U16s Start Two Game Series Against Pikes Peak Miners

Westminster, CO - The Rocky Mountain Roughrider U16AAA team get ready to square off against in state rivals, the Pikes Peak Miners for a two game series. First game is Saturday afternoon at the Promenade Ice Center on the blue rink at 3:15pm. The Roughriders enter the game 1-0-0 in Tier I state play. The Pikes Peak Miners U16 comes in with a Tier I state play record of 0-1-1.

On Sunday afternoon, the Roughriders then travel to Colorado Springs for their second game. Game time is 5:15pm at the World Arena on the NHL rink. Game recaps to follow game.

Roughriders beat Regulators 13-0

Vincent Guimond cuts through Regulator's defense

Westminster, CO - The Rocky Mountain Roughriders were firing on all cylinders on Saturday morning as they tallied 13 goals enroute to beating the Northwest Regulators in their second straight meeting. Zed Padget got the Roughriders on the board first and ultimately netted the game winning goal when he scored at 2:30 of the first period. Brian Butterfield and Brendan Billota grabbed the assists.

The Northwest Regulators drove over from Salt Lake City for a two game series with the Roughriders. The Regulators are independent so it was very generous of them to drive over and play us on our ice. Unfortunately, towards the end of last nights game, there were some words exchanged between the fans on both sides. We apologize for anything that transpired and would like to remind our parents to conduct themselves with honor and respect at all times.

After a bit of a rocky start in Chicago, it was important for the Roughriders to come out and establish the tempo of the game. As our younger players are getting used to the pace of the game, moving at the pace of the game is important. The entire U16 team played amazingly well. Puck movement really improved and the players seemed to start to get the concept of dish not dangle.

The Roughriders gear up for a 3 game series with the Pikes Peak Miners next weekend.


Official Gamesheet

Roughriders dispatch of Regulators 3-0

Ryan Fretwell bends his twig nearly in two!

Westminster, CO - Friday night in Westminster the Rocky Mountain Roughriders U16AAA team squared off against the Northwest Regulators. The Regulators hail from Salt Lake City and made the journey over for a two game series. The first game was controlled from the opening faceoff to the final buzzer by the home team.

The Roughriders struck first when Paige Maul beat Metcalf short side to put the Roughriders up 1-0 at the 10:03 mark of the first period. Maul was assisted by Braiden Miller and Brandon Fushimi. The Roughriders continued to dictate the pace of play but were unable to get the puck in the net. It was as if the puck were Superman and the crease were kryptonite. The Roughriders outshot the Regulators 38-13.

The entire second period remained scoreless with both teams accruing a handful of penalties. After an icemake between the second and third periods, the Roughriders hit the ice with a penchant for putting the puck in the net. Vincent Guimond, who played a gritty, hard fought hockey game, was rewarded with a goal when he dragged the puck through the crease and over the goaltenders pad for the second goal of the night at 10:48 of the third period. Alex Sanchez picked up the assist.

Paige Maul closed out the night with the third and final goal for the Roughriders sealing any chance of a comeback by the Regulators.

Jared Young got the start and was solid between the pipes, stopping all 13 shots he faced and recording his second shutout of the season.

Joakim Jutras makes impact with Texas Tornadoes

Joakim Jutras in net for the Roughriders

Westminister, CO - Former Rocky Mountain Roughrider standout goalie, Joakim Jutras, recently signed with the Texas Tornados in the NAHL in Frisco, Texas. In the recent showcase at the Schwan SuperRink in Blaine, MN Jutras showed exactly why the Tornados picked up the Canadian netminder.

In Thursday’s exhibition game against Wichita Falls, Jake Stafford allowed just one goal and stopped 28 of the 29 shots he saw. Joakim Jutras did him one better tonight against Corpus Christi, turning aside all 22 IceRays shots en route to a shutout and a 6-0 Tornado victory.

The biggest save Jutras had to make wasn’t even on an IceRays shot. Corpus Christi dumped a puck down into the far-side corner, but the puck hit the glass, took a funny bounce and headed straight for the net. Jutras was halfway out of his net, but was light on his feet to get back in goal and make the stop with his glove.

Jutras earned the second star of the game for his efforts. He continued to play excellent and went 2-0-1 at the Showcase in Blaine, MN.

Roughriders Open Tier I Play with a Tie

Maul and Fushimi celebrate with Miller on opening goal.

