The Raiders, a non-profit organization, skate out of SkateQuest of Reston. It is a twin-rink facility just off the Dulles Toll Road in Reston, well-positioned to serve the Northern Virginia and metro D.C. area. Read More

Raiders Spring Selects Program Details - Coaches Updated

2/1/2023Read full...

Raiders Girls Spring Selects Program Details

posted 2/1/2023 by KB

Raiders Spring Learn to Play Program Details

2/1/2023Read full...

Raiders Spring House League Details

1/31/2023Read full...

12U Black Wins Liberty Cup

1/18/2023Read full...

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Raiders 2023 Spring Selects Program Overview

Until very recently, the hockey calendar was very reliable.  Fall season ended and then we had about 10 weeks to fill until the end of our spring season in early June.  Spring Selects tryouts were held immediately after the fall season and then with about 2 weeks left in the spring season, we held tryouts for next year’s fall teams in mid- to late-May.  Most Clubs in the area would hold their fall tryouts in a 3-week window in May.

For various reasons the calendar has shifted, and now every Club in the area has their tryouts for next fall’s travel teams beginning at the earliest available date, which this year will be April 22.

This means we need to shorten our Spring Selects season for ages 8U – 14U, ending prior to fall travel tryouts.  Spring Selects will include weekly practice sessions and an optional April tournament.  This shortened season allows players to keep sharp until the fall tryouts, which will begin April 22^nd and run through April 30^th. 

At 16U and 18U age levels, where more of our players take a break in spring due to their higher game counts in the just completed fall season, we will not have Spring Selects teams as in the past but instead hold travel tryout prep sessions in advance of fall travel tryouts. The travel tryout prep session will be run by the 16U and 18U Blue and Silver coaches and will give players an extended opportunity to prepare and showcase their skills for the fall travel season.

The Spring Selects 8U – 14U, as well as the Tryout Prep for 16U & 18U, will be five practices in the Monday, March 13 – to Friday, April 21 timeframe.  We may add weekend ice slots at our discretion depending on ice availability.

After the conclusion of the abbreviated Spring Selects season for 8U – 14U, which again ends prior to fall travel tryouts, the newly created fall teams will have 5 practice sessions that will start Monday, May 1^st and run through Sunday, June 4^th (five practices).

These practice sessions are included in the cost of the fall travel team and attendance for players is optional. The fall travel team will also have the option to play in a travel tournament in May or June, at the discretion of the head coach and in connection with player availability. 

In the end, most of our players will be on the ice the same amount of time as they were with the old spring format and calendar, it will just be cut up a little differently.   There will be no overlap of Spring ’23 and Fall ’23-24 teams that sometimes led to uncomfortable situations for some players who made a spring team but not the fall team, which would have been exacerbated this year by the fall tryout day pulling into April. 

Registration is open now and more information on specific tryout individual team practice slots will be shared soon. Confirmed Head Coaches are:

We have coaches under consideration where TBD is listed, and those spots will be filled as we confirm selections, or based on how teams fill out at Tryouts in some situations.

Tryouts for Raiders Spring Selects Teams will be held March 6th - 9th and schedule is as follows:

Questions regarding the Spring Selects Program can be email to John Gary at

Raiders Girls Spring Selects Program

The Reston Raiders are excited to offer girls select teams at 19U, 16U, 14U, & 12U/10U.  The program is designed for current travel players and those interested in playing travel hockey during the 2023-24 season.  There is no tryout required to participate in the Girls Spring Selects Program; however, participation in a Spring tournament is subject to the Fall Girls Program tryouts, which will be held the beginning April 22, 2023*.   Spots for the Spring program are limited.  Please register to reserve your spot.

As described in greater detail below, this year’s Spring program provides players with a great mix of skill development and games. The 19U, 16U and 14U teams will have a weekly practice and play one game each week as part of the Raiders coed Spring House program.  The 12U/10U team also will have a weekly practice and have an additional weekly 3v3 pond hockey style game to continue their skill development in a competitive and fun environment. 

Head Coaches:

Girls 19U: John Ezzard

Girls 16U: Pat Wildman

Girls 14U: Todd Seymour

Girls 12U/10U: TBD

Program Detail and Cost**
 

19U Girls Spring Selects

• Eligible birth years: 2004, 2005. 2006 (birth year 2007 and 2008 players may request to play at 19U.  All requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis.  Please send requests to Pat Wildman, Girls Program Director at ) 
• One shared-ice practice per week with the 16U team. Practices to be held Thursdays, 6:10-7:30 pm at SkateQuest, beginning March 16 and ending June 1 (total of 10 practices)
• One weekend game playing as a team in the Raiders’ coed House league on Sunday mornings (approx. 9/10 total games). The 19U team will be placed at an age level appropriate to the skill level of the team.

