On Dec. 20, the Rye Town/Harrison Titans fought through a slow start and a rash of penalties to top New Rochelle 5-2 and keep their perfect season intact. But even at 6-0 on the year, the surging Titans know they will have to continue to improve as they hope to make a deep playoff push.
Heading into the third period with a slight 3-2 lead, senior Matt Milone gave the Titans some a much-needed cushion, beating Huguenot netminder Nathan Kirschenbaum with a top-shelf wrister from the point. A few minutes later, Joey Harrison put the game away with the Titans’ second goal of the period, ending any chance of a New Rochelle comeback.
“At that point, it was a one-goal game, and anything can happen,” Milone said. “I think that goal helped us gain a little more confidence.”
Toward the end of the second period, the Huguenots seemed to be gaining momentum, taking advantage of some inopportune Titans penalties to storm back into contention. According to Milone, staying out of the box has been something of a problem for the Titans this year, despite the team’s undefeated record.
“It’s the same thing that happened to us against Harvey on Monday night,” Milone said. “And it’s something we know we have to work on.”
With a renewed commitment to clean hockey in the third, however, the Titans’ skills were on full display.
“At intermission, I just told them to forget the first 30 minutes and concentrate on the last 15,” said head coach Rich Myers. “And you saw that from them at the end, winning what was essentially a 15-minute game at that point.”
The win was Rye Town/Harrison’s second over New Rochelle this year, having previously beaten the Huguenots 4-3 on Nov. 25.
“The first time we played, it was only our second game together,” Milone said. “We were still learning how to play as a unit, but we have definitely improved since then.”
The Titans will have a tall order ahead of them on Dec. 22, after press time, as the prepare to take on North Rockland (6-0) in a battle of the unbeatens. The Red Raiders are currently ranked as one of the top teams in Section I, but have allowed 12 goals in the last three games.
“It’s going to be a test for us; North Rockland is big and strong so we’re going to have to beat them with our speed,” Myers said. “We just have to stay out of the box, play wide and if can play five-on-five, we have a damn good chance.”
