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HEADLINES  | | | 14U 2005 Blue - 2019-2020 EJEPL Playoff Champions Over the weekend of Jan. 31 – Feb 2, Reston’s 14U Blue team won the club’s first ever EJEPL championship. The top U14 division included 25 teams from Maine to Florida and included several of the top Tier 2 clubs in the nation. It became clear early in the season that the Raiders could skate with the best and the Championship trophy was a fitting end to a highly competitive season.
Aston Ice Works was the setting of what would be a very close and hotly contested round robin playoff format. Of the eight playoff games held on Friday, five went into overtime and two ended in ties after no scoring in 10 minutes of sudden death. For the Raiders, the first contest was against the 13th ranked Charlotte Rush who wanted revenge for an OT loss to the Raiders earlier in the season. Charlotte took a 1-0 lead into the second when team Captain, Conner McCarthy took advantage of a top-heavy Charlotte lineup and put away two goals including an impressive PP goal to take a 2-1 lead into the third. Tucker Forrest was stellar in goal but their top line capitalized on a PP to tie the game and were able to score again to take the hard-fought win.
After some much-needed rest, Saturday would bring a highly skilled Atlanta Fire team and then Clearwater later that evening. Aiden Arbuckle got the nod for the matinee and quickly made his presence known by turning away several quality chances. But it was Will Cahill who was on fire in the first with two sweet tallies and Gavin Oglesby with another marker for a 3-0 lead mid-way in the second. There was a lull in the second that made things close but Maddox Sheehan buried one more to squeak out a 4-3 win.
The Clearwater Ice Storm knew they had their hand full when the Raiders pounced early and often. With Tucker Forrest in goal, the Raiders took control of the game with relentless pressure and a phenomenal team effort. Three balanced lines all had strong contributions and together with a solid blue line, the Raiders were able to deliver a 6-3 win.
Having emerged from the preliminary round as the top seed in their bracket, Reston would take on a strong York Devils club for the right to go to the championship game. York had not lost a game during the regular season and Sunday morning saw them come out strong. Will Cahill and Maddox Sheehan were quick to capitalize on some quality chances and a highly charged Reston team could sense something special was happening. After York was able to close the gap in the second, it was again Conner McCarthy who put the game out of reach with two unanswered, for an emotional 4-1 Reston win.
The win set the stage for an epic battle between the undefeated (and #6 ranked) Pro Tec Ducks and our undaunted Reston squad. Having lost 4-2 to the Ducks earlier in the season, our boys knew full well of the challenges that lie ahead. Early on, each team played with a great deal of structure and discipline. The coaches had prepared the boys well and watched their group take a 1-0 lead when Maddox Sheehan converted on the doorstep. The highly skilled Pro Tec team was able to tie it in the second but McCarthy was able to capitalize on a breakaway to make it 2-1. The third saw tremendous efforts on both sides but it was Tucker Forrest who again controlled the destiny of our Reston group. Tuckers’ dominant performance only served to fuel the emotionally charged Raider squad and helped Tommy Guthrie bury the ENG for a 3-1 win.
It was no surprise that Tucker Forrest would win the MVP but the performance of both Aiden and Tucker cemented the Arbuckle/Forrest tandem as the envy of the league. This along with the tireless efforts of the coaches to prepare our boys in all facets of the game, made this accomplishment a true team success story.
| 10U 2009 Wins Gold in Lake Placid The 2009 10U Blue AA Reston Raiders trekked to the North Country over the weekend of February 7th-9th to take part in the American Cup in Lake Placid, New York. The tournament took place on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the 1980 Winter Olympic Games and “The Miracle on Ice.”
In preparation for their trip, each Raider randomly selected a name of a player from the famous 1980 squad, independently researched the player’s biography and then gave a presentation about his player to his teammates and family members before the trip north. Upon arrival at the Olympic Center in picturesque downtown Lake Placid, the players recognized their 1980 player’s name in the ring of honor around the rink and they were able to better appreciate the significance and magnitude of the win in 1980. The team and family members enjoyed pond hockey on Mirror Lake and a heavy Adirondack snow fall provided the perfect winter backdrop, if not enough cushion to protect the tailbone on the famous Lake Placid Toboggan Chute.
In the tournament itself, the team got off to a sluggish start – heavy legs caused perhaps by too many hours of pond hockey the night before – losing a tight 3-2 affair against the Holy Name Stars from Springfield, Massachusetts. However, on day 2, the team bounced back, sinking the Hingham (MA) Harbormen, 2-0 in the morning tilt and then bagging the Plattsburgh (NY) Roadrunners in a 6-3 win to clinch a spot in Sunday’s final.
