John Jay Gives Second Seeded Byram Hills a Run for Money in First Round Loss

Byram Slideshow

On Tuesday February 20, John Jay faced Byram Hills at the Brewster Ice rink and at 6-14, the Wolves were the clear underdogs to the second seed. Still, the boys scored first and held a 2-1 lead deep into the second. So the glass slippers were out for a potential Cinderella run, but in the end, the shine on the Bobcats’ footwear proved too much.

“They had a lot more than we had,” said Coach John McKeon after the 8-3 loss. At the same time, he was still proud of his team for giving Byram a run for their money.

John Jay didn’t wait long to get out of the starting blocks either. The Wolves drew a penalty at 16:22 and worked the triangle. Colman Rice got the puck on the left, passed over to Brendan Asta, and his shot was tipped on by Ryan Hasapis.

15:31 left in the first, the Bobcats didn’t waiver. Avery Tymus had a shot on goal at 14:20, and moments later, he set up Zach Marvin in front.

Erin Samuelson there both times, the offense took the cue. Hasapis skated down the right, got some space and put the puck right out front. Waiting for a stick, Byram got their first and was able to ice the puck.

The face off to the Bobcats, Gavin Nichols got the puck up ice, sent ahead to Ryan Nichols and he passed left to Alex Cutier. A direct line of sight from the middle, he wound up and beat Samuelson at 10:51.

All tied, John Jay kept at it. Hasapis broke free for a rush that sent his puck wide right, and on the other side, Asta got to the goal line for a short side shot that hit the post.

Then the Bobcats took their turn. First, a Tymus pick in the defensive zone made for a backhander on Samuelson, and next, Byram set up shop in front of the Wolf goalie. For about 45 seconds, the Bobcats wouldn’t leave and put at least three good shots on goal.

A clear finally, Byram came right back. Tymus setup Marvin in front for a shot wide, and Christian Cipriano came straight down the middle at 5:13.

Another save for Samuelson, Hasapis went the other way, but an offsides ultimately didn’t give the Jay defense much of a rest. More peppering, Byram put Samuelson to the test with ten first period saves, and appeared to break through. Gavin Nichols hitting the net, the play was just whistled dead on a boarding penalty that negated the goal at 2:25.

A five minute major, it was John Jay who then appeared to gain the upper hand. Asta got the puck out front, and put it into the goal at :42. Unfortunately, the referee waved off the 2-1 lead on a hand pass with 45 seconds left in the period.

Not so good either, a tripping penalty on John Jay at 25 seconds sent the teams into the second period at even strength. But upon return, the Wolves didn’t seem to notice. Hasapis got the puck moving forward, and Asta found Rice on the right. He made his move and broke the tie at 16:39.

The Bobcats kept at it nonetheless. A shot for Tymus and a setup for Cutier in front had Samuelson scrambling some more.

No dent yet, Hasapis’ wrist shot on goal at 12:30 was only a brief respite anyway. The Bobcats harried and circled until they drew a power play at 7:27. The beginning of the end, the Nichols brothers worked the puck until it popped for Erik Cipriano out front, and he tied the score.

6:19 left in the second, Byram kept the pressure on, and the whistle won out again. Another penalty drawn, Cutier and Ryan Nichols officially turned the tide with the pass and scoring shot respectively at 2:41.

The onslaught continuing, the Bobcats took 3-2 lead into the third and stuck with the program. Another John Jay penalty, and the power play scored by Nichols at 15:53 had McKeon clarifying the turn of events. “I think we ran out of gas,” he said.

In this, the coach was easily able to make sense of the three consecutive penalties that resulted in three goals. “When you get tired, you stop moving your feet,” he said. “That’s when you take penalties.”

The goals not stopping from there, the wearing down was not really a criticism. “They gave it everything they had,” he assured

Of course, the ending is more definite for the seniors and had to be noted. “Colman and Kenny (Irving) have meant everything to the program,” McKeon asserted.

In their wake, he’s sure there will be a carryover - especially with a young team full of returners. “It’s a new beginning,” McKeon concluded.