PRINCETON: PDS ice hockey better with age

Denise helps Panthers grow

By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
   Even though Conrad Denise had been playing high-level club hockey for years with the Mercer Chiefs, there was still an adjustment to high school hockey last season.
   ”I remember how nervous I was those first couple games last year,” Denise said. “I don’t think I had a point for five or six games.”
   The Princeton Day School boys ice hockey team struggled as it relied on the then-freshman and his class more than they had ever of a group of first-year players. They finished 10-13-2, but finished the season with a Mercer County Tournament championship.
   ”It really was tough,” said the Princeton resident, the youngest of three boys to have played for the Panthers. “My out of school team, we had probably lost 15 out of like 100 games. I was not used to losing. It was hard to lose. It wasn’t fun. We were down, we were down on each other. It’s not a fun situation to be in.
   ”I think it definitely helps to have a full year under our belt,” he added. “It’s definitely helped us mature this year. Being able to play together for a full year and being able to come back with the same core group of guys is really helpful.”
   Denise had a goal and an assist in PDS’ 5-0 win over St. John’s Vianney on Friday as the Panthers improved to 6-5-1 while continuing to show how much they have grown since last season.
   ”We’re bigger, faster, stronger,” said Denise, part of the Panthers’ stellar sophomore class. “When you have that whole year, you gain some composure and know what to expect.
   ”I’m a Triple-A (club) player, and I’m used to being able to control the game more. You learn not everything is going to go your way. You learn you’re going to have to fight through some adversity, no matter what team you’re playing. It’s how you react to that adversity that’s going to define you as a team.”
   The Panthers have established that they are better suited this season to contend with top teams. Even their losses have been encouraging, as was a 6-4 defeat at the hands of Pingry, the same team that knocked them out of the Prep B state tournament last year with 11-0 loss.
   ”Looking ahead, the team we’re going to have to play in the preps, either in the semis or if we’re fortunate enough to get to the finals, the kids should feel confident that we have a chance to beat them,” said PDS head coach Scott Bertoli. “I don’t think that was the case last year when we played them in the semis.
   ”There’s definitely more depth this year. Last year, we had six freshmen that played regularly. They’re all older and have a year of experience.”
   Denise, Alex Nespor, Cody Triolo, Bump Lisk, Taran Auslander and Connor Walker in net all played significantly as freshmen. The experience helped the Panthers bounce back from their worst game of the year, a 4-1 loss to Montgomery. They beat Hun, then went to New England where they won two out of three games, even rallying for one of their wins.
   ”When we went up to New England, we were kind of down,” Denise said. “We had just lost to Montgomery. The practice before, things weren’t going well. Alex Nespor had a hurt shoulder. Things weren’t going our way. We were going back to the way things were last year — really negative.
   ”When we went up there, we saw the teams were really good. Bert’ came in and said, you have to play with heart, you have to really step up and take advantage of the opportunity. It was great. It was unbelievable. Kids who hadn’t had goals all year scored. Connor Bitterman scored that first goal (against Worcester Academy). Going up there and going 2-1, was unbelievable. We were just trying to win one. Going up there and getting third out of eight was really good. We tried to take that back to New Jersey.”
   Even after a long layoff over their winter break, the Panthers skated well against Pingry. Nespor — the MVP of last year’s MCT as a freshman — scored on an early power play with assists from Denise and freshman Sean Timmons and Denise gave PDS a 2-1 lead. Pingry knotted it, 2-2, going into the second period. Peter Blackburn and Denise scored for a 4-2 lead before Pingry scored the final four goals of the game.
   ”Even though we did lose the game after having a two-goal lead, we still took it as a positive,” Denise said. “We learned from that experience that we can play with any team from New Jersey. We can play with anyone if we play solidly on defense and if we can score. The biggest thing for us is we just can’t give up six goals.”
   Surrendering six goals, even to a good team like Pingry, was a surprise to the Panthers. They have gotten solid goaltending while playing three different players between the pipes — George Blinick, Walker and Walker Ward.
   ”The goaltending situation, we’re still trying to figure out who the No. 1 is and we’re in no hurry,” Bertoli said. “Connor and Walker have both played very well when given the opportunity, and George has too. If you said, we were going to score four goals against Pingry, I would have liked our chances.”
   Denise is helping those chances, even more than he did last year when he had 27 points for the Panthers. He’s been PDS’ leading scorer this season.
   ”He was very productive last year,” said Bertoli. “He was one of our top two or three scorers. That’s carried right over. The last five or six games, he’s got to have 10 points. I look at the score sheet, and his name is all over it. It’s great when you get in a rhythm like that.
   ”He’s very emotional and competitive,” he added. “He doesn’t need to say a lot. By playing hard, he’s a good example.”
   Denise knew he could help the team by lifting his scoring, though he hasn’t been pressing for his goals and assists.
   Said Denise: “I knew it wasn’t going to be just me this year. There isn’t too much pressure to be the only guy. I’m known for my playmaking ability, not for my scoring. It’s good to have some guys that can score on my line, like Nestor. My expectations were to stay calm, face the adversity, weather the storm in bad situations, and step up when we need it.
   ”I knew I needed to get points. I thought it was important to be more productive than I was last year. I wanted to score, but as long as I could help other guys out too.”
   The offense has been better overall for the Panthers, who are scoring against all levels of teams. They’ve also been disciplined in their play, and getting more power-play chances than their opponents has keyed their promising start that they are looking to build on.
   ”Now we know, this season going forward, we can bounce back and play well at the end of the year, like how we did at the MCT last year,” Denise said. “It’s about how we face adversity and how we try to muster a win any way we can.”
   Bigger, stronger, faster and more mature, the Panthers are better equipped this year to use some tough opponents. PDS still has a young team, but it is learning quickly that it can compete with anyone on its schedule.
   ”Hopefully,” Denise said, “we can get two more wins this week against Germantown and ANC. I think we’re headed in the right direction.”