RoughRiders U18 Fall to Unbeaten Russell Stover

Denver, CO - The Rocky Mountain RoughRiders U18 team fell 3-1 at Big Bear Ice Arena on Friday night to unbeaten Russell Stover in Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL) action. The RoughRiders struggled to take shots throughout the game. Russell Stover out shot the RMRR 35-21. In the first period, Russell Stover scored on its first powerplay opportunity followed by a RoughRiders powerplay goal. Russell Stover added a second power play goal in the second period and an empty net goal late in the third period.

The RoughRiders and Russell Stover face off again Sunday morning at the Ice Centre at Promenade in Westminster (RoughRiders home ice).

RoughRiders Scoring Summary
Second Period
1. Goal (PP) - George Gruber. Assists - Erik Ouelette and Evan Ritt.

Official Gamesheet

U18 RoughRiders Overall Record - 7-4-1.
Tier 1 Elite Hockey League Record - 3-4-0.
CAHA League Record - 1-1-0.
Non-League Games - 4-0-1.

U18 RoughRiders Head Coach - Nick Larson

Nick Larson - U18 Head Coach

Nick Larson played 15 years of hockey in Moorhead, Minnesota and continued to develop his hockey skills playing USHL Junior A for the Dubuque Fighting Saints where, as team captain, he was voted the Best Defenseman in 2001.

Larson was recruited and played for four years for the Men’s NCAA Division I University of Denver Pioneers where he was a contributing member for the back to back National Championship teams in 2004 and 2005.  In 2005, he served as the a Captain and was voted as the Most Inspirational Player by his peers.

Larson served as head coach for the Arvada Hockey Association Midget Major AA team where, under his direction, they were State Champions in 2007 and 2009 and Rocky Mountain District Runners Up in 2009.

Most recently, Larson served as the Denver Pioneers Men’s Ice Hockey Color Radio Analyst and the Director of Sports Performance at Total Hockey Academy. Nick’s passion for the game of hockey continues in training and coaching future hockey stars in the state of Colorado. Nick has his Level 4 certification with USA Hockey.  Nick is currently the Director of Sports Performance at Total Hockey Academy in Westminster, CO.

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.

U18 RoughRiders Take Two from Dallas Alliance

The Rocky Mountain RoughRiders U18 team played two games this past weekend against the Dallas Alliance.
On Saturday, October 15, the banged up RoughRiders crew had only thirteen skaters. Throughout the game the pace seemed slow and sloppy at times. However, the RoughRiders out shot the Alliance 27-18 and came from behind to win the game 3-2 with two late third period goals.
Sam Mallory stopped 16 of the 18 shots he faced.

RoughRiders Scoring Summary
First Period
1. Goal - Evan Ritt. Assist - Andrew Bradford.
Third Period
2. Goal - Rudy Junda. Assists - Evan Ritt and George Gruber.
3. Goal - Andrew Bradford. Assists - George Gruber and Rudy Junda.

Official Gamesheet

On Sunday, October 16, the RoughRiders faced the Dallas Alliance once again. The RoughRiders out shot the Alliance 32-15 in a game marred by penalties. The RoughRiders scored the first two goals of the game in the second period. The Alliance scored the next two goals in the third period. At the 16:38 mark of the third period the RoughRiders added the winning goal for a final score of 3-2. Jonathan Loeffler stopped 13 of the 15 shots he faced in the game.

RoughRiders Scoring Summary
Second Period
1. Goal - Robert Salvato. Assists - John Nitchen and Evan Ritt.
2. Goal - Rudy Junda. Assists - Eric Ouelette and Thomas Jarman.
Third Period
3. Goal - Evan Ritt.

Official Gamesheet

U18 RoughRiders Overall Record - 7-3-1.
Tier 1 Elite Hockey League Record - 3-3-0.
CAHA League Record - 1-1-0.
Non-League Games - 4-0-1.

RoughRiders U18 Team Split League Games with the Colorado Rampage

The Rocky Mountain RoughRiders U18 team split a weekend series with the Colorado Rampage. Both games doubled as T1EHL and CAHA league games since both teams are in both leagues.

On Saturday, October 8, the RoughRiders traveled to Monument, CO for the first of two meetings with the Rampage. The Rampage scored the only goal of the first period while both teams tallied a goal in the second. The Rampage took a 3-1 early lead in the third period. The RoughRiders scored at the 15:58 mark narrowing the Rampage lead to 3-2. The Rampage added a late empty net goal finishing up the scoring and coming away with a 4-2 win.

The Rampage out shot the RoughRiders 27-20. Sam Mallory stopped 23 of 26 shots faced on the afternoon. The scoresheet incorrectly shows Jonathan Loeffler in net for the RoughRiders.

RoughRiders Scoring Summary
Second Period
1. Goal - Joseph Marchese. Assists - Robert Salvato and Adam Durkee.
Third Period
2. Goal - Thomas Jarman.

Official Gamesheet

These two teams squared off once again on Sunday, October 9 on the RoughRiders home ice in Westminster, CO. This game found the RoughRiders taking a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period. The Rampage added a goal in the second period and tied the game in the third. At the 13:38 mark of the third period, the RoughRiders scored and went on to win the game 3-2.

The Rampage out shot the RoughRiders on the day 39-31. Jonathan Loeffler stopped 37 of the 39 shots he faced.

RoughRiders Scoring Summary
First Period
1. Goal (PP) - Matt Anders. Assist - Robert Salvato.
2. Goal (PP) - Joseph Marchese. Assist - Matt Anders.
Third Period
3. Goal - Rudy Junda. Assists - Matt Anders and Dalton Callihan.

Official Gamesheet

U18 RoughRiders Overall Record - 5-3-1.
Tier 1 Elite Hockey League Record - 3-3-0.
CAHA League Record - 1-1-0.
Non-League Games - 2-0-1.