Roughrider Organization goes 15-4-2 over the weekend

Denver, CO - All Rocky Mountain RoughRider teams were in action this weekend.   The U13, U14 and U15 teams all competed in the Silver Stick Regional Tournament over the weekend with a combined record of 12-2-1.   The U13 AAA team won the Silver Stick Regional Tournament with a score of 5 to 2 in the Championship game.   The U13 team went 5-0-1 over the weekend with big contributions coming from the entire roster.   Jared Resseguie finished off the tournament with a hat-trick in the Championship game.   Andre Kurtz led the U13 RoughRiders in scoring with 7 goals and 5 assists for 12 points in 6 games.   Both goaltenders Cody Christofferson and David Fessenden held their opponents to 10 goals against in 6 games combined with the play of the entire defenseman core led by Captain Jovan Zimmerman.   Congratulations go out to the Rocky Mountain RoughRIders U13 AAA team.

The RoughRiders U14 AAA team competed in the Silver Stick Regional tournament losing in the semifinals eventually but went 4-1 outscoring their opponents 27 to 10 over 5 games.   The U14’s were led by their goaltender Daniel Geiger and an entire team effort which had all players hit the score sheet with Austen Peterson and Hunter Hop leading the way with 7 points each in the 5 games.

The RoughRiders U15 AAA team competed in the Silver Stick Regional tournament with a record of 3-1.   The U15’s were led by Lucas Brown who had 8 points and Keanu Gallegos who had 6 points in the 4 games.   Marc Audet had 3 wins between the pipes.

The RoughRiders U16 AAA team competed in their second Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL) Showcase hosted at Big Bear Ice Arena this weekend.   The U16’s started off the Showcase with a high paced game that ended in a 2-2 tie against the St. Louis Jr. Blues who are currently ranked number 1 in the Country.   The U16’s went 2-1-1 over 4 games with wins against the Madison Capitols and Milwaukee Admirals.   The U16’s were led by their defenseman core and goaltenders Jared Young and Francis Marotte allowing only 7 goals against in 4 games.

The RoughRiders U18 AAA team had two T1EHL league games against Russell Stover over the weekend.   Friday night the U18’s lost 3-1 with Russell Stover scoring a late empty netter.   Sunday morning the U18’s offense woke up outscoring Russell Stover 5-0 led by 2 goals and 2 assists from Rudy Junda and a shut out performance in net by Jonathon Loeffler.

Roughriders drop a close one to #3 Chicago Fury

Denver, CO - The Rocky Mountain Roughrider U16 dropped a close game, 3-1, to the #3 Chicago Fury on Saturday morning. The Roughriders gave up two early goals on two defensive miss queues and had to battle back into the game. At 12:48 of the second period Caleb Pola brought the game back to within one goal when snuck the puck passed Jeremy Wik who was exceptional in net for the Fury.

The Roughriders played some of their best hockey of the season and was deserving of the victory. John Paris, Jr. had his team well prepared and focused for this game and it was a strong battle from the opening puck drop until the final buzzer.

The Roughriders outshot the Fury 23-19 according to the official scoresheet, however I am pretty sure both teams faced more shots than that.


Official Scoresheet

Roughriders Grab Tie against Top Rated Team in the Country

Roughriders celebrate their second goal.

Denver, CO - The Rocky Mountain Roughrider U16AAA took to the ice this afternoon against the top-rated U16AAA in the country, the St. Louis Jr. Blues. The Roughriders have yet to win a game in Tier I Elite League play, despite playing well in every game. Every game has been closely contested with all but one game decided by only a goal. The Roughriders have had a solid couple of weeks of development since their last Showcase and look to grab a couple of wins.

The opening series started out like so many other games this year with a lot of back and forth action in the first period, but no scoring. The Roughriders are still looking for a way to get fired up for first period action. The St. Louis Blues took advantage of the slow start by getting on the board first. Charlie Combs grabbed the first goal of the game at 15:37 of the first period giving the Blues a 1-0 lead.

The Showcase format consisted of three 17-minute periods with ice makes between periods. After the first ice make the Roughriders hit the ice with their usual second period vigor. Chad Pietroniro put the Roughriders on the board when his slapshot hit a Blues defenseman stick and deflected down and into the net at 5:36 of the second period knotting the game a one a piece. Assists on the play went to Brendan Bilotta and Dejon Marsh.

Caleb Pola found the net about a minute later on a tremendous individual effort. Pola managed to poke the puck free, run the puck down and fire a laser over the goal tenders left shoulder giving the Roughriders a 2-1 lead at 5:57 of the second period.

The Roughriders couldn't maintain the lead for long as Alex Jasiek brought the game back to twos at 8:03 of the second period when he snuck a rebound Jared Young. The remainder of the game would be skated even and end in a tie giving the Roughriders just their second point in 6 tries in Tier 1 Elite League play.

Jared Young managed 30 saves on 32 shots.


