River Report: 2024-2025 | Issue 1
Director's Update
We are off and running for the 2024/2025 season! It has been a busy few months with the program migrating to the new Crossbar website internally. In addition, the CSHL has transitioned to Game Sheet for electronic scoring. A shout out and thank you to all of our managers, coaches, and volunteers who have helped implement these important changes.
The program kicked off the season with our fourth annual 3 v 3 / 4 v 4 event in August with team practices beginning the following week. The CSHL preseason is now complete with 14 total RRYH teams (excluding mite blue) competing in the CSHL regular season. This season we have 3 bantam teams, 3 peewee teams, 4 squirt teams, and 4 mite red/white teams.
Our cash raffle was a great success in driving additional funds to our teams individually and the program overall. The sponsorship program has grown this year as well with a total of 10 sponsors as of November 19. These important fundraisers will allow RRYH to continue to invest in player development throughout the season while keeping costs as low as possible for our families.
We wish all of our teams the best as they compete in regular season league games and various tournaments in the area and out of town.
Bantam 1
Bantam 1 has gone through the preseason with a mixed record, ultimately securing a spot in the AA division. With football ending and having a full roster, the team is starting to work together and hit its stride. Our first regular season game is Nov 23 and we are heading to our first tournament on Dec 6. Looking forward to a great season with a great team!
Bantam 2
With only a few returning bantams, the majority of Bantam 2 has cordially welcomed the USA Hockey Rule Book’s permission to check its opponents in pursuit of puck possession. It’s big boy hockey and we’re digging in! Placing focus on the “details” will be the theme for our year and has served us well in preseason. Firmly atop the A2 division, we’ve got unfinished business with several teams in our division setting the stage for a competitive regular season.
Coach Eric and family played gracious hosts to our boys and their families for a season kick-off party! The Columbus Capitals shared a few games with our squad at Rocket Mortgage and “The Barn” at the Ohio State Fairgrounds… Hard to argue with the venue selection! FUN with a Capital “F” describes our final week of the preseason. Time to stand on business, here we go boys!
Bantam 3
Bantam 3 has had a very productive preseason going 6-1 and securing a spot in the A3 Division. We had some exciting games with very short benches, but all-in-all have played very well. We are still learning some of the finer points to the checking rules, and are certainly excited to push those boundaries! The team had a “character building” tournament in Pittsburgh by playing some higher skilled teams from far away lands. The highlight of the weekend was tying the final game, a team we lost to not 18 hours before, by out skating and out hustling them. We were certainly the better conditioned team with only 8.5 skaters for the weekend. I can’t wait to see what the team can do with a full bench.
Peewee 1
PW1 had a good finish to the preseason by winning our last 3 games and cementing us into the AA division for the season. We were in 1 early tournament, and won the consolation final 7-3 over a Canadian team that had entered the tournament. We have also entered the Nations Cup Tournament in Detroit over Thanksgiving weekend. We will play 5 games against all Canadian teams, where every game is TEAM USA vs TEAM CANADA and all teams in the tournament get TEAM USA jerseys and socks to wear for all the games. Looking forward to a good regular season. Looking to make the playoffs and be in top form for the end of the year tournament and win a banner for the program.
Peewee 2
Peewee 2 had a great start to the season, highlighted by a fun trip to Pittsburgh to play in the Three Rivers Cup. We finished the tournament 3-1-1 finishing in 2nd place. Peewee 2 didn’t designate players into specific positions. Instead we spent the entire preseason focused on learning skills and getting the kids comfortable playing in any position. Now as we turn our focus to the regular season, we have set lines and look forward to showing what we can do. Nick Urbancic led the team with 11 goals and 14 points, while Ben Ambrosino added 4 goals and 13 points. Anthony Nicholson has been stingy in goal with a 90.9% save percentage and 2.1 goals against. Peewee 2 finished the preseason 7-4-2 and placed in the A2 division, where we expect to contend for the division championship.
Peewee 3
PW3 kicked off the season with a pizza party and some playground bonding time. It seemed to have worked as the team went undefeated in the preseason! Quite a feat considering the team was routinely down a few players due to other fall sport commitments and the addition of a first-time hockey player to the team. The team has come together really well and everyone is looking forward to more hockey and fun as the season kicks off.
Squirt 1
Squirt 1 had a strong preseason, finishing at the top of the AA division. The team has had a few preseason get togethers including a meet and greet at Coach Chris Niehaus’ home, a Halloween party at the Hartings’s home (with a wide array or great costumes from both players and parents) and a fantasy NHL draft in the pavilion at River. We also split a pair of games vs. a AAA team from Mercyhurst. The team is looking forward to our first out of town tournament down in Oxford, OH over MLK weekend. We are looking forward to a competitive season with lots of hockey growth and fun.
Squirt 2
Squirt 2 had a strong preseason and the team is starting to work together. They enjoyed a 2-0 victory at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse followed by a Monsters victory. They competed in their first tournament November 15-17 in Fort Wayne, IN.
Squirt 3
Squirt 3 found its groove over the course of the preseason, finishing 0.500, and consuming a total of 26 large pizzas. They took their talents to Buffalo, NY to face off in the outdoor classic, November 15-17. “It’s great to see so many promoted Mites really coming together as a team, and learning the mechanics of full ice”, a quote from Head Coach Scott.
Squirt 4
Squirt 4 had a productive preseason, finishing with a 4-2-1 record. Even in the games that did not result in a win, the team was competitive and persistent, often staging a late rally to make it close. The team had a slight adjustment period to the big ice and offsides, but with each game their coaches saw increased stamina and hockey awareness. Some key contributors have been Henry Klay #79, Jackson Reed #84, and Nate Brajkovich #89 on offense, Charles Bruckman #74 and William Garvey #68 on defense, and Aleksy Sawyer #80 between the pipes, but all players have contributed to this team’s success. This team is fun to watch!
Mite 1
Mite 1 has had a good start to the year and after some hard fought preseason wins find themselves in Red 1. The coaching staff has noticed continued improvement and progress with each practice and are looking forward to the regular season and our first tournament in December. Consistency throughout 3 periods will be a main focus for the team as we also start preparing them to make the jump to the Squirt level next year.
Mite 2
Mite 2 has had an amazing start to the season this year. With an undefeated preseason record, the team has been working together on their communication and skills. We had a great team breakfast to kick off the season and a team dinner celebration on Saturday November 16th, with all of the players and families. It’s been a blast bringing the team together, both on and off of the ice. With our first tournament coming up in December, these kids are ready to take all of their talents to the ice!
Mite 3
Great start to the year and fun to see the progress our players and overall team has made thus far. Mite 3 finished the preseason 7-1-2 with everyone getting to contribute in the scoring frenzy. Even more fun to witness was the passing and our players beginning to vocalize and call for pucks. Great group of parents and kids that enjoy being at the rink and want to be on the ice - you can see it in their faces. On-ice, we put emphasis on shooting, overall proper mechanics, and basic hockey structure. Off-ice, we took advantage of the beautiful fall with outdoor workouts, games, and fun. The mite preseason roller coaster is over - looking forward to being forced to play more on the defensive side of the puck in tighter games.
Mite 4
Mite 4 wrapped up the preseason on a high note, showing impressive teamwork and cohesion. Each player has been putting in significant effort during practices, and their hard work and dedication show during the games. The team is very supportive of one another, creating a fun and encouraging atmosphere. Our first tournament is set for December. Additionally, we are eagerly anticipating a game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse before the Monster’s game on December 19th. Excitement is in the air for what promises to be a fantastic season.