GETTING DEFENSIVE: Princeton High girls’ hockey player Alexa Zammit controls the puck in a game this season. Junior defenseman Zammit anchored PHS along the blue line this season as the Little Tigers went 3-10. Zammit earned All-WIHLMA (Women’s Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic) Miran Division honors for her play this winter. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Christian Herzog was losing some sleep over the prospects for his Princeton High girls’ hockey team as the winter approached.

“My biggest concern a week prior to the season was that we didn’t have a goalie,” said PHS head coach Herzog. “The writing was on the wall for a very long season without a goalie.”

Fortunately for Herzog and the Little Tigers, freshman Ella Chauder agreed to fill that void.

“Ella jumped into the net and took that for the team,” said Herzog.

“She was interested in skating out, she had zero experience at goalie. She did a pretty good job.”

Buoyed by Chauder’s presence, PHS had a positive experience this winter, posting a 3-10 record.

One of the highlights of the season came when Chauder posted her first career shutout in a 7-0 win over Immaculate Heart Academy in the regular season finale.

“I said let’s get your first shutout,” said Herzog. “I was proud of her to be able to finish that, she let in seven goals against Immaculate Heart the last time we played them.”

Herzog is proud of the production and leadership he received from senior captain and four-year star Maggie Herring, who won the team’s Coach’s Award this season.

“Maggie stepped up in terms of leadership with the girls, especially when people got frustrated,” said Herzog of Herring, who had 13 goals and nine assists this year and ended up with 46 goals and 34 assists in her career.

“She has been with the team when we got only one win. She has experienced the tough stuff over the years and kept the morale up and going. When she is on the ice, she is there to work.”

The team’s two other seniors, Ashley Dart and Ella Quainton, worked hard to improve over their four seasons with the program.

“When I double-checked for our banquet to make sure that they had been on all four years, they said ‘we were terrible, we couldn’t even stand up, how could you not remember us, all we did was fall, we were full of ice,’” said Herzog, noting that Quainton received the team’s Most Improved award this season.

“In terms of how they came along through the four years, it was good to see. Ashley had a breakout season (four goals and two assists). She is always in the right place at the right time to sweep the puck right in.”

The addition of freshman Victoria Zammit gave the PHS offense a big boost as she led the team with 25 points on 17 goals and eight assists.

“Any time you can get a travel player coming in as a freshman it is an added bonus,” said Herzog of Zammit, who was named the team’s MVP.

“In previous years, we have had one strong player and they didn’t have as many people to work with. This year, at least she had a few players she could work with.”

One of the team’s other strong players was Zammit’s older sister, junior star defenseman and assistant captain Alexa, who won the team’s Head, Heart, and Hustle award.

“Alexa is a hard-nosed player; she is one of those players where you don’t have to give her feedback to tell her ‘you could have done this, or  you could have done that,’” said Herzog of the older Zammit, who tallied 12 points in eight goals and four assists and was named as an All-WIHLMA (Women’s Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic) Miran Division all star.

“Without her on defense we would be in a load of trouble. We would not have been able to have Maggie play forward in the beginning of the year. She is the anchor of the defense and I am ecstatic that she got the recognition in our division.”

Sophomore forward and assistant captain Olivia Corrodi contributed nine goals, six assists, and a cool head on the ice.

“Olivia leads by example on the ice; in comparison to the two other captains, she is a little less vocal,” said Herzog.

“She embodies sportsmanship. You won’t see her taking a greedy penalty, she doesn’t get frustrated. She was selected to get the league’s Rulon-Miller sportsmanship award for our team.”

In Herzog’s view, the team’s ability to stay upbeat and not get frustrated  by adversity was evident all winter.

“They work hard and they will take the tough losses,” said Herzog. “You can’t break their spirit.”