Official Gamesheet

Roughriders Advance Player Development

The Rocky Mountain RoughRiders’ organization is in its third season and was formed through the alliance of four of the top northern Colorado Tier II youth hockey associations: Arvada Hockey Association, Boulder Hockey Club, Hyland Hills Junior Hockey Association and Northern Colorado Youth Hockey.
These four organizations came together in a joint effort to create an elite Tier I hockey program that is supported by the vast assets of the combined group. The goal is to create and maintain a quality youth hockey experience where young people are given the tools and direction to progress to the next level of hockey. The founding associations agree that providing a positive and healthy environment is key to the success of the organization and will produce not just better hockey players, but better people. The organization, which was originally called Team Rocky Mountain, had a successful first season fielding U18, U16 and U15 independent AAA teams.

The second season (2010-11) began with an affiliation with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League and TRM changed its name to the Rocky Mountain RoughRiders.

The organization joined the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) for the 2010-11 Season. The RoughRiders had a very successful 2010-11 season in the NAPHL where their U14 team won the NAPHL league championship, their U18 team lost in the championship final game and the U16 team finished 47-15-4 and finished the season ranked in the Top 15 in the Nation.

The three teams (U14, U16 and U18) combined record in NAPHL league games was 44-21-4. For the 2010-11 season, the RoughRiders fielded U14, U15, U16 and U18 AAA teams. Much of the RoughRiders’ early success can be credited to their experienced professional coaching staff.

The 2011-12 season will be the Third Season for the Rocky Mountain Rough-Riders. The RoughRiders made another huge step for their program and were fortunate to be accepted to compete in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League for the 2011-12 season.

The RoughRiders are icing U13, U14, U15, U16 and U18 AAA teams for the 2011-12 season. The RoughRiders play out of the Ice Centre at the Promenade in Westminster, CO, Boulder Valley Ice Arena in Superior, CO and the Apex Ice Arena in Arvada, CO. The RoughRiders’ No. 1 goal is the development of their players not only on the ice but off the ice and moving players to the next level. 

Roughriders Beat Dallas Alliance 5-0

Caleb Pola drives the net for a short handed goal.

Denver, CO - In the second meeting in as many days, the Roughriders beat the Dallas Alliance. Four second period goals gave the Roughriders some breathing room to earn a 5-0 victory and a season record of 7-5-1.

The Alliance found themselves in penalty trouble right out of the gates. Being a man down against the Roughriders is not a good place to be. The frustration of a tough road schedule had the Alliance taking unnecessary penalties and further hurting their cause.

Chad Pietroniro got the Roughriders U16AAA team up on the board first and netted the eventual game winner when he cranked in a slapshot from the top of the circles beating Roger Bissonnette over the left shoulder with assists going to Vincent Guimond and Braiden Miller. The Roughriders really caught fire in the second period with 4 goals, 2 coming from Paige Maul and a goal from Caleb Pola and Braiden Miller. Maul grabbed back to back goals with assists going to Guimond, Weisbeck and Fushimi.

With 15:15 gone in the second period, Caleb Pola nabbed an unassisted short-handed goal. Moments later Braiden Miller won the opening faceoff, split both defenders and buried the second short-handed goal in a row.

Finishing on a strong note will set the Roughriders up well going into next weekend for the Tier I Elite Leauge Showcase when they take on the top ranked team in the country, the St. Louis Jr. Blues.


Official Gamesheet

Dallas Alliance come to Denver for 2 game series

The Game gets physical in front of the net!

Denver, CO - The Dallas Alliance traveled to Denver for a two game series with the Rocky Mountain Roughriders. The Alliance also had the Colorado Thunderbirds and Pikes Peak Miners on their schedule during the road trip. The only odd part of the itinerary was that all the games were scheduled at Big Bear Ice Arena. With the money the arena saves on paint and landscaping, one might think that they could get the clock working. After two weekends in a row, no such luck.

The first period got underway with each team figuring out what each team brings to the table. The Alliance brings a physical and gritty brand of hockey while the Roughriders bring a blend of physicality and finesse.  It took a while for either team to find the net, but at 16:21 of the first period Chad Pietroniro found it in a beautiful fashion on a one timer from just inside the blue line on a pass from Guimond and Miller. This would ultimately prove to be the game winner.

On Thursday night, Coach John Paris, Jr. gave his defense men some new tools for their hockey toolbox. He worked on escape moves and reads to make on attacking forwards. The new tools really paid dividends as the Roughrider breakout worked better than it had all season.

The second period would be huge for the Roughriders as they would break out with a 4-goal flurry. Paige Maul netted back to back goals at 1:52 and 8:37 of the second period respectively with assists going to Fushimi, Guimond and two to Weisbeck. The Dallas Alliance found themselves in penalty trouble for most of the period. Frustration had clearly set in on the Alliance bench and the trouble with the clock only made matters worse. Brandon Fushimi took a holding penalty at 14:25 of the second that proved to be beneficial to the Roughriders as Caleb Pola netted an unassisted short-handed goal, the first short handed goal of the season for the Roughriders, at 15:15 of the second period. A short 7-seconds later, Braiden Miller took the ensuing faceoff straight down the ice, splitting both defenseman burying a backhander in the opposite top corner of the net at 15:21 of the second period for back to back short handed goals to end the scoring for the Roughriders.

