by posted 05/17/2012
 
The Raiders would like to thank all the players who participatated in the 2012 travel tryouts.

U19 Girls Tier 1
 
Lillian Andrews
Lydia Bartnick
Allison Buch
Diana Buckley
Katharina Buckley
Michelle Ferguson
Danielle Grieco
Sarah Grupp
Jessie Heigh
Sophie Marra
Maggie Mclaughlin
Sarah Pike
Hannah Repke
Megan Sheesley
Tori Womble

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by posted 05/17/2012
 
Raiders Board of Director Elections – Your Vote Counts!
Online voting is currently open for the Raiders Board of Directors election.  For those who have trouble with the online process or are more comfortable voting on paper, we will be collecting in-person votes during the following times this weekend in the SkateQuest lobby:
Saturday 4-6PM and 8:30-9:30PM
Sunday 10-11AM and 2-4PM
 
Only Reston Raiders member parents in good standing for the 2011-2012 season, with all fees paid, are eligible to vote.  Each Raider family is permitted one ballot, EITHER online OR in-person, regardless of the number of players in the family that are enrolled in Raider programs.  Multiple ballots submitted for the same family will result in all ballots for the family being invalidated.  All voting information, for ballots submitted online and in-person, are confidential. 
 
Any questions, please contact the 2012 Elections Committee Chair at

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by posted 05/07/2012
 
The Reston Raider Head Coaching slate for the 2012-2013 travel hockey season have been named.  The list is below, congratulations to all coaches selected.  There are a few vacancies remaining and it is our goal to have those vacancies filled at tryouts as the teams begin to take shape.
 
Registration can be completed on the Reston Raider website by clicking on the Register Online link on home page.  Tryouts will be held May 12th - 20th.  Additional details on the tryouts are available on the "Tryouts May 2012" tab on the top menu bar.

Season Synopsis for most coaches have been added below. 

Mite

2004 –  John Gary
2005 –  Don Bainbridge
2006 – Jim Norton

Squirt

2002 Blue – Kevin Burch
2002 Silver – Jim Morgan
2003 Blue – Jim Carsten
2003 Silver – Nate Smith

Pee Wee

2000 Blue – Brian Andrews
2000 Silver –   TBD
2001 Blue –     Bill Dubay
2001 Silver –   Steve Crespy

Bantam

1998 Blue–  Mark Kuczynski
1999 Blue–  Simon Roberts
1998 Silver- TBD
1999 Silver– TBD

U16

U16 Blue – Jeff Ivey
U16 Silver – Doug Swingle
U16 Black – Dave Booth

U18

U18 Blue - David Lee

Girls

U19 – Jim Buckley
Blue – Chris Soucie
Silver – Jim Carsten
 
Any questions related to the tryouts can be directed to Kevin Burch, Travel Director at  

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by posted 04/30/2012
 
We have received a number of questions about upcoming travel tryouts and the scope of the programs we will be offering for the 2012-2013 season.

This email provides some overview of upcoming events and directs members where they can find more information and to whom to address inquiries.
Important RRHC Information April 2012

Travel Tryouts- Coming up in three weeks

The majority of Raiders travel team tryouts are scheduled for May 12^th - 19^th.  Information on tryouts is posted to the website. The last day to register for tryouts is May 11^th. Any questions can be directed to Kevin Burch the travel director, who once again brings his many years of experience to this important process. http://leagueathletics.com/Page.asp?n=55341&org=restonraiders.com

Travel Coaches Selected

Most of the primary Head Coaches for our travel teams have been selected by the Coaches Selection Committee (CSC) chaired by Dave Fishman.  The head coach at each of the top (Blue level) birth year teams have been selected.  Some of the Silver level coaches have yet to be named but will be communicated to all tryout participants as the tryout process unfolds. 
http://leagueathletics.com/Default.asp?org=restonraiders.com#334062

Travel Coach Synopsis- Know what you are committing to…

Each Travel head coach is asked to post a synopsis outlining the financial and time commitment that he expects from players/families for the coming season.  This will be an overview of practice, game and tournament commitment for each team.  Please review this material before committing to tryouts.  The synopsis will be posted to the website in the near future and will be available at tryouts.

