PDS boys’ ice hockey equals Big Red
By: Justin Feil
Considering how much seemed stacked against it, the Princeton Day School boys’ ice hockey should have been thrilled to come out of its game against Lawrenceville with a 5-5 tie Wednesday.
Instead, the Panthers thought only: ‘What if…"
"It hurt because a win was so close that you could almost taste it," said PDS goaltender Jared Tepper, who stopped 32 shots. "They kept coming and, having a short bench like we do, it hurt us. It’s a long game and they kept at it. They kept coming."
The Big Red had to just to salvage a tie. PDS held a 5-2 advantage after Brett DePace’s third-period goal. The Panthers received two goals apiece from David Brownschidle and Derek Mayer. Will Denise had two assists. Lawrenceville scored three times in the third period against a worn-down Panther squad, but no one could score in the overtime period.
"If you had told me we’d tie Lawrenceville, I’d be happy," said PDS head coach Chris Barcless after his team moved to 6-3-2 this season. "I know what type of guys they have and what guys we have. A tie is tremendous for our team. But losing a three-goal lead takes some of the excitement, the congratulatory side of it away."
But the tie was nothing to be ashamed of considering what PDS battled through to pull out the 5-5 score. The Panthers used just 10 skaters for most of the game. They played with Lawrenceville’s 18-minute periods instead of the usual 15-minutes, then with a short-handed team they had to skate a five-minute overtime.
"It was like we played a whole extra period," Barcless said. "We were up, 5-2, in the third and if it was normal 15-minute periods, we win. We had to play an extra 15 minutes."
"People think this is the shortest bench we’ve had in a lot of years," Tepper said. "That’s why people didn’t give us a chance."
On top of the longer periods and shorter bench, PDS had to kill off a total of 26 minutes of power plays, including several 5-on-3 disadvantages. In, the end, they just couldn’t.
"We don’t have enough guys," Barcless said. "We were winning in the third and we ran out of gas. But we played so hard."
The Panthers can take a lot away from what they were able to do against what is annually considered New Jersey’s top team. It’s a game the Panthers can build on.
"It’s a good accomplishment for our team," Barcless said. "The schools are so different. They’re from all over North America. They’re a boarding school. It’s so different."
The Panther players understand the differences too, but they proved they can play hockey with any team.
"It would have been great to win," Tepper said. "Everybody wanted to beat these guys. We’ve had this game circled on our calendars since Day One. It hurts, giving up three goals in the last 10 minutes. It kind of leaves that bitter taste.
"It’s bittersweet. It’s happy because we tied, and they’re considered the best team in the state. You’re happy to be in a close game and tie them. The bitter part is that you were so close and they came back."
Tepper, who played as a freshman for his Staten Island high school then did not play high school hockey last year while attending Monroe Township High, is new to PDS, but the junior goalie has picked up quickly on how much the rivalries mean to the Panthers.
"I played for my high school team in Staten Island, but you couldn’t compare that hockey with this hockey," said Tepper, who also plays for the Junior Titans club team. "It was night and day. It’s so exciting to be a part of this rivalry, and even with Hun it was really exciting. It’s really a lot about tradition. The Hun games and Lawrenceville games, the kids on the team take a lot of pride from coming out and giving their all."
Tepper came in with a pretty good idea that he’d have the chance to be the latest in a string of standout PDS starting goaltenders. Playing for the Panthers has been everything he anticipated it being.
"And more," he added. "Especially (Wednesday). That atmosphere was great. I know the Lawrenceville fans had a couple chants for me. It didn’t really bother me. Overall, the atmosphere was incredible."
And the Panthers provided the fans with an incredible show in stepping up against Lawrenceville. PDS employed a neutral zone trap that had the Big Red bottled up for two periods until some late penalties opened up the ice for Lawrenceville.
"The defensive effort was strong," said Tepper, who was able to keep PDS on top with several flashy saves early. "We have four defensemen. They put their hearts out. They wore their hearts on their sleeve. Lawrenceville had a lot of shots, but you have to think how many shots they would have had if guys weren’t giving up their bodies. They must have blocked 15 shots.
"Everything was there. The systems were there. Coach Barcless prepared us. They got some opportunities. You can’t play perfect."
But that was what Barcless asked of the Panthers, and they found a way to deliver.
"The kids believed in the game plan we were going to use," Barcless said. "If not for all the penalties, they could have won. There were some questionable calls. They believed. They believe in what we’re teaching.
"No one else thought we had a prayer. Some of our biggest PDS supporters said we should try to keep it to under a five-goal game. Those were our biggest supporters."
There won’t be many doubters after PDS nearly pulled off the upset. Even among the Lawrenceville players, the Panthers had to have gained a grudging nod of respect.
"I would hope they would say they’d give us respect after this game," Tepper said. "They’re always expected to come in and beat us. I think this says a lot. I think it does a lot."
PDS has a week to reflect on its tie before taking on Hudson Catholic. The Panthers have become a closer team, bonding on road trips to Boston and to the Washington, D.C. area. But the Panthers pulled a lot closer Wednesday. There’s no other way to explain how they stood toe to toe with Lawrenceville, and the Big Red were the ones fortunate to come out with a tie.
"Coach Barcless came in the locker room before the game and told us that nobody expects that we can win the game except the 15 kids and three adults in the room," Tepper said. "They gave their all. They left everything on the ice. That’s all you can ask for. Will Denise, he was all over the ice. He really left it out there. Everybody on the team played great. We knew coming into the game, we basically had to play mistake-free to have a shot of beating them and that’s pretty much what we did."

