Rocky Mountain RoughRiders U18: Stepping up to the Challenge

The Rocky Mountain RoughRiders U18 team has eleven games under its belt through October 16 and is stepping up to the challenge this young hockey season. With an overall record of 7-3-1, the RoughRiders record consists of games played in two leagues as well as non-league games.

This season marks their first in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL). By joining the league the RoughRiders are now members of the top Tier I (AAA) league in the country. This will provide plenty of exposure for the players throughout the 2011-12 season.  The U18 team will play their T1EHL games in Kansas City, Detroit, St, Louis, Boston, Denver, Los Angeles and Chicago. They will also play league games in Colorado against Russell Stover, the Colorado Rampage and the Colorado Thunderbirds. The games played against the Rampage and Thunderbirds will also count for CAHA League play.

The RoughRiders opened T1EHL play in Kansas City and finished up with a 2-2-0 record. Despite losing a handful of players to various injuries the team battled through and came away with wins over the Madison Capitals and the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals. The RoughRiders split their first two games against the Rampage to bring their league mark to 3-3-0. Russell Stover will travel to Colorado for two T1EHL games on October 21 and 23. The U18’s will close out October with two games against the Thunderbirds on the 28^th and 29^th.

Congratulations to Matt Anders for being called up by the New Mexico Mustangs of the NAHL for the weekend of October 15-16. Matt is an outstanding forward for the RoughRiders. This is great opportunity to show his skills at the next level. Hopefully, this will be this first of several opportunities for our U18 players to play in NAHL or USHL this season.

Also, a big thank you goes out to the coaching staff, Nick Larson, Derek Robinson and Jason Grahame for their hard work preparing the players for this season and for the opportunities they may have at the next level. The coaches devote an incredible amount of time working with the players both on and off the ice. They work hard to help prepare each player to step up to all the challenges they may face this hockey season.