House Registration

If you are interested in the House program and you are a returning Raider you can register starting on July 15^th.  Put the date on your calendar.  We are expecting to fill up quickly again this year.  We will open registration to new members on August 1^st however, our intention is to find places for all returning Raiders first.  Do not wait till September to sign up.

Protecting Raider Members-

Tryouts will once again be open to all players in Northern Virginia, however, preference will be given to returning Raiders.  The past two years the Raiders have had to turn away players at virtually every level.  We are running tryouts and registration by birth year in an effort to balance the ice resources for our existing members.  It is our intention to try and have a place to play (House or Travel) for all returning members each season.  This is not a guarantee nor does it mean that if you played travel one year we can guarantee you a travel roster spot the following season, however, it is the RRHC goal that there will be a place for you to play in our organization.  Should a family decide to leave the Raiders to go to another Tier 2 club in the area they will be not be allowed to rejoin the club in the future without petitioned the Board of Directors for reinstatement in the club.

New Logo-

After 19 years it has been determined that a majority of our members are interested in considering a change from the “Happy Pirate” logo.  This process has taken many months and many hours.  A committee chaired by Rene Shiohama and spearheaded by Debbie Guzik has put in an enormous effort to bring us the final logo choices. There are three new logos and the original logo currently being voted on by our members.  The voting is set up as a registration program on the website.  Please let us know your preference. https://leagueathletics.com/Registration/Restrictions.asp?RegID=85984&n=&org=restonraiders.com

Elections-

The Raiders will also be conducting elections for new board members.  Both Katie Pieruccini and Tony Pane are stepping down after serving three year terms on the BOD.  Dave Fishman our HDB, CSC and CBHL rep has graciously offered to run again.  Voting will be online in May and in person the final weekend of tryouts (May 19^th – 20^th).  Information on the candidates to consider is posted to the website.  Thank you to Sheri Young for once again running our election process.

Concussion Program-

The Raiders concussion testing program is being expanded for this coming season.  All travel players will receive comprehensive base line testing during August mini-camps.  House players may elect to opt in to the program in Sept.  The RRHC safety committee led by Lisa Weiss and Kaki Schmidt has worked to expand the scope of the program to include testing by a certified athletic trainer this fall.  This expanded testing will allow players/families much better data to assist in diagnosing concussions and determining return to play.
COACHING DEVELOPMENTS-

Coach Roe Steps Down-

Larry Roe has chosen to step down at Head Coach.  Larry was instrumental in the formation of the Reston Raiders 19 years ago and has held important roles in the club for most of that interval.  We thank Larry for his commitment to the club, the coaches and the players.

Powerskating Instruction-

Power skating coach Tim Graham has been retained to work with select travel teams during the fall season.  Coach Graham is one of the recognized experts in powerskating and we are excited to add him to our coaching staff.

Washington Capitals Strength and Conditioning Coach-

The Caps strength and condition coach Mark Nemish will work with a group of the top Bantam and Pee Wee travel players twice a week prior to practices.  This program has proven to be highly effective in the past and we look forward to making this opportunity available to as many Raiders as is practical for the 2012-2013 season.

Goalie Coaching-

The Raiders will again offer most travel teams supplemental goalie coaching, provided by The Goalie Academy, led by Darren Hersh and Troy Spittle, the premier goalie coaches in the Northern Virginia area.  Our Goalie education program is overseen by Head Goalie Coach Don Hill who has also instituted monthly goalie clinics and Spring/summer clinics.
 
The Raiders expect to continue as the second largest program in the CBHL and are looking forward to another successful year in developing more than 700 youth hockey players.




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by posted 04/23/2012
 
All candidates for the Board of Directors have been asked to write a statement regarding their interest, experience and expectations.

We will post the statements as they are received from the candidates.

Please review those that are posted below before voting for three of the candidates.

