Thursday, Feb 3, 2011
While temperatures outside continue to drop, the Rider Hockey club team has been heating up the ice this season.
by Aimee Simone ’13
While temperatures outside continue to drop, the Rider Hockey club team has been heating up the ice this season. With 19 wins and only 4 losses so far, the team’s current record is better than that of any previous season.
“We are having our best year in my 12 years coaching at Rider,” said head coach Ted Gerry. “Our players are talented and have really worked hard to accomplish what we have this year.”
Not only are the team’s statistics as a whole impressive, but individual players have achieved notable goals as well. With 40 goals this season, sophomore captain Frank Garvey, a sophomore business administration major, is just one away from breaking the team record of most goals in a single season. Aside from Garvey, senior captain D.J. Nork, a senior marketing major, leads the team in assists, while and Joe Nalbone, a senior accounting major, is one of the top goalies in the league.
Rider’s club team is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association, playing and winning against such schools as The College of New Jersey, Rowan, St. Joseph’s, and Seton Hall. In the league, their record currently is 6 wins and 2 losses, qualifying them for the playoffs. Though highly competitive, club sports are not officially sanctioned by the NCAA.
“Making the playoffs is really exciting, not just for the team, but especially for all the fans,” said Michelle Griffin, sophomore Communication major and team manager. “Our fellow Rider students really support us and we usually have a large group come out to cheer us on at the games.”
Fans decked out in Rider gear filled the stands at their last game on Friday, January 28, against Seton Hall at Loucks Ice Center, on the campus of The Lawrenceville School. As students in the stands cheered, their classmates skated to 6-2 victory.
“The fans are a big part of the game and I think the support does have an effect on how we play,” said Gerry. “As we continue to play more games and head into the playoffs I not only hope that the players do their best as a team, but that their friends, family and classmates continue their support.”
The playoffs will be held on February 19, 20 and 21 at Loucks, Rider’s home ice. For a full schedule of games or more information about the team, players, coaches and league, visit http://www.ridericehockey.org/.