By Bill Alden

Despite having just nine skaters along with a goalie for most of last winter, the Princeton Day School girls’ hockey team rolled to the program’s first-ever New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) state title.

PDS routed Immaculate Heart Academy 7-0 in the state final as it posted a
14-2-1 record.

As Panther co-head coach Jamie Davis looks ahead to the upcoming season and its bid for a title repeat, the program will be following a similar formula.

“We have light numbers again, it is tough, there are only so many girl hockey players,” said Davis, who guides the squad along with Jade Meier. “But so far, so good. Last year before the season started, people were upset that we didn’t have enough players but we ended up winning with what we had. Even last year, I wasn’t too worried about it. I said this is the team, you have to do it. So I think this year the confidence is there. No one is worried about the numbers any more.”

Davis is confident that the quartet of freshman Layla Klapak, sophomore Layla Sosner (7 goals, 4 assists in 2024-25), junior Della Gilligan (10 goals, 15 assists), and sophomore Alexis Moslin (2 goals, 5 assists) can be productive at forward.

“We are going to have some newer players that have to play forward this year,” said Davis. “We have two Laylas. We have a new freshman, Layla Klapak, she is a good player. Layla Sosner is looking good, she will be a contributor. Della is a great player. She is going to be one of our best, if not best, forwards. We also have Alexis on forward. They all have to be contributors this year. There is a lot of opportunity. We just have to make it work.”

Junior defender Sammy Dandy (16 goals, 7 assists) stars at both ends of the ice.

“Sammy looks really good, she is becoming a leader now,” said Davis. “She is dominant, she is probably the best player on the ice every game. She is going to be logging a lot of minutes. She is going to be a huge contributor. It is not only offense, she is lock down on defense. She has the stamina and works hard every game. She is going to be a force in every game.”

Dandy’s older sister, senior Brynn (5 goals, 7 assists), will also be a key contributor. “Brynn is doing really good too, she is our captain this year,” said Davis. “She has a really good attitude this year. She is really coming around to be a leader and is really filling that role. She is doing a really good job so far.”

Another senior, Mariana Lee (1 goal, 4 assists), will round out the Panther defensive corps.

“We are probably going to run three defense with Mariana being the third,” said Davis. “Mariana is looking good, she is getting better. She doesn’t play travel so she will get better as the season goes on.”

At goalie, senior standout Kelly Stevens (.941 save percentage, 305 saves) will once again be the backbone for the PDS defense.

“Kelly looks great, she is excited, it is her senior year,” said Davis. “She is just a great goalie, she is always in position. She is not a big goalie, her positioning is really strong. She has a good glove, she has a good blocker. She is a great all-around goalie. She is really sound, she is strong. She is always in good position on shooters and she is quick too. She is definitely a hard goalie to score on. She is good down low and is always focused.”

With PDS slated to start its 2025-26 season by playing at Pingry on December 9 before hosting Rockland County High (N.Y.) on December 11 and Immaculate Heart Academy on December 15, Davis believes the Panthers have the mentality and talent to make another title run.

“I think it is mindset, you have to be mentally strong,” said Davis. “We all have to be on the same page. This is our team, this is what we have. We have to work with this. We have to do what we can. We are excited, we still have a strong team even with a little bit low numbers. The core players are really good and we have some new players.”