Joseph Ayers
David Fishman
James Gorman
Donald  Hill
Christopher Hunter
Jodi McDermott
Patrick Rapp
Vernon Weisenburg


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by posted 04/22/2012
 

Ryan Ivey and Mackie Wheeler

The weekend of April 14-15 a number of players from the Raiders participated in the PVAHA Player Development Tryouts which included players from all around the area.  All levels were represented with players from Washington Little Caps, Team Maryland and multiple CBHL clubs.  Four current Reston Raiders were selected to attend the SE District Development Camp in Charlotte next month. 

Congratulations to the following players.

1996 - Edward Hirka

1997 - Ryan Ivey, Mackie Wheeler

1998 - Danny Hargadon

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by posted 04/09/2012
 
Information on the travel tryout is available by selecting the tab "Travel Tryouts May 2012" on the top horizontal menu bar.

You may also download this information in a WORD document format by clicking here
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by posted 04/05/2012
 

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by posted 04/03/2012
 
Julian Kell, Michel Logan and Joe Mc Donald just returned from Buffalo, NY and the Tier 1 U18 National Championships. The former Raider Pee Wee Blue Teammates ( 2005 - Mark K - Head Coach ) helped the DC Caps U18 win the East Division of the US Tier 1 Elite League, the Southeast District Tier 1 U18 title, and advance to the quarterfinal round of the National Tournament where they fell to the eventual Champion Shattuck St Mary's. All Three credit Coach K and the Raiders for the development opportunities that led them to an awesome experience this past weekend.....Thanks Raiders !!!

Photos Below: Joe McDonald #7, Julian Kell #2, and Michael Logan #9.
 




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by posted 04/03/2012
 

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by posted 03/27/2012
 
Reston Raiders Travel Tryouts for the 2012 – 2013 Season

The Reston Raiders are planning to hold tryouts for 2012-2013 hockey season in May.  The tryouts will run from May 12^th – May 20^th.  All goalies interested in playing goalie next season will be required to attend the goalie only tryouts on Saturday May 12^th.  Goalies and the remaining players will attend the tryout sessions that kick-off Monday May 14^th and run through the 20^th.  There will be three sessions for each age group.  Additional details including the coaching selections and schedule will be updated shortly. 

As in past seasons, registration for tryouts will be done online.  Registration will open on Thursday April 5^th.

The May tryouts will be used to select the following teams:

• Mite Blue – 2004 birth year
• 4 Squirt Teams (2 – 2002 birth year and 2 – 2003 birth year teams)
• 4 Pee Wee Teams (2 – 2000 birth year and 2 – 2001 birth year teams)
• 3 Bantam Teams (1 – 1998, 1 – 1999, & 1 – 98/99 Mixed birth year team)
• 3 U16 Teams
• 1 U18 Team
• 3 Women’s teams (1 – U19 Tier I team with tryouts for this team held on May 9, 12 & 13, & 2 skill based CBHL Women teams)

Additional questions can be answered by Kevin Burch, Travel Director, by sending an email to

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by posted 03/16/2012
 
1997 Development Team
Griffen Boedicker
Justin Cho
Christopher Claps - Practice Player
Luke Collins
Benjamin Constantine
Tommy Crespy
Colin Dibble
Brandon  Ferder – Practice Player
Sandie Harvie – Practice Player
Jack Heaps
Ryan Ivey
Jack Lalor
Lachlan Nash - Practice Player
Dylann Nasr
Miles O'Bryan - Practice Player
Bryce Rogers
Jacob Ruttenberg
Connor Vasofsky
Mackie Wheeler
Ryan Yoon
 
 
 
1996 Development Team
Brandon Cho
Shane Corcoran
Gordon Denis
Asbjorn Eide
Owen Fisher
Ryan Guidi - Practice Player
Cameron Hamilton
David Katzman
Sean Kim
Zachary Kozero
Sam LaFuria
William Langstaff
Nicholas Levesque
Mitchell Mahoney
Hunter Olson
Ryan Schafer
Zachary Shiohama
Cayman Ward
David Wilkes

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by posted 03/13/2012
 
The Reston Raiders Squirt Select team brought home another banner for the rink when they won the 2012 Liberty Cup Squirt B championship, held in Philadelphia, PA from March 9-11, 2012. 

