The Rye Garnets are the 2026 Division 2 New York state hockey champions.
Just repeat that line to yourself a few times quietly.
Feels pretty good, doesn’t it? Coach Peter Thomas certainly thinks so.
“I couldn’t be happier for these kids – and for the hockey community of Rye,” Thomas said of the first state title in program history. “I still can’t believe it. It doesn’t feel real. I keep thinking about our seniors and for the last game of their high school careers to be a state championship win, it’s just a magical feeling. We had so much confidence coming into this game, I’m not sure anybody would have beaten us today.”
In a season that began in early December 2025, with not-so-subtle expectations of defending their 2024-25 Section 1 title, the Garnets took their season as far as any team could possibly go, winning the Division 2 state championship with a dominant 5-1 victory Sunday over Byram Hills in Buffalo.
Maybe you’re reading this and thinking: Didn’t Byram Hills beat Rye in the Section 1 championship game two weeks ago? Is it possible for a team to lose its section championship game and then go on to win the state championship? Yes and yes.
2026 happened to be Section 1’s turn to send two teams to the state tournament. Byram Hills probably wishes there had only been one.
“We took a day off after that section championship loss to Byram Hills,” Thomas said. “We knew we didn’t play our best game that day. But when the brackets came out for the state tournament and we saw that if we did what we needed to do and Byram Hills kept winning, that there was a chance we’d see them in the state final. From that day on, we became the biggest Bryam Hills fans in New York.”
The Bobcats actually scored the first goal of Sunday’s state championship game. Byram Hills captain Chris Cipriano snuck a puck past Rye junior goalie Fernando Mosquera with five minutes gone in the first period to take an early 1-0 lead.
Who knew at that moment, it would be one of the few times of consequence Mosquera would even need to touch the puck for the rest of the game?
“I’m so happy for my teammates for what we just accomplished,” Mosquera said. “I know it wasn’t a storybook playoffs, with the loss in the section championship game, but all year long, we believed that we were capable of doing something like this. We were given our chance and we made the most of it. I know we’ve had some big moments on the ice this season, but I’m going to remember the moments we had together off the ice the most. That’s where all the deep bonds were formed. That’s how a family is made.”
After that first goal, the Garnets began to apply pressure unlike anything the Bobcats experienced all season. Every loose puck became Rye’s property. And the beautiful LECOM Event Center ice was reduced to about a third of its size – the size of the zone right in front of Byram Hills’ goal.
“We always have a plan and a process in place before every game,” said senior captain Ryan Draddy. “This group is so tight, so strong together, that we knew if we stuck to what we do, good things would come. I love all of my teammates. I’m really going to miss playing hockey with these guys.”
Rye senior Jamie Morris – who had a sensational state tournament and season – scored Rye’s first goal with 8:46 to play in the first. It was a nifty finish as Morris cleaned up a shot from senior teammate Will Molin, who got the assist.
Two minutes later, the Niejadlik twins, sophomores Will and Max, collaborated on Rye’s second goal. Will with the shot, Max with the deflection for a 2-1 Rye lead.
With the memory of their 3-2 overtime loss to Byram Hills on March 1 seemingly tattooed on the inside of their face masks, the Garnets peppered Bobcat goalie Lucas Guggenheimer with shots by the baker’s dozen. With 54 seconds left in the opening period, Rye sophomore Colin Nigro found the back of the net, to make it 3-1 Rye after one period.
The Bobcats would not recover.
Speed, conviction, crisp passing, deep bench shift rotations, putting the puck on net … these were the kinds of things Rye showed throughout the entire game. The Bobcats were never given a chance to get on track. Garnet skaters everywhere.
Senior Will Weinman, who scored the game-tying goal with 2:22 left in regulation Saturday, added another score Sunday with 4:55 to play in the second period. Weinman, the Division 2 state tournament MVP, gave Rye a 4-1 lead at the end of two periods.
“This is the greatest feeling any of us have ever had playing the game we all love so much,” said senior captain Trevor Dolan. “To have gone through all of it with this group makes it extra special.
“We knew we had a tough game in that section championship, but today we just trusted the systems that got us here. I thought today’s game was more reflective of the team we actually were. Byram had a tough time responding to that. And now, we’re state champs.”
When the puck dropped for the start of the third period, Byram Hills indeed had nothing left. The Garnets continued to flex their muscle, controlling face-off after face-off and possession after possession. Sophomore Finn Draddy scored Rye’s final goal, and five minutes later, the Garnets were officially state champs for the first time in Rye High School history.
“With about two minutes left in the final period this afternoon, I started to well up a bit,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t hide it. I was thinking about how happy I was for the boys, for their families, and for the Rye hockey community back home. The success of this team really started with that loss last season to Ogdensburg Free Academy in the first round of the state tournament. We had 14 kids back from that team who had really learned how to battle. They had learned what it took to play championship-level hockey. It’s an amazing feeling we’re experiencing right now. It’s a memory that will last a lifetime for all of us.”
A heartfelt thank-you to Joe Nigro, Lon Dolan, and Sam Weinman, three parents of members of the Garnets’ championship hockey team. Throughout the course of the season, these Rye hockey dads served as spotters, stringers, and occasional color analysts for the far-away road games at which the Record sports staff could not be present. Were it not for their respective thumbs, the stories of this indelible Garnet season would not have been the same.
