For a team that could send only three seniors out on the ice all season, a team that won only once in December and once more in January, the Rye Country Day Boys’ hockey team acquitted itself admirably once February and the playoffs rolled around.

By Mitch Silver

For a team that could send only three seniors out on the ice all season, a team that won only once in December and once more in January, the Rye Country Day Boys’ hockey team acquitted itself admirably once February and the playoffs rolled around.

The Wildcats got things started with a 3-2 defeat of King Low Heywood on the road at Stamford’s Twin Rinks facility February 11 and continued with a 7-1 laugher over Fieldston 24 hours later. Coach Erik Kallio’s squad was full of confidence when it returned to Twin Rinks a week later for a return engagement with King in the Fairchester Athletic Association semifinals. Two hours later, they were back on the bus with a 4-3 win and a ticket to the finals against St. Luke’s, a team they beat for that first win of the season back in December, 6-3.

It was not to be, as St. Luke’s turned the tables on the home side by the same 6-3 score. “In the FAA finals we didn’t have our best performance of the year,” the coach said afterwards. “We played well enough to win but we just couldn’t get a bounce.”

Undaunted, the team got back on the bus, this time for the long ride to Providence to meet Moses Brown in the Holt Conference playoffs of the New England Prep League. “We increased our strength of schedule this season by joining the Holt League,” Kallio said. “North Yarmouth Academy, Pingree, Worcester Academy, Portsmouth Abbey, and Moses Brown are all legitimate hockey schools. Because of that schedule, we had our struggles especially early in the season. However, our team never stopped working to improve and we had some very good performances down the stretch.”

Case in point: a stirring 1-0 win over Moses Brown that put the very young Wildcats into the Holt finals against Pingree. “We were up 2-1 in the third and missed an opportunity to extend the lead in the championship game. The tying goal went in off our defenseman’s leg and that was all she wrote,” Kallio added.

Coach Kallio was philosophical on the bus ride back. “I thought our team improved over the course of the season and, in the end, that’s all a coach can ask of his players — to give their best effort all season and improve all season long.”

“Our three senior captains, Kyle and Will Halloran and Blake Beber, did an excellent job, not only providing leadership to the younger players but also giving us a lot of offense as well as tough defense.”  

Will Halloran had 13 goals and his brother Kyle scored 10 on the season. Beber netted another dozen while Ethan Abraham, only a freshman, led the team with14.

The coach’s face brightened. “Next year we return everyone on defense and in goal, with sophomore Eddie Massaro and freshman Eddie Abrams competing for time in the crease. We’re gonna be fine.”