Eight Rye seniors suited up for a final league game on their home ice Wednesday night, and drove home with a 5-1 victory over Scarsdale (3-10-3) as a fitting memento. Notching their sixth consecutive win, this one certainly didn’t feel like a surprise for the Garnets (10-4-1).
“We’re definitely starting to gel,” said coach Pete Thomas. “Earlier this season, our young guys had to learn from our veterans how we wanted to play, and what we needed to do to win games. They’ve stepped up and we’re playing with some quiet confidence right now. I’m happy to get the win tonight for these seniors.”
Junior Jamie Morris got the scoring started in the 1st period off a delicious dish from junior Trevor Dolan. Morris added a second goal four minutes later. Then junior defenseman Will Molin — who typically does his steady defensive work anonymously — smacked a slap shot from the parking lot to make it 3-0 Rye. Senior Connor Brady and freshman Max Niejadlik finished off the scoring. Never-panic Rye sophomore goaltender Fernando Mosquera had his usual strong night between the pipes.
No player on Rye’s team embodies the tenacity and commitment to doing the things that don’t show up on stat sheets better than senior Tyler McDermott. Every single shift, no matter the score, he chases down pucks as if the little rubber biscuit belongs to him. On Senior Night, or any night, he’s a joy to watch.
Rye gets a week off before hosting a final regular-season home game at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday against Horace Greeley (6-6-2) at Playland.