A bright morning sun rose over the Adirondack peaks early on Sunday, an omen of good things to come that day for the Reston Raiders. Arriving at the 1980 rink for the Final, the Raiders discovered that they had been assigned the 1980 U.S. team’s locker room, complete with the roster of Christian, Broten, Johnson, Eruzione, et al. With echoes of Coach Brooks’ pre-game speech ringing through the room, the team prepared for a rematch with the Holy Name Stars. After falling behind 1-0, the Raiders rallied to tie the game and then followed that with three goals in rapid succession in the second period to build a 4-1 lead. The Stars, however, are a formidable bunch and they responded so quickly with two goals of their own that the public address announcer couldn’t rattle the goal scorers’ names off fast enough. The Raiders settled themselves however, finally gained a bit of puck luck and scored twice to build what looked like a safe lead at last. But a late penalty kill was needed, along with an empty netter and finally, a tic-tac-toe goal with time winding down sealed the 8-3 win to capture the American Cup. More important than the tournament games, however, were the memories made by the players and their families. It was a special trip to a special place and the team is very excited to bring the gold back to Virginia!
The American Cup follows the Harborcenter Cup championship that the 10U Blue AA team won in Buffalo in November and a Finalist appearance in the Hershey Labor Day tournament. While in Lake Placid, the team also learned that it had qualified for the CBHL 10UAA playoffs.
| Raiders Spring House League - Details & Registration Info 2020 Raiders Spring House League
Spring House League is intended as a fun time for where teams play games without standings. It runs from mid-March until mid-June with 4-5 practices and 9-10 games (8U House players will have a slightly different schedule, see below). Registration is now open to all and will be ongoing until programs are full. There is no priority registration period for returning members, so please register early to ensure a spot for your player. Players registered for Spring House who are rostered on a Spring Select team will be eligible for a full refund for Spring House if they drop Spring House before the drop deadline.
Spring Learn to Play
Spring Learn to Play will be similar to our Fall/Winter program. Saturday morning weekly sessions will be held at Loudoun Ice Center. Each session will focus on practice/skill development followed by a scrimmage/game. Sessions will be divided by age and are open to birth years 2009 - 2015.
8U Eligibility
The Spring House program is open to birth year 2011, 2012, and 2013 players with prior experience. Prior experience includes:
· Participating in the 2019-2020 Reston Raiders 8U House program
· Participating in the 2019-2020 Reston Raiders LTP2 program
· Participating in the 2019-2020 Reston Raiders LTP1 program AND certified as eligible to play 8U by the LTP Director
Current participants in the Reston Raiders Learn to Play Program (both LTP1 and LTP2) of appropriate age may register for 8U, but the registration will be conditional based on the outcome of the LTP evaluation. All current Reston Raiders LTP participants will receive an end-of-season evaluation and recommendation for the next steps in their hockey career - the evaluations process is will start in mid-January. Parents of 8U age players who have not participated in the Reston Raiders Learn to Program and have at least one season of prior hockey experience should contact LTP Director Mike Donovan at
to determine their eligibility.
Tentative Schedule
The schedule will not be completed until registration is finished because the number of players in each age group will determine the number of teams which, in turn, will determine the schedule. A permanent schedule will be published soon after registration is closed. There will only be 4-5 practices during the entire season so practices will not be held every week.
Age Groups
8U - House players that are 2011 and younger and travel players from 2012 and younger will play in 8U.
Tentative Schedule
Practices: Fridays (6-10 Practices)
Games: Sunday mornings (8-10 Games; 15 – 17 ice slots per team)
Cost: $395
10U - Travel players from 2010 and 2011 and house players from 2009 and 2010 players will play in 10U.
Practices: Wednesdays
Games: Saturday mornings
Cost: $395
12U - Travel players from 2008 and 2009 and house players from 2007 and 2008 will play in 12U.
Practices: Thursdays
Games: Sunday mornings
Cost: $395
14U/16U/18U NON-CHECKING – Travel players from 2007 and house players from 2006/2005/2004 and older will play in 14U/16U/18U.
Practices: Mondays
Games: Saturday afternoons and evenings, some Sunday games
Cost: $395
Travel players 2005 and older are encouraged to play with their high school teams. Travel 2005 GOALIES can contact our Spring League Director, John Gary at
to register.
