GOAL-ORIENTED: Princeton High boys’ hockey player Baptiste Demurge handles the puck in a game this season. Sophomore forward Demurge came up big this winter, scoring a team-high 25 goals as PHS posted a 9-13-1 record and advanced to the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) semis. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Playing at Ridge in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Public South Tournament, the Princeton High boys’ hockey team trailed 3-0 heading into the second period.
At the first intermission of the February 25 contest, PHS head coach Rik Johnson urged his players to clean things up.
“They do an ice cut after the first period so that helped us,” said Johnson. “We got into the room and we recalibrated. We said listen, these guys aren’t tearing us apart, we are just making mistakes. We went over some things.”
The Tigers got things going in the second period, outscoring the Red Devils 3-1 in the frame to make it a 4-3 game. PHS, though, couldn’t get over the hump as it fell 5-4 to end the winter with a 9-13-1 record.
“Then we got a goal and they had remembered something I had said earlier that two-goal leads in hockey are the most dangerous,” said Johnson, whose team had advanced to the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) tournament semis earlier in February where it fell 6-3 to eventual champion Robbinsville/Allentown. “It was a lot of momentum swings. That last game was our best. While I wouldn’t call the season a success because I don’t think we reached our full potential, it is something they can all learn from.”
The trio of senior forwards, Anders Hedin (13 goals and 33 assists in 2025-26), Liam Campbell (14 goals, 17 assists), and Ryan Garlock (15 goals, 19 assists), gave their all in their final campaign.
“Anders is arguably our best player the last two years,” said Johnson. “For Liam, he was named captain for his overall demeanor. He never gets too hot, he never gets too cool. He stays even. Ryan is a quiet leader too.”
A fourth senior, Quinn Solvibile (1 goal, 3 assists), provided a fiery demeanor to help inspire his teammates.
“Quinn was the heartbeat of the team, he was a leader in the sense that he would get things rallied up,” said Johnson. “He would get the energy up. He is very vocal and very energetic. That was Quinn’s role, he was bestowed that by coach [Cliff] Higgins early in the season where he said you are going to be our energy guy.”
Making a big jump in his second season, sophomore Abe Arshan energized the offense, tallying 20 goals and 18 assists this winter, up from four goals and three assists as a freshman.
“Abe was awesome, he had a great season,” said Johnson. “He sees the ice very well. He has got the mechanics and the fundamentals. His future is very bright with our team and if he decides to stick with it, he definitely has a future in hockey.”
Sophomore Baptiste Demurge emerged as a go-to finisher for the Tigers, tallying a team-high 25 goals along with 19 assists.
“He would find the back of the net very well,” said Johnson. “In open space, I would like him to shoot a little more often and then go for his rebound because he can play off the rebound.”
Another player who showed a lot of improvement was sophomore Dylan Hagt, who totaled 13 goals and 12 assists after tallying one goal and six assists last season.
“Dylan is like Ryan Garlock in that he is quiet but he is a silent assassin,” said Johnson. “He can really hurt you. Dylan was playing on the first line with Ryan and Anders most of the season. Going forward, he will probably be with Baptiste and Abe.”
Along the blue line, junior defensemen Emil Vecchi (2 goals, 6 assists) and Jacob Rotenberg (1 goal, 11 assists) stepped up.
“They were dropped back to defense at the beginning of the season, they were natural forwards,” said Johnson. “Just to get a little more experience back there, we converted them to defense. They both did fine jobs.”
Sophomore Samuel Gibb led the defensive unit, tallying four goals and 15 assists.
“When he is on his game, he is quite a force,” said Johnson of Gibb. “He is willing to learn, he has an amazing shot. I would like to see Sam shoot a lot more. He is good playmaker.”
Johnson liked the effort he got from junior goalie Peter Pessutti in his first season starting between the pipes.
“I would have to say hands down Pete is the most improved player of the year,” said Johnson of Pessutti, who recorded 390 saves with a save percentage of .816. “He is possibly our MVP, being that going into the season that was a big question mark. Pete was putting in the work in the offseason, he was training on his own. It is almost like we took him for granted because he stepped up his game so drastically. He saw a lot of shots.”
While PHS may not have fully realized its potential this winter, Johnson believes the pieces are in place to raise its game next season.
“Overall, I think it was a good season, it is something to build on,” said Johnson. “Hopefully the young guys can learn from this. Moving forward for next year, we want to get back to the CVC final and advance at least one round in states. I don’t see why we cannot do that with this roster that we have because it is so young. We have a ton of good sophomores and the freshmen are speedy.”