Byram Hills defeated the Rye hockey team 3-2 in overtime Sunday afternoon at the Brewster Ice Arena and laid claim to the Section 1, Division 2 title. With just over five minutes played in the extra period, Byram Hills did what Rye could not: scored the golden goal. The Bobcats earned this victory and should be most proud.
But however difficult this defeat may be for Rye to swallow, thanks to a rotational system in New York high school postseason athletics, Section 1 will send two teams to the state tournament this year. So, Byram Hills (the champion) and Rye (the runner-up) both have more hockey to play.
Byram Hills will enter the tournament riding a magic carpet, knowing it just took down the No. 1-ranked Division 2 team in the state of New York. The Garnets may feel as if they’re wedged into a middle seat in the back of the bus … but what matters is that they’re going.
“As hard as it may be, we cannot focus on the outcome of this game because in overtime hockey, you never know who’s going to get the bounce of the puck,” said Rye coach Peter Thomas. “All season long, we’ve learned to trust our process, and we will continue to do that because we’re not done playing.”
Aside from the first five to six minutes of the first period, in which Byram Hills got the early jump on Rye with some hard-nosed hockey and several decent scoring chances, Rye dominated this game in every facet of play. Time of possession – particularly spent in the offensive zone – was tilted way in Rye’s favor for two and a half periods.
In fact, for much of the game, it appeared as if Rye was on a perpetual power play. The Garnets pounded the Byram Hills net, while five Bobcats parked the bus in front of their goalie. But Rye’s shots wouldn’t find the back of the net.
Rye outshot Byram Hills 51-29. Rye killed all five Bobcat penalties, including a five-on-three stretch. In every statistical measure, Rye outplayed Byram Hills.
In every category, that is, except one: the final score. Sometimes, sports can be wicked.
“In the locker room after the game,” Thomas said, “I told the boys how proud of them I was, of the way they played this afternoon. I felt all game long we did the things we needed to do to put ourselves in position to win this game.”
Rye (16-3-3) will face the Section 5 champion Saturday in the first round of the Division 2 state tournament.
