The Portledge Varsity Girls Hockey team was victorious against Princeton Day School by a final score of 2-0 Monday Night at Beaver Dam. The game, which according to Coach Hills was “one that the girls needed to win,” was controlled by the Lady Panthers from the initial drop of the puck up until the horn at the end of the third. Assistant Captain Ava Salerno ‘20 opened the scoring during the early stages of the 2nd period when she netted a beautiful wrister after receiving a nice pass from Sophia Kyrkostas ‘20. Still, when asked about the team’s play through the first 2 periods, Hillsy said, “up until the 3rd period we were dominating - but just because we were the more skilled team.” When the girls headed into the dressing room for the ice cut up only 1-0 they were clearly a bit frustrated. An animated Coach Hills had some words for the team during the ice cut which appeared to get the girls going. When asked what he said in the locker room, Hillsy replied “I told them, very clearly, that I was not happy, that they needed to be more serious and focused, and that they should have a good time playing quality hockey because that is the whole point of playing good competition - to enjoy the game at a high level.” Thus, it comes as no surprise that the pace of play dramatically increased during the final 15 minutes, showing that the Portledge Girls had found another gear. The Lady Panthers added to their lead as Sophomore sensation Emma Hayes ‘20 put one in the back of the net after a great 2-on-1 opportunity with teammate Sophia Kyrkostas ‘20. Hayes’ shot ticked off the inside of the crossbar before finding its way into the back of the net giving the girls a 2-0 advantage. When asked about her performance Hayes ‘20 told me, “It’s awesome just having that bond out there with Sophia, we really blend well, it’s all hockey talk on and off the ice between the two of us, and it’s always nice to put one in the net to help my team.” After scoring the second goal, Portledge dominated the rest of the game. When asked about the 3rd period coach Hills said, “My thoughts are that the 3rd period was the best period of hockey we played all year. We moved the puck quickly, we were talking, and I was extremely happy to see that kind of effort out of the girls”. One of the great things about this game was the play of the Portledge goalie. With starting netminder Anna Hamid ‘20 out due to sickness, 8th grader Rachel Lohan ‘22 stepped up in a huge way for the Panthers and registered her first complete game shutout. When asked about the young netminders performance, Coach Hills told me, “She took the opportunity and played rock solid, doing everything we asked and then some. When you look into her eyes, you can tell she is ready to play.” The emergence of Lohan ‘22 gives Portledge two fine goaltenders, which is something all hockey teams desire. Tonight’s final from Beaver Dam is Portledge 2 and Princeton Day 0. The Portledge Lady Panthers, who now have a record of 2 wins and 3 losses, will next take to the ice against the Hill School in an away game on Wednesday, December 13th.