How 'Bout Them Apples/Varsity Girls Hockey Overcomes Big Red of Lawrenceville

I remember writing in the blog last winter how the Portledge v. Lawrenceville Varsity Girls Hockey game was one of the best secondary school sports events I had ever been a part of. The 9-8 overtime classic, which is seen as a historic win for the Portledge Girls Hockey Program, had at its core a tremendous individual performance. Current Portledge Senior Siena Falino, a Junior at that time, scored seven of the Lady Panthers nine goals, and assisted on another. Her will to achieve victory, and the overall confidence she displayed in that game is unmatched by the anything I have seen at the rink in my twenty years of coaching. Much of the moxie displayed by the captain on that night last January, has rubbed off on the rest of the girls who have returned from last year's team. For the second time this season they entered the third period of a Division I Varsity Girls Hockey game tied with their opponents, and both times they have prevailed by playing a defensively sound and offensively aggressive last fifteen minutes. The latter of these games took place last night when the Lady Panthers visited The Big Red of Lawrenceville for this season's version of what is becoming an excellent Girls Hockey rivalry.

How Did the Game Unfold?

The Lawrenceville girls were ready for Portledge's #7 this time. From the first time she touched the puck it was easy to see that stopping Falino was the focus of the Big Red gameplan. Two, and sometimes three skaters were immediately on the scene when the puck came around the Portledge captain. Still, about seven minutes in, Falino found a little space down the right wing and sent a wrister towards the Lawrenceville net. The shot was deflected by a defenseman and a bit misplayed by the keeperbefore it settled in the net to give the Portledge girls a 1-0 lead. It was an extremely tight checking game throughout as the Lady Panthers, sensing that this was not going to be a fifteen goal affair, consistently smothered the Lawrenceville attack right at the defensive blue line. When the Big Red attack did penetrate the Portledge zone, their shots on goal found a very sharp Olivia Rivera in the Lady Panthers net. Two or three big saves kept Portledge in the lead until L'Ville finally evened the game towards the end of the second period. The stage was set for a great finish and a real calm settled over the Portledge team as Coach Schwam asked them, "can we do this"? The answer came in the form of a uniform and determined head bob by all the Portledge girls...and so it came to be. The play was gradually pushed into the L'Ville end for longer periods of time and eventually Falino came free at the left circle. Instead of shooting though, the crafty Senior sent a beautiful cross ice pass to a wide open Ashley Wade, who was unmarked and standing by the far post. The spunky Sophomore banged the puck into the unguarded side of the net and Portledge had its eventual one goal margin in the form of a 2-1 score. The final few minutes provided the Portledge girls another opportunity to display their developing experience under pressure. They handled the all out effort of the L'Ville girls to tie the score, with a real sense of calm and confidence. To me, it appears they all learned something that cold January night one year ago. The Lady Panther's have another tough one coming up when they travel up to Millbrook School to take on the Lady Mustangs in a 5:30 face off on Friday night.

An Almost Perfect Big Monday/ Varsity Girls Basketball and Varsity Boys Hockey Post Wins, But Varsity Boys Basketball Goes Down to Defeat

It was a big Monday in Portledge Athletics as the Varsity Girls Basketball team squared off at home v. Upper Room in a critical IPPSAL match up, the Varsity Boys Basketball team traveled to Kew Forest for an important IPPSAL game of their own, and Varsity Boys Hockey faced off at Beaver Dam against the combined team of Locust Valley and North Shore High Schools.

What Happened in the Varsity Girls Basketball Game?

The Lady Panthers were in a tough spot as they took the floor. Junior captain and starting point guard Monique Kelly was home sick and their opponents from Upper Room looked determined to avenge an early season defeat at the hands of the Portledge girls. Thus, the stage was set for a very tough game at Wellington Gym. Juniors Robyn Worrall and Claudia Rogers took turns handling the and remained quite calm against Upper Room's often used full court press. In breaking the pressure the Junior duo created open court opportunities at the other end that the other Lady Panthers took advantage of. Junior Akanksha Trivedi scored 16 points and Freshman Alexa Lodenquai added 13 to lead the Portledge squad. Also making key contributions were Junior Marian Juste, who was all over the boards, and Senior Leah Heffernan, whose experience was essential down the stretch. This great team effort led to many assisted baskets and a very satisfying win over a tough league rival. The Lady Panthers next take the court this Friday (Wellington Gym @ 4:00pm) when they should continue to solidify their play off position against a weak Kew Forest team.

What Happened to the Boys Team at Kew Forest?

Even with Junior Mark Dourmashkin hitting for 25 points, it wasn't enough to propel the Panthers to victory over their foes from Queens. Down by three at the start of the third quarter was as close as the Portledge team came to last year's IPPSAL Runners Up. The IPPSAL Varsity Boys Basketball picture is starting to clarify and the Panthers will need to play much better, if they hope to qualify for the league play offs. That process will start at home this Wednesday when the boys take on Solomon Schechter at 5:45pm.

How Was the Local Darby Hockey Game Down at Beaver Dam?

This was a tough match up for the Portledge team because everyone was expecting them to win, but they were, nevertheless, facing a skilled and determined opponent in the form of the combined team of ice hockey players from North Shore and Locust Valley High Schools. Freshman Winger Jesse Schandler was a big part of the Panthers offense as he tallied twice during the game, and added an assist as well. With Junior captain and lead defenseman David Wilson on the bench resting some bumps and bruises, Sophomores Ron Fishman, Pat Condan and Ryan Gottfried all rose to the occaision and played some great hockey. Freshman defender Mike Conslato also played really well and impressed the large crowd with his strong skating and passing skills. The final score of 6-0 was not indicative of the Panther's total control of the game as Mr. Coope took advantage of the situation to get all his players plenty of ice time. After taking on Morristown (Home/Jan26th) and PDS (Away/Jan28th), the boys will begin the hardest part of their schedule with a very difficult stretch of games during February.

Southern Hospitality/Varsity Girls Hockey Wins Twice During Mid Atlantic League Trip to Maryland

The Portledge Varsity Girls Ice Hockey team raised their overall record to 7 wins and 4 losses by posting two victories during their trip to Maryland this past weekend. The Lady Panthers also remained at the top of the WIHLMA standings by building an mark of 4 wins with no losses in league play.


Who Did the Girls Play and Which Players Led the Way?

Saturday's opponent was Shady Side Academy from Pittsbugh, PA, while Sunday saw the Portledge girls take on our awesome hosts, Holten Arms. The Lady Panthers controlled both games and registered similar 5-2 and 6-1 results, respectively. Saturday's offense was paced by Siena Falino, who led the way with four of the goals, and Junior defenseman Chelsea Caracciolo who added a score when she completed one of her patented end to end rushes. On Sunday, the Sophomores took over as Alyssa Parke had the hat trick, Ashley Wade scored on a beautiful break away move and crafty winger Ali James tallied for the second time in three games. It's great to see the scoring be so balanced and the team play well together. They will need both of these things to remain constant this week, as they play consecutive away games against New England Division I opponents. The Lady Panthers travel to Lawrenceville on Wednesday for a 6:15 start, where the Big Red will be looking for revenge for last years 8-7 overtime loss to Portledge. Then it's up to Millbrook School for a big Friday night tilt (5:30) at Bontecou Rink. The Lady Panthers opponents should know not to try any rough stuff because the Portledge girls ain't no bandleaders! Yeah, we heard that story.