For a regular season hockey game in mid-December, last Tuesday night’s tilt between Rye Town/Harrison and Carmel had a bit of everything. And after the chippy play, an unlikely comeback and a decisive finish, it was RTH that stood tall with a 4-3 win over the Rams. But while the game might only be one point in the standings, Titans’ head coach Rich Myers believes that this victory will be a major boost for his club in the long run.
After watching a 3-0 lead evaporate in the third period, after an onslaught by the Bobcats, the Titans were able to get the game-winner when Jack Mazzella snuck behind the Rams and found the note with just 2:27 left to play. Myers grinned while talking about the decisive goal, noting that it wasn’t exactly how the Titans drew it up.
“We were out of position so I wasn’t happy with the way that play started,” said Myers. “But with the way it ended, I was very happy.”
Coming into the third period, the Titans had done a good job of controlling the action, scoring twice on 5-on-3 power plays in the second before adding a short-handed goal from Julian Gahr to hold a three-goal lead heading into the final 17 minutes. But Carmel turned up the intensity in the third period, putting 14 shots on net and tying the game with just under five minutes to play.
Myers said that he knew that Carmel—who came into the came with a 4-2-1 record—would pose some problems on the offensive end.
“Coming in, we figured they were really going to try to jump on us,” said the head coach. “But we were able to do a good job until that third period when they just came out with a little more energy.”
Overall, Myers said he was pleased with the way his team performed against a tough divisional opponent. Luke Boraczek was solid in net for the Titans, making 26 stops on the night. With the win, the Titans climbed back to .500 and are 4-4 on the year heading into January.
“We knew coming into this one if we won heading into the break, we’re at .500; it’s a big league game,” said Myers. “I think it really put a fire under them and got them going.”
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