The Squirt Select team opened the tournament with a heartbreaking loss to the Johnstown Warriors by a score of 6-4.  Never discouraged, they came roaring back with a  2-1 win over the Frederick Fury followed by a dominating win over the American Eagles (NJ) by a score of 15-4. 

The stage was set for a well deserved rematch with the Johnstown Warriors in the tournament championship.  The Raiders came out flying and took a 2-0 lead just minutes into the game.  Johnstown fought back and tied the game at 4-4 early in the third.  Outstanding team defense and goaltending held the surging Warriors at bay until a final offensive surge resulted in a Raiders goal with only 16 seconds remaining.  The team and its great cheering section of parents counted down the remaining seconds and the players stormed  the ice at the final horn to celebrate their hard fought 5-4 victory.   

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by posted 03/12/2012
 

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by posted 03/05/2012
 

RRHC U18 CBHL Champions

Game #41 - Raiders vs. Prince William Panthers, CBHL Playoff Championship Game, Sun., March 3, Prince William Ice, Woodbridge, VA
 
Should Hollywood decide to produce the story of Sunday night’s CBHL championship game into a movie, a person reading the script couldn’t possibly help but think anything other than the fact that this screenplay is a work of pure fiction.
 
Take your Mighty Ducks, Big Green and Bad News Bears, roll them all into one feature film and the outcome couldn’t possibly match the tale that unfolded over a two-hour period at Prince William Ice Center Sunday night. But at the end of the day, the facts speak for themselves – the U18 Tier II Reston Raiders are the champions of the Chesapeake Bay Hockey League.
 
After rallying from 3-1 and 4-3 deficits to tie, after killing a penalty in the final minute of regulation; after nearly scoring on two power plays in overtime and after sweating through a disallowed goal exacerbated by a lengthy delay; Alexander Fishman scored the only goal of a five-man shootout to give Raiders a 5-4 victory over the Prince William Panthers. For every member of this U18 team, this title was their first in a Reston uniform; and with the bulk of the team set to depart for colleges across the country next fall, it was their last collective hurrah as Raiders youth players.
 
To a man, they certainly made the most of this opportunity, and in the most bizarre and unimaginable fashion possible.
 
Clearly stated, this game had it all.
 
While the first two periods were largely uneventful, the third period, the ensuing overtime and the shootout were anything but.
 
After Reston opened the scoring on a brilliant back door power play goal by Danny Cardwell – following a series of back-and-forth exchanges between Anthony Olivette and Peter Nam – the game settled into a classic defensive battle. While both teams had chances through the first two periods (with Reston holding a slight 17-16 edge in shots), neither team appeared a serious threat to score. With Drew Sandler looming large in the Reston nets and Thomas Johnson (#37) equally stellar for Prince William, it seemed possible that Danny’s early score might hold to provide the slimmest possible margin of victory.
 
But after the ice cut between the second and third periods, fireworks ensued
 
In a seven minute span to begin the third, the Panthers roared to life. Sean Prendergast (#88) scored off a faceoff to tie the game just 29 seconds into the period; then four minutes later Tyler Nolan (#10) circled the net to give Prince William the lead. When Killian Prendergast (#24) cut into the zone and beat Drew with a 40-footer, it appeared that Reston’s run for a title would crash to a deafening halt. But a strategic timeout after Prendergast’s goal allowed the Raiders to regroup and within three minutes, they tied the game. Maury Winter started the comeback. Taking a center-ice feed from Kevin Biller, Maury wove through a tangle of Panther defensemen before firing a short side shot past Johnson. Then, just two minutes later, Maury won an offensive zone faceoff which David Brobst calmly rifled home off the right goal post. The Reston lead was short lived however, as Cody Carlson (#7) took advantage of a deflected shot by teammate Timmy Bussard (#22) to deposit what appeared to be Prince William’s second game winner into an open net, vacated as Drew stood frozen by the original shot.
 