COST: $450. 
 

16U Girls Spring Selects

• Eligible birth years: 2007, 2008 (players at these or other birth years may request to play outside of their age group.  All requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis.  Please send requests to Pat Wildman, Girls Program Director at .) 
• One shared-ice practice per week with the 19U team. Practices to be held Thursdays, 6:10-7:30 pm at SkateQuest, beginning March 16 and ending June 1 (total of 10 practices)
• One weekend game playing as a team in the Raiders’ coed House league on Sunday mornings (approx. 9/10 total games). The 16U team will be placed at an age level appropriate to the skill level of the team. 

COST: $450. 

14U Girls Spring Selects

• Eligible birth years: 2009, 2010 (players at these or other birth years may request to play outside of their age group.  All requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis.  Please send requests to Pat Wildman, Girls Program Director at .) 
• One shared-ice practice per week with the 12U/10U team. Practices to be held Mondays, 6:00-7:10 pm at SkateQuest, beginning March 13 and ending May 29 (total of 10 practices)
• One weekend game playing as a team in the Raiders’ coed House league on Saturday mornings (approx. 9/10 total games). The 14U team will be placed at an age level appropriate to the skill level of the team.

COST: $450. 

12U/10U Girls Spring Selects

• Eligible birth years: 2011, 2012, 2013 (high skill) (Players may request to play at 14U.  All requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis.  Please send requests to Pat Wildman, Girls Program Director at .) 
• One shared-ice practice per week with the 14U team. Practices to be held Mondays, 6:00-7:10 pm at SkateQuest, beginning March 13 and ending May 29 (total of 10 practices)
• One weekend game playing as a team in the Raiders’ coed House league on Saturday mornings (approx. 9/10 total games). The 12U/10U team will be placed at an age level appropriate to the skill level of the team.

COST: $450

10U Girls Pond Hockey Series

• Eligible birth years: 2013, 2014

• One weekend 3v3 pond hockey style game at Loudoun Ice Center, Saturdays, 1:30-2:30 pm (approx. 9/10 total games). 

COST: $200

*Spring Tournament costs are not included in the Spring fees and will be determined based on Fall tryouts and the number of tournaments a team plays. Players who make the Fall teams will receive priority roster spots for the Spring Tournaments.  Additional roster spots may be available for players who participate in the Spring program but do make a Fall team.

**NOTE:  Details are subject to change based on player registration. Please direct questions to Girls Program Director, Pat Wildman, at . 

2023 Reston Raiders Learn to Play Spring Program Description

The Reston Raiders Spring Learn to Play (LTP) program is offered to returning LTP players. The program is based on the USA Hockey American Development Model philosophy and is intended to teach players the fundamentals of the game in a fun and supportive environment. The program will be led by USA Hockey Certified coaches from the Reston Raiders Hockey Club and supported by parent volunteer coaches.   

Registration for 2023 Spring Season opens on February 1st, 2023, at 9:00am

Reston Raiders Program schedule and registration fees:

Learn to Play 1*: 9:20am to 10:40am Sunday mornings at Skatequest 

Program Fees: $160 (approximately 8 on-ice sessions)

Sunday - Mar 19^th, Mar 26^th, Apr 16^th, Apr 23^rd, Apr 30^th, May 7^th, May 14^th & May 21^st

Learn to Play 2**: 7:50am to 9:10am Sunday mornings at Skatequest and varying times Saturday mornings, based on grouping at Loudoun Ice Center

Program Fees: $260 (approximately 16 on-ice sessions)

Saturday - Mar 18^th, Mar 25^th, Apr 15^th, Apr 22^nd, Apr 29^th, May 6^th, May 13^th & May 20^th

Sunday - Mar 19^th, Mar 26^th, Apr 16^th, Apr 23^rd, Apr 30^th, May 7^th, May 14^th & May 21^st

Program Goals

·       To have fun and grow a passion for the game.

·       To learn the fundamental skills required to play the game of hockey - skating, puck handling, scoring, body contact, and passing.

·       To be introduced to the concepts of cooperation and fair play.

·       To develop players so they are prepared to play in the Raiders Travel or House Programs.

Pre-Requisites

·       Players must have participated in the Reston Raiders 2022-23 Fall/Winter LTP program.
 