The third period did not have any scoring as the Roughriders would cruise to a 5-0 victory, however there were some fireworks at just 19 seconds into the third period when Brennan Miller for Dallas and Vincent Guimond for the Roughriders didn't see eye to eye and had quite the rumble at the offensive blue line. Both players were assessed four minute double-minors for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Jared Young was sharp in net and stopped all 19 shots he faced while Joe Sheppard VI stopped 34 of 39. The two teams matchup again tomorrow morning at 8:30am at Big Bear Ice Arena.

OFFICIAL GAMESHEET

Roughriders Drop First game against Thunderbirds

Paige Maul drives a shot towards net.

Westminster, CO - The most anticipated in state match up of the season finally arrived last night at the Promenade Ice Centre. The 3-0-0 Thunderbirds traveled across Denver to face the 3-1-0 Roughriders. The stands were near capacity by the opening faceoff.

The Thunderbirds set off early and set the tempo of the game. The Roughriders U16 AAA team, perhaps, offered a little too much respect to the visiting Thunderbirds. Respect that had yet to be earned. At 5:16 of the first period the Thunderbirds got on the board first when Justin Weber beat Jared Young glove side. The Roughriders found themselves a man down when Nate Werhane was called for hooking. Dominic Turgeon buried a backdoor pass up top shelf for a power play goal to give the Thunderbirds a 2-0 lead. The Thunderbirds carried the momentum into the second period.

The second period had the Roughriders finding their stride and getting things going offensively.  The Thunderbirds got a quick goal but, Brenden Bilotta got the Roughriders on the board putting in the rebound from a Paige Maul shot. The Roughriders were right back into the game at 3-1. Zed Padgett got the Roughriders to back within one when he buried a wonderful individual effort goal in the top left corner. Padget streaked down the near side boards, skated around two Thunderbirds and buried his shot in the top left corner and rekindled the comeback.

The comeback, however, was short lived as a defensive turnover right in front of the goal resulted in a quick Thunderbird goal. Momentum and confidence are such big factors in AAA hockey that rebuilding from a couple goal deficit are tough. The Roughriders, to their credit, managed to pull the game back together and gain some momentum for the followup game tomorrow at Big Bear. The 6-2 final score was not completely indicative of the final play. The Roughriders look to rebound against the Thunderbirds on Saturday.


Official Gamesheet

Roughriders Handle Miners in Odd Series

The Roughriders celebrate a goal.

Colorado Springs, CO - The Rocky Mountain Roughriders U16AAA team finished a two game series with the Pikes Peak Miners. The first game was held on Saturday at the Promenade at 3:15pm on center ice. The game started out as so many CAHA games do with a lot of hard grinding forechecking.  Each team was struggling to find any flow and both squads were aggressively forechecking the puck. The first period ended in a stalemate.

The second period had the Roughriders hitting their stride. The hard hitting line of Cade Warner, Max Shusterman and Alex Barber set the tempo for the team. Sometimes the 4th line is called on to get the rest of the boys going. Braiden Miller broke the seal on Grant Payne on a beautiful redirection from his new linemate Caleb Pola and defenseman Nate Werhane. The Miners were on their heels most of the period, however their style of play, particularly disrupting the flow of the game, was working pretty well for them. The Miners knotted the game up at one goal apiece at 7:40 of the second when Jeremy Solat beat Jared Young short side. Perhaps they had lulled Young to sleep as he only saw 5 shots the entire period.

The third period was all Roughriders. Coach Paris, not happy with what he was watching, shook up his top two lines. Bilotta was asked to center Maul and Fushimi while Miller moved over with Pola and Sanchez. The move proved beneficial as the varying styles of play of the new lines complemented each other well. The Roughriders closed out the scoring and secured a 3-1 victory when Fushimi buried a rebound sent in by Bilotta and Maul.

Jared Young faced 21 shots and made 20 saves for a 95.2% save percentage.

On Sunday the Rougriders traveled down in to Pikes Peak country to settle up on the second game of the series. The second matchup had the Roughriders working against a trapping and chaotic Miners system. The game, honestly, was a little difficult to watch as a fan as all the flow in the game is gone. The Roughriders kept the puck in the offensive zone for a majority of the game.

At just 1:17 of the first period, Vincent Guimond netted the first goal and the eventual game winner when he beat Tanner Saucerman with a little sauce of this own. The Roughriders continued the offensive pressure and ended up netting a total of 4 goals and keeping the Miners off the scoreboard.

The new lines, although still working on chemistry, started producing well and now look forward to this weekend's matchup against in-state rivals, Colorado Thunderbirds.

Official Gamesheet Game 1

Official Gamesheet Game 2