But Reston refused to fold. With 2:24 remaining, Anthony dug out the puck behind the Panther net and fed Corey Baumgartner in the slot. Corey’s 20-foot wrist shot caught Johnson leaning the wrong way and the stage was set for what promised to be a fast and furious finish.
 
It was all that … and more.
 
First, Zack Haubach took an interference penalty with just under two minutes to play forcing the Raiders to kill a penalty just to send the game into overtime. As they had been all game long, Reston’s penalty killing was flawless, and when Johnson lifted a pass from his net area over the end boards, he was whistled for delay of game, giving the Raiders 47 seconds on the power play in OT. The Panthers killed that penalty, then both teams exchanged scoring chances until Timmy Bussard (#22) seemingly won the game for Prince William scoring off a goal-mouth scramble on a delayed penalty called against Alex Hermann. Assured that they had won, the Panthers threw their gloves and sticks in the air and mobbed Bussard, before lining up at center ice to accept their awards.
 
But hang on a second … this one’s not over.
 
While a referee is the only player who can call most penalties, should a play be considered dangerous, a linesman is permitted to also make a call. However, when such a situation occurs, the call can only be registered after a stoppage in play. Just prior to Prince William’s third apparent game winner, Bryan Werley (#34) drilled David from behind preventing him from clearing the puck. Play continued and when Bussard scored the goal, touching off the Panthers celebration, but amidst protests from Raiders players and coaches, the officials huddled and after a five minute discussion, they agreed that a checking from behind penalty on Werley was indeed warranted, thus negating the apparent Prince William game winner. And so, play resumed for another 1:49; yet Reston, despite having a power play for the rest of the overtime, was unable to net the deciding score.
 
And so the quest for the 2011-12 CBHL title would be decided in a shootout.
 
Johnson made a brilliant glove save on David’s first attempt and then a sprawling glove save on Maury’s deke before Alex Fishman scored on Reston’s third try. Alex deked Johnson to the ice with several moves before nailing a short shot from the edge of the crease. At the other end, Drew forced Nolan (#10) wide, made saves on Killian Prendergast (#24) and Bussard (#22), the Prendergast stop coming on a brilliant blocker save and Reston had a one-goal edge after three rounds. Alex Hermann lost the handle on his deke attempt, Drew stoned Carlson (#7) and after Nick Baker narrowly missed converting a deke at the right post, it all came down to Sean Prendergast. One of the top players in Northern Virginia youth hockey, Prendergast weaved in on Drew, cut to his forehand and SHOT WIDE!!! The puck rang off the end boards, sticks and gloves few through the air and the celebration was on … again …
 
Only this time it was the Raiders turn to celebrate … and this time, the result would stand.
 
For the U18 Reston Raiders, it was the best possible way to end the season, and for at least a dozen players wearing blue, black and silver, a fitting end to their Raiders careers.
 
Game #40 - Raiders vs. Easton Ice Hawks, CBHL Playoff Semifinals, Sat., March 2, Prince William Ice, Woodbridge, VA
 
Four second period goals -- two by Alex Hermann -- snapped a scoreless tie and launched the Reston U18 Raiders into the championship game of the Chesapeake Bay Hockey League with a resounding 5-2 win over the Easton Ice Hawks Saturday night at Prince William Ice Arena.
 
After a scoreless and penalty-free first period in which both teams traded equal scoring opportunities, Reston came alive in the second.  Maury Winter made a series of pretty moves inside the blueline before feeding David Brobst for a close range score four and a half minute in, and 180 seconds later, Zach Haubach's point shot deflected home off an Easton defender and suddenly, Reston was looking at a legitimate shot at a title game berth.  Easton clawed back on a rocket wrist shot by Matt McGuire (#11) but the Raiders answered immediately with Taylor Higgins and Colman Smith combining to set up Alex H. less than a minute later.  The Raiders added an exclamation point in the closing moments of the second when Colman again fed Alex H. and Alex drilled a hard high wrist shot past Easton goalie Caleb Bryan to take a 4-1 lead into the third.
 
The Raiders continued to dominate and increased the lead to 5-1 when Corey Baumgarther's wrist shot hit Branden Vasofsly in the helmet before deflecting past Bryan.  Easton scored a late goal with 1:41 to play, by which time the outcome was long-since determined.
 
