Panthers boys’ ice hockey falls in state final
By: Bob Nuse
Chris Barcless was only half joking when he said the eighth title is always the toughest to get, but it goes a long way toward showing just how dominant the Princeton Day School boys’ ice hockey team has been since Barcless arrived eight years ago.
The Panthers fell just short of winning an eighth straight state Prep B title under Barcless when they dropped a 3-2 decision to Morristown-Beard on Wednesday on their home ice. But that doesn’t mean this season has been any different than the previous seven for Barcless and his players.
As they have in the past, the Panthers went head-to-head against the best competition around. And once again, they showed they take a back seat to no one as a program.
"Every year I’ve been here," said Barcless, whose team fell to 15-5 with the loss, "I’ve been here eight years and every year we have overachieved. Last year I thought we were going to be 5-20 and we were 18-4. This year, we thought with the most amazing year we’d be .500 and we’re 15-5. The kids that put those shirts on, they just overachieve game in and game out. If you look at the teams we play, we take the best on and we’re very successful."
For the last seven years, that success has included a state prep championship. But this year, the Panthers built themselves a hole they could not get out of.
"(Mo-Beard) came in and outworked us and that’s what it’s all about," Barcless said. "They played a great game for two-and-a-half periods and we didn’t answer the call until it was too late. The horseshoe finally fell out of our pocket. You know the old saying, the eighth one in a row is always the hardest to get."
PDS fell behind, 3-0, and didn’t get its first goal of the game until just over four minutes remained in the game. Will Denise was the first to get PDS on the board when he scored a short-handed goal that got the Panthers within one, and when Justin Mimmo scored a short while later, there was a glimmer of hope left for a comeback.
"It was frustrating as coaches to have it take a three-goal deficit with four minutes left for the guys to wake up," Barcless said. "We play to the level of our competition night in and night out. It’s bound to happen sooner or later. They’re a good team and hats off to them. They played great."
And for most of this season, so has PDS. On Wednesday, the Panthers simply fell a bit short.
"You can’t say enough about the character of our hockey team," Barcless said. "We beat a top three team in Seton Hall Prep. We tied Lawrenceville. We won seven one-goal games. We’re 15-5 and we could easily be 5-15. We’re disappointed because I don’t think we gave everything we had the first two periods. But that’s the way it worked out. I feel bad for the seniors because they’ve won it three years in a row. But Mo-Beard is a very strong team."
PDS still has its own tournament left on the schedule and will be looking to win a fourth straight title there.
"The tournament is important and you always want to win your last game," Barcless said. "So hopefully we’ll do well."
And this year, despite the loss on Wednesday, the Panthers have put together another winning season, doing it their hard way with close win after close win.
"Last year we had 12 one-goal games," Barcless said. "This year we had seven more. I’m proud of the guys. I’m still thrilled to death with the way we’ve played. It hurts a little to lose, but it still doesn’t take away from what these kids have done."
It’s just tough to get that eighth straight title, at least that’s what they say.