Orland Park, IL - The Rocky Mountain Roughrider U16 AAA program took the ice this afternoon in their first face-off in Tier I Elite League play. The Roughriders squared off against the TPH Thunder. The Thunder are a hybrid team with players coming from the Atlanta, GA, Nashville, TN and Fort Myers, Florida areas. The game got underway at 12:30pm with the Roughriders donning their black Teddy Roosevelt Sweaters.

The first period lacked any type of flow or consistent play from either squad, however, as time wore on each team managed several quality scoring chances. Shots on goal were not kept officially during the first period due to scorekeeper error, however, a rough estimate had the TPH Thunder outshooting the Roughriders 10-7. Jared Young got the start in net and stopped every shot he faced during the period.

The second period saw a bit more organization and quality play on both sides of the ice. The Roughriders struck first when Braiden Miller buried a shot from Paige Maul and Ryan Fretwell at 13:24 of the second period. Penalties plagued the Roughriders and killed any momentum that they were able to generate. The TPH Thunder power play was controlled and well organized, however the Roughrider Penalty Kill was equal to the task and shutdown all opportunities.

The TPH Thunder netted the equalizing goal at 6:36 of the second period on a redirected shot right in front of the net. Rosburg was the recipient of a great pass across the crease and the puck directed off his stick into the back of the net.

The Roughriders opened the third period with a 5 minute power play opportunity as the Thunder were called for a crosscheck to the head on Max Shusterman. The Roughriders failed to get the puck in net despite many solid opportunities. The Roughriders got one last chance to win the game when Braiden Miller grabbed the puck at center ice, raced into the offensive zone, braked, looked and caught a streaking Alex Sanchez with a laser pass. Sanchez double deked the goalie, but was unable to squeeze the puck through the gap. The Roughriders battled to the final buzzer.

Up Next:

Roughriders vs. Pittsburgh Hornets - Arctic Ice Arena 8:00pm 9-16-2011

Roughrider's U16 Take Opener with 10-0 Victory

Weisbeck drives a shot on net

Westminister, CO - A rather large crowd was on hand at the Promenade Ice Arena on Friday night to witness the kickoff of the 2011-12 season and the Rocky Mountain Roughrider U16AAA team started the season off with a bang. The U16s lined up against their own U15 team in a sort of inter-organizational grudge match. The first several minutes of the game saw equal play on both sides of the ice and each team tried to find their own rhythm. The U16 Roughriders found their rhythm first when Vincent Guimond found the back of the net at the 5:20 of the first period for a Power Play goal with assists going to Pippen Weisbeck and Alex Sanchez.

From that point on it the senior players dictated the pace of the play until the final buzzer.  The U15 team did manage to inflict a few licks on the U16 players, but the U16s did a lot more damage on the scoreboard. Pippen Weisbeck got the scoring going again for the U16s when he got a shot off on the weak side boards beating goaltender, Marc Audet. Vincent Guimond and Alex Sanchez registered assists on the play. Braiden Miller rounded out the scoring in the first period when he buried his shot from Brandon Fushimi and Paige Maul marking their second Power Play Goal.

The second period found the U16s tallying four more goals. The line of Miller, Maul and Fushimi combined for 5 of the 10 goals while the team went 7 for 12 on the power play. Paige Maul led all scorers with 5 points. The U16s outshot the U15s 53 to 14 with Jared Young making all 14 stops in his debut in net for the Roughriders.

The U16 Roughriders square off against their own U18 today in a controlled inter-organizational scrimmage. Puck drops at 1:45pm at Promenade Ice Arena.

Roughrider's U16AAA Kicks off Season This Friday Night

Westminister, CO - The Rocky Mountain Roughrider U16AAA team kicks off its season this Friday night, September 9, 2011 at 7:30pm when they faceoff against their interprogram compadres, the Roughrider U15AAA team. The game will be held at the Promenade Ice Arena at 7:30pm.

The Roughrider U16AAA has had two weeks worth of practices and looks to get things rolling on Friday night. Except for Braiden Miller, the lone returner from last years U16 team, the entire team is brand new. The U16AAA team looks drastically different than it did last year. Gone are the 6 foot plus defensemen, gone are the toe dragging, top shelfing forwards. This years team is full of blue-collar, nose the grind stone, old school hockey playing young men. Strong work ethic, character, and talent are cornerstones of a John Paris, Jr. team and this new crew has all of that in spades!

The U16AAA team will have an intersquad controlled scrimmage on Saturday at 1:45 also at the Promenade.

The U16AAA Roughriders are then off to Chicago next weekend to participate in their first Tier I Elite League Showcase. Updates on the Showcase will follow.