After two deep postseason runs, Rye Town/Harrison is coming into the 2016-17 season with a wealth of talent, experience and depth. Although head coach Jason Head knows that new challenges await the Titans this season, he is confident that a strong core of returning players will continue to push the program to new heights.
Last season, the Titans finished 18-6, won the League II-C championship and made a second-straight appearance in the Division II title game, where they fell to perennial powerhouse Pelham. This year, despite moving up to Division I, Head expects his players to build on last year’s momentum.
“They’re very focused, they came in ready to go,” Head said. “That loss to Pelham stuck with a lot of the guys last year, and even though we’re in Division I now and we’re not going to get a chance to see them in the playoffs, they’ve been motivated.”
The Titans lost just three seniors from last year’s team, and although each player played an integral role on the ice, Head said that his returning players are more than capable of picking up the slack.
Offensively, the Titans will feel the loss of Doug Harrison and Max Picker, who combined for 69 goals last season. But the Titans will return last year’s alternate captain, Jackson Schultz, who had 18 goals and 18 assists on the season.
“We expect Jackson to be taking more of a commanding role this year,” Head said. “And we’ll also be relying on players like William Pizzutello who had a ton of chances last year and Max Chalfin who logged a lot of minutes.”
The Titans’ returners will be joined by a potential breakout star in freshman Anthony Cippolone, who could be a catalyst for the Titans’ offense.
“He’s a very strong player, he’s got a lot of offensive power,” Head said. “We’re looking to plug him in on a line with two upperclassmen and watch him develop.”
The Titans will also have something of a new look on the defensive end, with junior Sam Smith taking over netminding duties from standout Joey Livornese. Smith was stellar in limited time last year, posting a 1.01 goals against average, and could be poised to be the latest in a growing line of solid Rye Town goalies.
“He’s improved tremendously, he’s been going to a lot of goalie camps, and I think most guys would tell you that [Smith] is the hardest worker on the team,” the head coach said. “Hopefully we are going to be in the same situation we were in a few years ago when Joey [Livornese] came in and took over the role.”
The Titans will open the season on Nov. 19 against Byram Hills at Rye Playland, as they become one of the first Section I teams to begin the regular season this year. According to Head, with so many returning players, the brief offseason shouldn’t pose much of a problem.
“Aside from a few new systems we’re implementing, I think it’s going to be our ability to make in-game adjustments that is going to be a game-changer this year,” he said. “We’re going to be up in Division I, so we’re not going to see Pelham, but we know we’re going to have a lot of difficult teams when we start trying to make our run.”
