HollandRiverBandits on The Move

Written By: Matt Wiedenhoeft – Advisor & TJHN Contributor

Holland, MI– An ownership group has put in long hours in order to allow Holland, MIto have its first Junior hockey team.  Deveri Del Core and Rich Teglia have made the necessary sacrifices needed for a strong franchise.  The HollandRiverBandits – a member of the Junior ‘A’ Mid-West Junior Hockey League – have made enormous strides since the team’s inception.

The Holland River Bandits opened its inaugural training camp in September.  The team worked hard on and off the ice to get ready for the regular season.  The players comprising the make up of the team has grown stronger and stronger since the first touch to the ice.  These young men have shed sweat, blood, and tears necessary for success.  The team built a community within its locker-room walls to maintain the family atmosphere with the unknown of what the season staring them in the face would bring. 

The season started out shaky with the opening puck drop to the last whistle opening weekend.  The team dropped its first two games to the Hartland Hounds.   The result of the heartbreaking opening weekend was stronger team chemistry – as well as fuel on the fire for a rivalry brewing with the Hounds.  It was not until the second game of the next weekend that the team earned its first point of the season against the Michigan Ice Dogs when  The River Bandits new found resiliency led the team to a come back to tie the game, yet fell in a disappointing shoot-out loss.

“Our improvement on the ice from the first weekend to the second is remarkable,” said Rich Teglia.  He continued, “We are a young team finding our way.  It’s important for us to see vast improvement from game-to-game.  I am very pleased with our progress.”  Deveri Del Core said, “I am so excited about the growth our guys have shown in such a short period of time.  We only opened camp a short time ago not knowing what our team would look like – now only to see we have heart.”  Ms. Del Core believed it is only a matter of time before the team would begin to showcase the talents we saw in them from the start.

Mr. Teglia and Ms. Del Core had premonitions of what was going to take place.  The team’s bond grew much stronger going into the next weekend facing three games in three nights.  The team ultimately fell in its first game of the weekend after a hard-fought game against the Tennyson Chevrolet squad.  However, the shoe was about to drop for the team.  The next evening, the River Bandits get its first win of the season defeating the Michigan Ice Dogs – the same that took 3 of 4 points the previous weekend in Holland.  The team ended the weekend with another shoot-out loss against the Michigan Ice Dogs finishing the weekend with an overall record of 1-4-0-2 and 4 points.

Head Coach Jason McCrimmon was very proud of his team after the weekend.  “Even though we lost Friday evening to a team we should have toppled and lost a lead in Sunday’s game only to lose in a shoot-out, I’m proud of my players.”  He continued, “I felt a momentary sense of relief getting our first win of the year and my Junior coaching career.   The guys earned the win and will continue to build off it.  Our team is built for a marathon not a sprint.”  He concluded with much anticipation and excitement for the upcoming weekend’s games.  Head Scout and Assistant Coach Dave Damos believed there is plenty of time for the team to catch its stride.  “I know we have the group of young men with great character.  We will gain strength as the season goes on.”

The Holland River Bandits have taken the necessary steps to get stronger on and off the ice.  The team has made player moves in order to add strength to its roster.  Brody Wilson, a 6 foot 4 defenseman, and 6 foot 1 forward, Anthony Lazarz, were added to the roster.  Tyler Teglia was announced as the player of the week ending September 30.  Abram Prince, local standout and team captain, has proved to be a great fit for the organization.  The team currently has four outstanding goalies on the roster – Jeromy Semtner, Jarred Felt, Dennis Hoekzema, and Trevor Teglia.  Players such as – Cameron Fisher, Alexander Carson, and Bailey Reitman - strengthen the roster further with grit, finesse, and toughness.  The River Bandits has been doing its local due diligence through recruiting local talent like Harry Braafhart and Cory Bussing.  Every player on the team’s roster has a role and commits to his role.

The upcoming weekend is going to be another tough fight for the team.  The Holland River Bandits will host the Dayton Aeros at the Edge Ice Arena October 5 & 6.  The games this Friday and Saturday will have the puck dropped at 7:30 pm.  Coaches Jason McCrimmon and Dave Damos will take the lead on the bench for the contests.  This will be the team’s last home games before hitting the road for seven straight road games.  The team is set to bring a hard hitting and physical game to the fresh cut ice this weekend.  Meet the team at the Edge for a family-friendly weekend of tough hockey.