The Rye Hockey team capped off the 2026 regular season with an invigorating victory over Rye Country Day on Thursday, February 19, forging a late comeback to win 6-5 in overtime. The Garnets donned special purple and white jerseys in the finale as they avenged last year’s 6-5 loss to the Wildcats to capture the Cross-town Cup.
“All bets are off in a rivalry game and this was a battle of will,” Head Coach Pete Thomas told MyRye.com after the game. “We showed again today that our resolve is strong.”
As he has done all season, Colin Nigro scored the big goal, winning the game in OT unassisted. Max Niejadlik scored on the power play with 2:37 remaining in regulation to tie the score at 5-5. His brother Will scored the first two goals for the Garnets, which were followed by two from Jamie Morris – including one beauty at the end of the second period to give Rye a real chance.
The Garnets have now scored 39 goals across their six-game winning streak (6.5 per game). They will look to carry that momentum into the Sectional playoffs, which begin next week. The Garnets are the #1 seed and will play the winner of #4 Pawling and #5 Carmel on Wednesday, February 25, at Rye Playland. Thomas’ squad are seeking their second consecutive tournament title. They enter the postseason with a 15-2-3 record and no losses since January 16.
