Garnet fans arrived at Playland Ice Casino January 13 carrying bags full of canned goods for the big “Hockey Against Hunger” game against Mamaroneck.

By Melanie Cane

Garnet fans arrived at Playland Ice Casino January 13 carrying bags full of canned goods for the big “Hockey Against Hunger” game against Mamaroneck. But the excitement soon waned as the Tigers launched an all-out assault, scoring three unanswered goals in the first period.

The first goal came six minutes in, when Rye goalie Danny Bonaventura dove out of the goal to stop a shot. Mamaroneck got to the puck first and rifled it past him. A couple of minutes later, the Tigers scored by passing back and forth right in front of the goal, keeping Rye’s defense off balance. The third goal came on a rebound off Bonaventura’s skate.

Rye immediately went on the counter attack in the second period. Twenty seconds in, Tommy O’Brien took a wrist shot that deflected off the goalie’s shoulder and went in under the crossbar. The comeback was short-lived because the ref negated the goal saying the puck did not go in. This tough break was the turning point in the game from which the Garnets could not recover. The Tigers scored back-to-back goals at 10:31 and 8:45; the first one was on a rush and the last on a fast break. Mamaroneck scored their five goals on only 12 shots.

The shutout did not, however, reflect how well the Garnets played. Rye dominated possession, with most of the game played in the Tiger’s zone. In fact, Rye outshot Mamaroneck in the second and third periods, but Tiger goalie Tommy Spero had an outstanding night with 19 saves.

Coach Peter Thomas said, “We had a couple of bad pinches that they got odd man rushes off, but it came down to the phenomenal play of the Tigers’ goalie and the shaky play of ours.”

Jack Petrucelli replaced Bonaventura in the second period and made 11 saves.

Rye is now 5-6. On January 16, they topped Salmon River 4-1.