Good morning. 🏒🏀 It’s Friday, Jan. 30. For the third time this season, the Garnet hockey team traveled north of Albany for a two-game road trip and returned home unbeaten. Ties against Shenendehowa and Queensbury, two of last year’s state semifinalists, proved Rye has a worthy claim for New York’s Division 2 hockey throne.

Winter weather kept another contender, Rye girls basketball, out of action since its 48-36 loss last Friday at Mamaroneck. Both of this season’s losses for the Garnets (13-2) came against Class AAA opponents. Five games remain, all against Class AA competition.

The Garnet girls are back in action tonight, along with the boys, who have won eight of their past nine games.

Let’s go “Between the Lines” to see how the Garnets are accumulating wins ahead of February’s postseason.

“Between the Lines” is curated by sports editor Chris Marshall.

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Rye Hockey Stakes Claim as Kings of the North

When Rye’s hockey team won the section championship last season, their reward was to open the state tournament in Ogdensburg, a town located six hours north on the St. Lawrence River. The Garnets, who were riding an 11-game win streak, lost 3-2 against the eventual state runner-up.

In the middle of a jam-packed regular season, returning to New York’s northern reaches might not be the most convenient destination, but it does prepare the Garnets for the road that awaits if they repeat as Section 1 champions.

Last weekend, Rye (10-2-3) made its third and final scheduled trip north of Albany. The 200-mile bus ride was only half the distance of holiday trips to Beekmantown and Massena, but the opponents may have been the Garnets’ toughest yet.

Last Friday, Rye played to a 3-3 tie against Shenendehowa (11-2-1), a Division 1 state semifinalist in 2025. The next day, the Garnets tied 4-4 against Queensbury (9-4-1), the team Ogdensburg beat in last year’s Division 2 state semifinals.

“This is the time of year we train for,” said Rye coach Peter Thomas. “We had a really good road trip up to Saratoga Springs last weekend. The tie against Shenendehowa last Friday was a hard-fought game. But depending on how things work out in the next few weeks, there’s a chance we’ll get to skate against Queensbury again in the postseason. They’re a good team. We’d love another shot at them.”

Playing perennial state playoff contenders also makes Rye’s area opponents a breeze by comparison. Playing in the friendly confines of Playland, the Garnets beat Pawling 7-1 on Wednesday, their second-largest margin of victory all season.

Four regular-season games remain for Rye, two against Mamaroneck (7-9) and two against Suffern (9-2-1). After playing Mamaroneck at 5:30 tonight, the schedule lightens up a bit, with just one game in the next 10 days.

Weather Report: Check out the weekend weather forecast for Rye here.

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Performers of the Week: Jamie Morris

🏒 Congrats to Jamie Morris — winner of the Sportech Performer of the Week.

The senior scored seven times in Rye’s past three games, accounting for more than half of the team’s goals last weekend in Saratoga Springs.

After falling behind 2-0 against Shenendehowa last Friday, Morris’ goals pulled Rye even twice. His first goal made it 2-2, then he scored again in the third period to secure the 3-3 tie. He added two more goals, plus an assist, the following day in a 4-4 tie against Queensbury.

In Wednesday’s 7-1 rout of Pawling, Morris had another night – and a goal – to remember. His third and final score came with 13:09 to go in the second period. Penetrating the Pawling zone, fellow senior Ryan Draddy found Morris wide open, and the left-hander let fly a shot that went supersonic the second it left his stick. It was a big boy goal. The kind of shot that makes you turn to the person sitting next to you and ask, “What the heck was THAT!?”

— By Steven Kearney

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Game of the Week: Wire-to-Wire Wins

🏀 Last Friday’s 66-41 win against Eastchester was the largest of the season for Rye boys basketball … until Wednesday, when the Garnets routed John Jay 55-24.

Against Eastchester (1-12), junior Ben Hudson led all scorers with 19 points, and junior Gavin McKiernan added 15 off the bench. Against John Jay (5-9), 10 Garnets scored, led by seniors Carson Miller (15) and Henry Shoemaker (11). With eight wins in their past nine games, the Garnets are starting to become the team they hoped they’d be. 

“We started the season 1-2, we’re now 9-3, so I’m happy about where we are today,” said coach Tom Proudian. “The Suffern loss earlier this month is still pretty fresh in all of our minds. That one hurt. But we’re better than what we showed that night. Our continuity as a team is really coming along now, and we’re getting great contributions across the board, particularly from our bench.”

Rye, currently fifth in the Section 1 Class AA standings, hosts Woodlands (13-2) at 7 tonight. The Section 1 Class B leaders’ only losses have come at Class AAA New Rochelle, by one point, and at undefeated Tappan Zee, by 20.

— By Steven Kearney

This Week’s Rye Record: 5-1-2

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