Drew Sandler was once again a hero on this night, stopping several major scoring bids including a flurry early in the second period with the game still scoreless.  The six-man defense unit of Nick Baker, Peter Nam, Cam McLaughlin, Zack, Taylor and Anthony Olivette was brilliant all game long.  Despite surrendering 40 shots, most came from the perimeter which Drew handled easily.
 
In many respects, this was one bizarre game.  Two players arrived late and three left early.  A traffic jam and a lost piece of equipment (OK, it was a missing jock) caused Peter and Branden to arrive late and a fighting penalty sent Cam to an early shower and a suspension from tomorrow's finale.  Branden will also have to miss the championship game having accumulated five penalties tonight which carries an automatic one-game ban.  And then came the penalties.  With nothing called through the first 18 minutes, both team sustained lengthy periods of time shorthanded, including six minutes late in the third against Reston followed by five shorthanded minutes for Easton as the final buzzer approached.
 
For Reston, beating Easton to reach the title game was sweet retribution.  After four straight losses, the Raiders dominated the Hawks throughout and now have a chance to finish their year as champions.  That chance will come Sunday evening at 6:10 p.m. when they take on the Prince William Panthers, who defeated Navy, 2-1, in a nail biter earlier in the evening.
 
 
 

Click Here

to download a larger photo of the team.

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by posted 03/04/2012
 

RRHC Bantam White CBHL Bantam Champions

Bantam White wins CBHL Championship

Bantam White brought home the CBHL Championship in the Wales Division to cap off a great 2011-12 season.  The team entered the playoffs without both the regular goalies due to injury, but through outstanding team effort and fantastic support from several borrowed goalies from other Raiders teams, Bantam White delivered the Championship win.  The game Friday night in Bowie proved challenging as many of the players spent 2 ½ hours in traffic, but managed to gear up quickly enough to take the ice with a great energy to beat Howard 2-0, with an empty net goal to seal the win.  Sunday morning’s Championship game came down to an overtime win against Metro with the final score of 5-4.  The Raiders were behind much of the game but tied it up in the 3^rd period with a power play goal followed 20 seconds later with a goal at even strength.  It was a memorable end to a fun season.

Bantam White  includes goalies Josh Mitchell and Jecen Mullen, and players Nick Beane, Peter Behrend, Chris Cardwell, Jared Dinwiddie, Dev Doiron, Richard Drake, Nate Gulakowski,  Zack Hite, Johnny Hoffer, Ty Kissler, Brady McAllister, Miles O’Bryan, Patrick Plummer, Justin Roberts, Trevor Smith and Bobby Wells.  Special thanks to Trent Pratt, Andrew Shedlock and Payton Andrews for helping out in the playoffs!

Click here to download a larger photo of the team.

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by posted 02/15/2012
 

Click here to view the broichure for The Goalie Academy 2012 Camps & Clinics.

Goalies can register online at www.goalieacademy.com 
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by posted 12/20/2011
 
Reston Raiders approve changes to the Travel Program for 2012-13
 
The Reston Raiders Board of Directors, based upon the recommendations of the Hockey Development Board, recently approved some changes to the Travel Hockey program to begin next season.
 
The changes are being implemented to help improve the program and are based upon feedback from club members as well as discussion and debate amongst our program’s coaches and hockey experts.
 
The changes are intended to foster continuity throughout the program as well as continue to develop our players to their highest potential.
Starting next season the following changes will be implemented:

• Strict Birth Year teams at all age level from Mite through Bantam
• Smaller Rosters at the Squirt level with plans to add a fourth Squirt Travel Team
• Ideally coaches will stay with a team for 3 years