REGISTRATION
You can register directly on the Raiders Website or through this link:
REGISTRATION FOR RRHC SPRING HOUSE 2020*
*If you register for Spring House to hold a spot and then are rostered on a Spring Select Team and wish to drop Spring House, Complete the Request to drop Spring House 2020 FORM by 3/15/2020, 12PM.
If you have any questions about Spring House League, please contact Spring League Director, John Gary at
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| Raiders Spring Selects - Tryout Registration Now Open The Reston Raider Hockey Club is pleased to announce that we will be fielding Spring Select Teams once again this spring. This is a separate program from our Spring House League and will allow for players to continue developing their skills in a competitive environment. The Spring Selects Program is tailored towards the players that is currently playing or interested in preparing for our Travel Hockey tryouts to be held in May or June.
Spring Selects Program intends to field 20 teams this spring. They will be fielded at the following birth year levels with the following Head Coaches:
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Team
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Head Coach
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8U 2012
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Grant Moher
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8U 2013-2014
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TJ Mathieson
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10U 2010 Blue
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Don Bainbridge
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10U 2011 Blue
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Tom Scott
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10U Silver
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TBD
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10U Black
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TBD
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12U 2008 Blue
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John Gary
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12U 2009 Blue
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Jim Behrend
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12U Silver
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Chuck Wilkins
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12U Black
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TBD
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14U 2006 Blue
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Matt Scodallero
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14U 2007 Blue
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Simon Roberts
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14U Silver
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Dave Gaucher
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14U Black
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TBD
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16U Blue (AA #1)
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Dan Sheehan
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16U Silver (AA or A)
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Jon Cooper
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18U Blue
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TBD
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Girls 12U
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Todd Seymour
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Girls 14U
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Shane Arbuckle
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Girls 19U
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John Ezzard
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Teams at the 8U level will consist of no more 18 players. The teams at 10U, 12U, 14U and 16U teams will also consist of at least 15 skaters and 1 or 2 goalies. At 10U, 12U, & 14U we intend to field four teams, Birth Year Blue teams and mixed Silver and Black Teams. Should registration numbers and talent lead us to believe we can field competitive second birth year Silver teams, we will two birth year teams at each age level.
Each team will be eligible to attend 1 or 2 tournaments. The thought is that the birth year teams will participate in AA for the major birth year, at least A for the minor birth year and depending on the ability of each team and the mixed teams would participate in A or B level tournaments.
The program will consist of 10 half-ice weekly practices, and the cost of the program will be $395, tournament costs will be determined by each team, based on the number of tournaments they plan to attend. The practice schedule will be as follows:
Mondays:
10U Silver & 10U Black - 6:10 - 7:30 pm
Tuesdays:
8U 2012 & 8U 2013/2014 - 5:40 - 7:00 pm
10U 2010 & 10U 2011 Blue - 6:10 - 7:30 pm
12U 2008 & 12U 2009 Blue - 7:10 - 8:30 pm
12U Silver & 12U Black - 7:40 - 9:00 pm
14U 2006 & 14U 2007 Blue - 8:40 - 10::00 pm
16U Blue & 16U Silver - 9:10 - 10:30 pm
Wednesdays:
18U Blue - 8:40 - 10:00 pm
Thursdays:
Girls Selects - 6:10 - 7:30 pm (See Note Below)
14U Silver & 14U Black - 7:10 - 8:30 pm
Registration for tryouts is now open will open and will remain open through 11:59 PM Friday, March 6th. There will be no walk-in registrations allowed.
Our Girls Select Sessions will be a combined session, similar to last Spring with Girls eligible from the Girls 12U ages – 19U ages sharing the ice. There will be no tryouts for the Girls Spring Selects Teams.
Tryouts will be held to select the teams at each level. It is recommended that all players attend both tryouts, but all players must attend at least one session to be selected for the team. The Tryout schedule is listed below:
8U 2013/2014 – March 9 – 6:00-7:20 pm & March 11 – 5:40 – 7:00 pm
8U 2012 – March 9 – 6:10 – 7:30 pm & March 11 – 6:10 – 7:30 pm
10U 2011 - March 10 – 5:40 – 7:00 pm & March 12 – 5:40 – 7:00 pm
10U 2010 – March 10 – 6:10 – 7:30 pm & March 12 – 6:10 – 7:30 pm
12U 2009 – March 9 – 7:30 – 8:50 pm & March 11 – 7:10 – 8:30 pm
12U 2008 – March 9 – 7:40 – 9:00 pm & March 11 – 7:40 – 9:00 pm
14U 2007 – March 10 – 7:10 – 8:30 pm & March 12 – 7:10 – 8:30 pm
14U 2006 – March 10 – 7:40 – 9:00 pm & March 12 – 7:40 – 9:00 pm
16U (2004 & 2005) – March 9 – 9:00 – 10:20 pm & March 11 – 8:40 – 10:00 pm
18U – March 9 – 9:10 – 10:30 pm & March 11 – 9:10 – 10:30 pm
The tryout fee is $50. In order to tryout, you will have to register for tryouts on the Reston Raider website.
