he fourth-seeded Garnets coasted through the Section 1 Division 2 playoffs all the way to the semifinals. But on February 26, up against top-seeded Pelham, their post-season came to an end when they were shut out 5-0.

 

By Melanie Cane

 

The fourth-seeded Garnets coasted through the Section 1 Division 2 playoffs all the way to the semifinals. But on February 26, up against top-seeded Pelham, their post-season came to an end when they were shut out 5-0.  

 

In their first playoff game, the Garnets beat Horace Greeley 6-2, and they topped Hendrick Hudson 5-3 in the quarterfinals on February 24. They finished the season with a 14-9 record and a deeper run in the Section 1 playoffs than last year.

 

Coach Peter Thomas said the team accomplished a great deal this year, both on and off the ice. In the Salmon River Tournament, Rye High topped the host team, a perennial state powerhouse, and they won eight of their last nine regular season games.

 

Off the ice, the team raised $8,000 for Special Olympics with their Polar Plunge and stocked the shelves at Carver Center with their Hockey against Hunger initiative. They also raised $3,500 for Memorial Sloan Kettering in Harrison.

 

For the first time, Rye fielded a JV team as a way to develop varsity talent on the ice.

 

Next season, while the Garnets will miss talented seniors Tommy O’Brien, Theo Bresolin, and Owen Beyer, Coach Thomas knows he can count on top-scoring junior Will Hynson and sophomore defensive player Seamus Carroll.

 

The Collins Cup, which is awarded annually in honor of former player Peter Collins, will be handed out March 15 at the team’s farewell dinner.