Birth year Teams
Teams will be selected based on the birth years of the teams.  There will be a strict adherence to this rule.  At age levels where the Raiders field three teams, the first team will be the major birth year players, the second team will consist of all minor birth year players at that age level.  The third team will be a mix of major and minor birth years, with the goal to be as close as possible to a 50/50 split.
At age levels where the Raiders field four travel teams, will consist of two major birth year teams and two minor birth year teams.  As has been our policy in the past, the Raiders will make fourth teams at levels where the appropriate talent levels and the ice to support those teams. 
The placement of those teams within the CBHL (i.e. AA, Upper A, etc.) will depend upon the talent level of those teams and our goal will always be to place our teams at the level that will allow for the best development of the players and provide a competitive environment.  It is very likely that multiple Raider teams could be placed at the same level.
Goaltenders will not necessarily be bound by the birth year rules initially.  It will be the goal of the club to place our goaltenders on teams based on their birth year, but should the age level not have the appropriate depth at a particular birth year, then goalies may play up or down, but at still remain in their appropriate age level.

Squirt Teams
We will be reducing the size of our Squirt rosters to 13 skaters per team.  This is follow recommendations made by USA Hockey as part of their American Development Model (ADM) implementation.  This will allow for more reps in practice and games and more opportunities for players to touch the puck.  Goalies will still be encouraged to skate out when not playing in goal, but goaltenders must also be evaluated and able to skate at the appropriate level of play as a skater in order to be able to skate out. 
Due to the fact that the ice costs will be split by fewer players, members can expect to see a slight increase in the player fees at the Squirt level.
 
Mite Teams
As the Mite ADM is in the process of full implementation, it is still unclear what the Raiders will be doing with our Mite Blue team for next season.  It was decided and agreed upon by all members of the CBHL that the 2004 birth year would be the last age level to play full-ice games at the Mite level.  Whether or not our Mite Blue team will be able to play at the Squirt B or higher level next season is still under discussion and as the rules solidify, we can update our plans.  What is also part of these plans for our Mite Development Teams (Mite Silver and Mite Black) is that Mite Silver and Mite Black will consist of 20 players to develop additional players while at the same time allowing those teams to be split into two ten player teams to play cross-ice games.
 
Coaches
Ideally the coaches selected for each team will remain with their team for three seasons.  As has been the past policy within the club, coaches will be evaluated throughout the season and coaching selections will be decided by the club’s Coach Selection Committee and the coaching slate for each season will be presented to and approved by the Raiders Hockey Development Board and Board of Directors.
 
Questions related to these program changes can be directed to the Raiders Travel Hockey Director, Kevin Burch, at .

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by posted 09/25/2011
 
The mezzanine at SkateQuest hosted a crowd of friends and family of Evan Soggin on Saturday night to witness his memorial jersey retirement.

Teammates and coaches took turns regaling the crowd with “Evan stories” and most were highly entertaining and produced more than a few chuckles. 

Evan’s mother and father (Gyoen and Steve) as well as Evan’s older brother (Nick) attended the event and accepted a framed Raiders jersey, which was signed by dozens of Evan’s teammates.

This poignant event brought home the love of the sport that Evan shared with some many during his many years with the Raiders.

Evan’s #87 jersey will be retired to the foyer of the rink and this number will not be used by any player in the future.  All travel players will wear a #87 patch on their helmets this year in remembrance of Evan.

The evening also saw a public skating session open to all Raiders and this was will attended by players and family.

Donations were generated at the skate, from the Bantam Blue team selling “spirit wear” and SkateQuest donated 10% of all proceeds from the proshop and snack bar.  These donations are combined with the funds already raised for the Evan Soggin Memorial Scholarship fund which now exceeds the $20,000 mark.

The link to donate to the scholarship fund is available on the Raiders website for anyone who wishes to participate.

Thank you to the many friends of the Soggin family who contributed to the event. 






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by posted 08/28/2011
 
Interest in the Initiation program has been very significant this year.  We also have had a very high proportion of our members return for the 2011-2012 season.

We have registered players by birth year with the expectation that this method will better prepare the Raiders for monitoring demographics and insuring that any player who plays for the Raiders in the Fall of 2011 will have a place to play with the Raiders in Fall of 2012.

We were unable to add any new players at some birth years due to constraints on the number of players at some levels.

We anticipate very little attrition and therefore do not want to take more players than we can absorb into the existing club team framework.

We thank you for your understanding.
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