The game against Suffern at Playland on January 28 looked like it was going to be a very close match-up between two hard playing, highly skilled teams after the scoreless first period.
By Melanie Cane
The game against Suffern at Playland on January 28 looked like it was going to be a very close match-up between two hard playing, highly skilled teams after the scoreless first period. It still looked that way halfway through the second, when after the Mounties scored, Rye’s junior defenseman Owen Beyer stole the puck in the slot, deked the goalie, and slid it past him to even the score. (It was Beyer’s second game back after being on the disabled list with a broken leg.)
Things fell apart for the Garnets later in the second period when Suffern scored with five minutes left on a five-four power play, while Rocco Macri was in the box for tripping. Then, with three minutes left in the period, Derek Mullane received a four-minute penalty for charging. While Mullane was in the box, Will Hynson was penalized for cross checking. The final blow came when Mike Kamer was penalized for roughing, with Mullane still in the box. The Mounties capitalized on these two consecutive five-on-threes, scoring on both power plays.
By the time Mullane came out of the box, Suffern had a 4-1 lead. The Garnets were unable to recover, yet the rest of the third period looked like a repeat of the first, with the teams battling it out with neither able to score.
Kamer, a senior defenseman said the final score “did not reflect how hard we worked and the effort we gave every shift. The penalties hurt us. We felt the opportunity for us to change the momentum and outcome of the game was taken away at points. It took its toll on us and we started to doubt ourselves, which led to more mistakes and more goals for Suffern.”
Coach Peter Thomas thought all his players worked very hard and played well. He summed it up: “We lost to one of the best teams in Section 1 due to three power plays.”
The Garnets are currently 7-9.
