PDS boys win second boys crown in three years
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
When Cody Triolo pictured skating away from hockey rinks for the lacrosse fields, he was hoping that one of his lasting memories included a Prep B state championship.
It will, but not with the exact storybook ending that the Princeton Day School senior and his teammates had envisioned.
”This year, it was the year to win it,” Triolo said. “It was to show all the hard work we put into the program and get that win. I’m happy we tied, but it would have been great to win that, 3-2.”
Despite mounting pressure from the Panthers the longer the game went on, they had to settle for a 2-2 tie with Morristown-Beard Thursday and the first co-championship ever in Prep B state tournament history.
”I don’t get the rule,” Triolo said. “It’s almost like tying the Stanley Cup. You can’t tie in the Stanley Cup.
”It would have been great to jump off the boards and get in a huge huddle and celebrate in the locker room. It just didn’t go that way today. We both looked upset.”
The Panthers still have their Senior Night against Don Bosco Prep left and the Hill School tournament, but the Prep B tournament was to be their crowning moment and a send-off of sorts for Triolo. He has committed to play lacrosse at Lehigh University next year.
”Lacrosse is my main sport, but hockey is my first love,” Triolo said. “I love playing the game. Lacrosse is my better sport, but I’m really going to miss hockey.”
Triolo is part of a senior class that has taken PDS to a level not seen in almost a decade.
”This is a great group,” said PDS head coach Scott Bertoli, whose team is 18-2-1 in his seventh season at the helm. “This is arguably one of the best groups that’s ever played at the school in any sport. Their record is very indicative of that. They compete. They go out and playing hockey for PDS means a lot to them, and they show it every time they’re out there. We will never get outworked.”
PDS had stormed back from a 2-0 deficit in the regular season to take a 3-2 win over Morristown-Beard the only other time the teams met this year. Mo-Beard again staked itself to an early lead, but Kyle Weller tied it, 1-1, with 1:02 left in the first period. After Mo-Beard took a 2-1 lead early in the second period, Sean Timmons got what would be the game’s final goal with 1:37 to go in the period. Timmons assisted on Weller’s goal, and Conrad Denise and Taran Asulander also had assists in the game. Connor Walker made 24 saves, including a big one in the final second of overtime to preserve the tie.
”We did it the last time we played them, and it was probably the only other time other than being up in New England, where we’ve actually been down in a game aside from that Lawrenceville game,” Bertoli said of the comeback. “We have a lot of pride in that locker room, a lot of older leadership, and this is important to them and they proved that tonight. We weren’t going to be beaten tonight. It’s just unfortunate we didn’t win.
”You can tell by watching the game it meant a lot to them, and that’s why the disappointment is so great — we weren’t able to finish the job.”
The Panthers had chances. They held a 14-4 shot in the third period, and the puck hardly left the Mo-Beard zone. It was more of the same in overtime as PDS built their shot advantage to 49-26 for the game, and even hit a post with one of their best chances.
”We played awesome,” Triolo said. “We said that in the locker room after the game. It’s a shame we had four periods to win the game and couldn’t come through, but I’m proud of the guys in there. We gave it all our heart.
”They’re a really well coached, disciplined team. They were able to stop the rush which is our main way of scoring.”
It’s the second Prep B title for the Panthers in the four years of this senior class. They also won in 2011. The class has led a rebirth for PDS, which has developed into a team that could beat anyone.
”It’s the hard work and the dynamics in the locker room,” Triolo said. “We have a great group of guys in there who are willing to work hard for each other and the school, not for themselves. We’re not individuals. We’re all one. I really think all the hard work has got us where we are.”
There is still more left. The Panthers set a pre-season goal of winning 20 games, and they have three games left in which to win two to reach the milestone. There was the initial disappointment of a tie, but PDS will still sew another year up on their championship banner, and there is plenty of fuel for the returning players.
”I think we have great leadership on this team, and the younger guys can look up to that and copy that when it’s their turn to lead,” Triolo said. “I have confidence in those guys that they’ll continue to further this program.”