For more information on the program, please contact Kevin Burch at
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| 12U 2007 Silver Wins In Nashville The Raiders 12U Silver won the Big Bear Pee Wee A Smokey Mountain Shootout in Nashville over Martin Luther King, Jr Weekend. The boys went undefeated over the weekend by scores of 7-5 over the Vernon Hills Ice Dogs, 4-2 over the Philadelphia Blazers and 6-3 over the Champaign-Urbana Chiefs.
In the Championship game versus the Chapaign-Urbana Chiefs the Raiders were behind 3-2 until the final two minutes when Robert Coverse scored from the high slot to tie the game and send it to overtime. In the 3 on 3 sudden death overtime Owen Slamowitz scored with 3:08 remaining on an assist from Dean Pomeroy to give the Raiders the Championship Banner. Carson Day was awarded the MVP of the Championship with a standout performance in goal. Lucas Abrantes and Christian Alexander also had key goals.
Liam Jarvis, Sean Fagan, Scott Rohland, Dev Saluja and Will O'Sullivan helped slow the Chiefs attack on defense and played outstanding defense over the weekend. The Raiders also got great goaltending from Teague Rezendez who won both of his starts in goal with key saves. Brendan Gaucher, Zack Martin, Anthony Staab, Jamie Hardie made big contributions at forward.
Congratulations to the team for the win and a great weekend in Nashville!
| 10U Silver - Three Rivers Cup Runners-Up Reston Raiders 10U Silver had an amazing weekend at the Three Rivers tournament in Pittsburgh. Meeting Frederick Freeze in the semi-finals the Raiders were down 0-2 with 4 minutes left. With a wicked shot from the point from Eksi the Raiders were able to cut the lead. The goalie was pulled with under a minute left and the Raiders forward, Scigaj, lit the lamp with 18 seconds left. Early on in OT the GWG came from Raiders center Wind! 10U Silver made it to the finals against Chevy Chase for the tier one Championship. After a glorious attempt, Raiders ended up closing out with a 4-5 loss after another goalie pull for an exciting finish to an awesome weekend. Team MVP went to goalie Blevins who accepted the team trophy on behalf of the 10U Silver players.
| Raiders 16U Blue Wins in Smashville 16U Blue brought home the championship banner after winning the Smokey Mountain Shootout tournament over Martin Luther King, jr weekend.
Playing all four games in just two days, the team finished 1-1-1 in pool play, knowing going into game 3 against a tough team from Atlanta that they’d meet again later in the day for the championship, regardless of the outcome of the game.
The Raiders came out strong in Game 1, despite half of the team flying in that morning after Friday night high school games. They outshot the Macomb Mavericks 12-2 in the first period. Macomb had penalty trouble in the first, but settled down and evened up the shots in the remaining two periods. Reston went into the third down by one, but strong goaltending from Jake Levy and goals from Ethan Rostker, Colby Smith, and Simon Kluger (along with two goals from Macomb) made the final score 3-3.
Game 2 later that night was a penalty-filled affair against a team from Illinois (Geneva Cyclones). Reston was outshot in two of the three periods and lost a defenseman for the rest of the tournament due to an uncalled boarding. Excellent goaltending by Rowan Foose and goals from Noah Loggia and Simon Kluger (hat trick) propelled the Raiders to a 4-3 win.
After a good night’s sleep, and waiting for a couple Nashville Predators players to finish using the ice, the Raiders played a game that meant nothing in the standings against a very good Atlanta Center Ice team from Georgia. Both teams knew going into the game that they would meet again that night in the championship, but it was still a good, well-matched game. Toward the end of the first period, the Raiders got on the board first with a goal from Charlie Tourbaf. Each team scored twice in the second (Reston’s goals were from Simon Kluger and Garrett Bain). The Raiders had some penalty trouble in the third and Center Ice added a power play goal, an even strength goal, and an empty netter to win 5-3.