Program Overview

The program emphasizes the basic hockey skills: skating, puck handling, passing, scoring and body contact. Each skill is introduced and refined in a progressive manner and then again through repetition. Children learn and develop through participating in practice drills and informal and modified games (such as cross ice scrimmages, freeze tag and obstacle courses). Although the emphasis is on fun and progressive skill development, the Learn to Play Program also allows kids to experience “real hockey” situations. 

The LTP program basic hockey skills include:

·       Skating – forward stride, backward stride, stopping, agility, balance, coordination

·       Stickhandling and Puck Protection – fundamentals of stickhandling and puck possession

·       Passing – fundamentals of passing, including technique and different types of passing with a focus on forehand and backhand passes

·       Scoring – teaching shooting basics (wrist shot and backhand) and scoring concepts

·       Body contact – while checking is not permitted until 14U, players at all levels will be instructed on how to use body contact as a key skill. 

 

Program Structure

The Raiders LTP Spring season runs from mid-March to late May. The program will be led by USA Hockey Certified coaches from the Reston Raiders Hockey Club and supported by parent volunteer coaches.  There are two formal offerings within the Reston Raiders Learn to Play Program based upon age, skill level and experience: LTP 1 & LTP 2.

Equipment

·       Hockey Shorts - Jock/Jill (with Velcro to hold up hockey socks)

·       Skates

·       Shin Pads

·       Hockey pants

·       Hockey socks

·       Shoulder pads (small, not overbearing)

·       Elbow pads

·       Hockey gloves

·       Hockey helmet with cage/facemask

·       Hockey stick (generally provided to all LTP participants and distributed at Orientation)

·       Hockey jersey (provided to all LTP participants and distributed at Orientation); jersey color will generally be assigned by birth year

·       Mouthguard (optional)

·       Neck protection (optional)

For more information, contact Learn to Play Director Nick Durso at   .

12U Black made their second tournament trip to Hampton Roads a successful one, running the table and winning all 4 games to take the Beach Battle Championship.  After shaking off some early rust by rallying from 3 goals down to beat the Charleston Stingrays 4-3, the Raiders hung on for a 3-2 win over Piedmont and then polished off the New Jersey Thunder 5-3, setting up a rematch with Piedmont in the Championship game.

 

The parents were on edge, unable to wait out the long lines for the famed grilled chicken sammy at the Chilled Ponds snack stand but also responsible enough to avoid the tempting refreshment specials while the ice was being resurfaced.  Finally, the Raider 12U Black Team emerged from the locker room, led by G Austin Morrison onto the ice.

 

A tight first period ensued, with back and forth play but the Raider defense doing a great job of limiting the Pred's chances.  Then with less than 7 minutes left, Nicholas Spencer curled out of the corner and spotted Brody Evans floating to open ice on the far side, slid a flat pass across that Brody was able to pick up off a deflection and bury it short side low for a 1-0 Raider lead.  That held until midway through the second when the Preds tied it up on a rebound off a blocked shot.

 

The Raiders jumped ahead when Leandra Barger won a tough puck battle in the corner and showed her puck protect skills in getting it to the net with a backhander off the goalie's pads.  Andrew Berk had his stick on the ice the whole time, quiet as a church mouse on the back door and banged the rebound into an open net for a 2-1 lead.

 

Into the third, still 2-1, the Raiders had a super passing play with McCoy Kuehn gathering up a loose puck off the faceoff, feeding it back to Brody who quickly fed it to Leandra on the point, who walked it in 10 feet and let go a laser top corner for the insurance goal.  Then soon after, the Raiders came back with another goal, with Parker Berk and Oliver Yu breaking the puck out and working together up the ice, ending with Parker getting a slap pass from Oliver for a nice goal all alone in front.  To seal the deal with 6 minutes left, the Raiders again broke out clean, with a Hugh Spencer quick up to McCoy Kuehn, who head manned it to Brody for a far side low shot to give the Raiders a 5-2 lead and the winning margin.

 

Great job by head coach Pete Kelly and his assistants in getting the team to play unselfish hockey and bring home the championship banner.  12U Black champs are Leandra Barger, Andrew Berk, Euan Carew, Teddy Cope, Brody Evans, Cristian Kelly, Hridhaan Keswani, McCoy Kuehn, Malcolm McLenahan, Austin Morrison, Grayson Odell, Calvin Pomeroy, Heath Snyder, Nicholas Spencer, Hugh Spencer, Brennan Webb and Oliver Yu.