Athletic Department Introduces Ice Hockey as a Winter Sport

Nov 29

Nov 29 Athletic Department Introduces Ice Hockey as a Winter Sport

Freedom. Speed. The rush of a buzzer-beating goal. Beneath the heavy uniform padding, ice hockey players require determination, practice, and camaraderie.

Over the past few years, many Riverdale students and parents have asked Director of Athletics Mr. John Pizzi to introduce ice hockey as a new Riverdale team, emphasizing that many students already play the sport outside of school. Their demands were finally met: ice hockey is now officially a Riverdale sport for the winter season.

Coach Pat Manocchia, who played ice hockey for Brown University, a NCAA Division I team, and went on to play for a U.S. national team, will be the head coach of the new Riverdale team. He has plenty of coaching experience with teams in his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, and currently coaches an NYC Cyclones hockey team. When asked why ice hockey is starting this year at Riverdale, he explained, “There was a certain amount of interest in the past, but the interest really swelled this year throughout the Riverdale community.” The team was fortunate to find a great rink close to Riverdale and to easily join a league thanks to connections with other coaches and the league’s director. Riverdale will be playing ice hockey teams from Columbia Grammar, Fieldston, Poly Prep, SAR Academy, Xavier, and Birch Wathen Lenox. Since a skating rink is one of the few athletic facilities that Riverdale does not have, the team will practice on Tuesdays and Fridays after school at a rink in Tuckahoe or at Chelsea Piers. Fortunately, Tuckahoe is a quick commute from Riverdale, so students will not have to worry about early dismissal or missing their last class of the day to attend practice.

One common issue for Riverdale athletes is player inclusion in games. When there are not enough junior varsity and varsity teams, as is the case with ice hockey, some ninth and tenth graders feel that they get little (if any) playing time because of the competitiveness of the leagues that Riverdale plays in. To match the skill of the other teams in the league and have a chance of winning, Riverdale coaches often play juniors and seniors more, since they typically are the players with the most experience, strength, and skill. Coach Manocchia has a strong idea of the skill of each team in the league that Riverdale will play, so he knows which games he will play younger players and the games where he will put in the team’s juniors and seniors. He explained that, compared to the new Riverdale team, some schools do not have as many players that are members of outside-of-school ice hockey clubs. According to Coach Manocchia, during games against those teams, Riverdale “won’t [play their] first line, and [in those games] the ninth-grade players will get a ton of ice time.” By “first line,” he means the players that are the best in terms of skill and will play the most in the games to give the team the best chances of victory. As such, everyone on the Riverdale team will get to play in a real ice hockey game, promoting team cohesion across all grades. Ninth and tenth graders will grow their skills as they experience more game time on the rink.

Due to the fast-paced nature of ice hockey and the slick ice, the sport poses many risks for injuries, especially concussions. Ninth-grader Bowden Beal, who has been playing ice hockey outside of school for seven years, explained, “Because of the rough style of play and unprotected, light helmet, it is extremely easy for players to injure their heads through contact, whether that be on another player or on the boards around the rink.” Therefore, it is inevitable that injuries will happen this season. Fortunately, Riverdale has a great coaching staff prepared if any injury happens: all of the coaches are certified in first aid, and one of them is an EMT. If any player comes off to the side after a collision, there is a protocol of questions to ask them to make sure that they are feeling fine, and they will be removed from play immediately.

Sophomore Izzy Shin is excited about the upcoming ice hockey season. Shin has been playing the sport outside of school on a club team for four years, so she has experience playing sports that are predominantly male. Regardless, she feels that “the hockey season will go very smoothly.” She encourages the Riverdale community to support the new hockey team by attending their games.

Playing ice hockey helps foster sportsmanship, grit, and teamwork. Due to the passion and commitment of these students, as well as the receptivity of the Athletic Department, students can now develop these skills on a school-sanctioned team while proudly sporting a Riverdale jersey. Ultimately, this initiative to instate ice hockey at Riverdale should serve as a model for the addition of more sports at Riverdale.