Later that night, the Raiders and Center Ice met again. The first period was all Raiders as far as shots, but there were no goals. In the second period, Center Ice doubled up the Raiders on shots, but there were still no goals. The third period shots were even, but the Raiders scored twice on goals from Charlie Tourbaf and Colby Smith, and Rowan Foose made a number of point blank saves to earn the only shutout of the tournament in the 16U division. The team battled through the last two minutes of the game killing a 6 on 4 due to a man in the box and an empty Center Ice net. The Raiders shut it down and by the end of the night, they had won 2-0 and been presented the championship banner, and Rowan was named MVP.
The 16U Blue team is now 2-0 in its tournaments this season after also winning the Steel City Shootout in Bethlehem, PA in October. The team will try for the three-peat next month when they travel to Charleston for the Palmetto State Presidents Puck tournament over Presidents Day weekend.
| Raiders Alex Mroczka Mite of the Night | 12U 2007 Blue Wins the HarborCenter Cup 
| | The Reston Raiders 07 Blue team kicked off the HarborCenter Cup Gold Division preliminary round Friday morning against North Toronto. The teams 8-hour bus ride the night before had an effect on their legs in the first period as the 07s dug a quick hole letting up three goals in the first. The team battled back in the second and third to tie the game 4-4 with three minutes left in the game. The second game of the day had the Raiders matched up against a tough high scoring Glancaster Bombers team from Ontario. The Raiders battled to lock down their defensive game and broke a scoreless tie midway through the second period and added an insurance goal in the third for a hard fought 2-0 victory. After enjoying a fun night in downtown Buffalo the team was ready for their Saturday match-up against the Tier 1 Rochester Coalition. Reston opened the scoring in the first, but Rochester evened the score going into the third. The Raiders pulled ahead five minutes into the third and added an insurance goal five minutes later to lock in a 3-1 win. With a spot in the semi-finals locked up many players and their families headed out for a fun evening at Duffs Famous Wings.
Despite the presence of the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens players roaming the hotel halls ahead of their NFL game, the Raiders knew that they had to stay focused on their task at hand. Championship Sunday started with the Raiders facing the undefeated Steel City Ice Renegades in the semi-finals. The Raiders scored a goal in each of the first two periods and put the game away early in the third with two more goals resulting in a 4-1 victory. The Championship game was set with a rematch against the Glancaster Bombers. Once again the Raiders had a plan to lock down the high scoring offense and capitalize on their offensive opportunities. The Raiders opened the scoring early in the first and added a second goal later in the period. The second and third period were fast paced, hard fought and the Raiders held on for a 2-0 victory. Coach Waterman was impressed how the team adjusted after allowing three goals in the first period of the tournament to only allow three more goals over the next 14 periods of play. While the bus drive home was long in distance the time seemed to fly by as the players and their families passed around the cup and enjoyed their time together.
The members of the team are Alex Markva, Alex Oehm, Autumn Frear, Colin Barnett, Everett Liu, Gus Simanson, Harrison Smith, Jack Spiess, Jackson Brown, Jackson Mika, Markus Kim, Noah Lawson, Sam Ettinger, TJ George, Tyler Waterman and Will Annexstad. Team is coached by Tim Waterman, James Kim, Jeff Barnett Josh Brown, Paul Spiess, Tom George and Managed by Ashli George and Simon Smith.
| Raiders Travel Goalie Clinics The Raiders will again be offering monthly Goalie Clinics for all Raiders Travel Goalies.
The clinics will be held on Sunday evenings over the course of the season and will be held from 6:10 - 7:10 pm. The 8U Tra el Goalies will have their clinics on the first Sunday of each month. 10U & 12U Travel Goalies will have their clinics on the second Sunday of each month, and our 14U, 16U, 18U Travel Goalies will have their clinic on the third Sunday of each months. Girls Team Goalies will attend the session at their appropriate birth years.
All attendees must register in advance to attend the clinics and registration is now open for all clinics through December. The January and February registrations will be live shortly.
| Raiders House Goalie and Players Skills Clinics Available The Raiders are offering Goalie and Players Skating/Skills Clinics all season for Raiders House Players.
The Clinics are being offered on Saturdays at Loudoun Ice Centre and all players registered in the Raiders House League are eligible to participate. This is a great opportunity for players and goalies to get some extra ice and instruction time to improve their skills.
The clinics are offered the first Saturday of the month four 8U players, the second Saturday of each month for our 10U & 12U House players and goalies and the third Saturday of each month for our 14U and 16U/18U players and goalies.
The cost of the clinic is $30 per session and you can register for the clinics through December on the Raiders webiste. The clinics for January and February will be posted in a few months.
The times of the clinc are 12:20 - 1:20 PM for the Goalie sessions and 1:30 - 2:30 pm for the players sessions.
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