Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
REVAMPED RENEGADE HIDEOUT!
The New Mexico Renegades are proud to announce the renovation of their dressing room!
Goaltending Coach and Equipment Manager Kevin Blair has put in tireless hours of hard work to make this possible. His attention to detail not only pays off on the ice, but off the ice as well. Not a single aspect of the lockerroom was overlooked.
Blair is not done yet, he has plans in progress to add-on that have not been announced yet.
Goaltending Coach and Equipment Manager Kevin Blair has put in tireless hours of hard work to make this possible. His attention to detail not only pays off on the ice, but off the ice as well. Not a single aspect of the lockerroom was overlooked. Sunday, August 8, 2010
STAY TUNED!!
For most athletes the off-season is a time of competitive rest, where players focus on improving individual skills. Not hockey. Graduating Midget, Prep School, High School players, along with current Junior players, spend their summers traveling from city to city in search of a program to help them achieve their goals. At times, there are 300 players battling for 10 spots.
With the final weeks closing on the Renegades Home Opener there are players coming into Main Camp with the goal of earning a contract in mind and then already signed players who are competing to keep their spot.
A few contracts are out and those signings will be announced in a press release.
There is more to come during the week of August 9, so stay tuned to find out who your 2010-11 New Mexico Renegades will be.
With the final weeks closing on the Renegades Home Opener there are players coming into Main Camp with the goal of earning a contract in mind and then already signed players who are competing to keep their spot.
A few contracts are out and those signings will be announced in a press release.
There is more to come during the week of August 9, so stay tuned to find out who your 2010-11 New Mexico Renegades will be.
Friday, August 6, 2010
The Odessa Pipeline
The Odessa Jackalopes held a press conference for returning Renegades DJ Pyle ('90) and Jonathan Voyles ('92), along with newcomer Jesus Mercado ('91) of Odessa, TX.
The conference was broadcast was televised from the rink. The entire town recognized the accomplishments of their local hockey players making the jump to junior hockey. The Odessa Jackalopes (CHL) released the following story:
Congratulations on the recognition for your hardwork!
The conference was broadcast was televised from the rink. The entire town recognized the accomplishments of their local hockey players making the jump to junior hockey. The Odessa Jackalopes (CHL) released the following story:The Odessa Jackalopes announced today that six players from their youth hockey program are moving up to the Junior ‘A’ Hockey level. It’s the highest number of players to leave for a higher level at one time in the program’s history.
Mason Desilets, Keegan Kelly, Jesus Mercado, DJ Pyle, Corey Reynolds, and Jonathan Voyles will all travel to different parts of the country this winter to continue their hockey careers.
“We’re very proud of what these players have been able to accomplish,” said Donnie Margettie, Director of Youth Hockey. “It will be a wonderful experience for them to continue playing hockey, travel with their teams, and play against better competition.”
Five of the players will be members of the Western States Hockey League (WSHL). Mercado, Pyle, and Voyles will play for the New Mexico Renegades. This will be Mercado’s first venture into junior hockey – he plays defense. Pile and Voyles will begin their second season in New Mexico lining up as forwards for the team.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Renegades to be in Sunday Paper!
The New Mexico Renegades extend a special thanks to the Rio Rancho Observer and and "Bunkhouse Program" coordinator Rob Vitek for organizing the opportunity for a large ad in Sunday's newspaper.
Contact Rob Vitek at RP4643@hotmail.com for more information.
Also, Renegades fans, make sure you show the Sunday paper to as many friends, co-workers and neighbors as possible!
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| Screenshot of the Ad |
The Renegades would like a couple more billet families and we hope this advertisement seals the deal. Billeting is a very rewarding experience that not only develops lifelong relationships, but comes with FREE SEASON TICKETS.
Contact Rob Vitek at RP4643@hotmail.com for more information.
Also, Renegades fans, make sure you show the Sunday paper to as many friends, co-workers and neighbors as possible!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
TURN YOUR HOME INTO A HIDEOUT!
Approximately 25 hockey players will ride into town to join the New Mexico Renegades Junior "A" Hockey Club. These players are here to earn higher-level junior or collegiate hockey opportunities and will spend the the next 8 months dedicated to hockey to achieve that goal. Who do they move here with though?
The short answer, no one. Junior players often relocate alone to a new city and culture. For the most part, they live with billet families. These kind families invite hockey players into their home. Some families are empty-nesters. Some are single-parent households. Some have a full blown family but just want to add on even more. Billet families come in all sorts of sizes and it truly is an adventure. Junior players act as mentors to younger children while also forming a true bond with the housing parents. It's a very unique experience that is almost always positive.
The short answer, no one. Junior players often relocate alone to a new city and culture. For the most part, they live with billet families. These kind families invite hockey players into their home. Some families are empty-nesters. Some are single-parent households. Some have a full blown family but just want to add on even more. Billet families come in all sorts of sizes and it truly is an adventure. Junior players act as mentors to younger children while also forming a true bond with the housing parents. It's a very unique experience that is almost always positive.Billet families receive a monthly fee paid to them for housing these players, and the New Mexico Renegades reward these families with free season tickets as well. You will also get to meet the rest of the team and make a lot of connections. You might even have a future NHLer living in your home. Talk about a possible payoff!
But seriously, billeting is an incredibly fun experience and definitely a great way to spice up your life. If you are interested, head to the New Mexico Renegades web site, http://www.nmrenegades.com/ or contact Rob Vitek, head of the Renegades' "Bunkhouse Program", at rp4636@hotmail.com for more information.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Memoirs of Herbert: The Willie O'Ree Experience
Right now Coach Ambroziak is finalizing the signing of players, whom will be announced soon. In the meantime, I am going to update the blog with memories from the past season. If you want me to write an anecdote about something or simply have something to say, don't hesitate to leave a comment. If you want to write something for me to post, just send it to HerbertKyles@gmail.com. Superfan Rob Vitek and I thought it would be a good idea to write some stories about fan interactions, so I figured I would post one today. It's my first game memory of the Renegades.
First off, shoutout to Willie O'Ree. He's the man, the myth and the legend. Now on with the memory.
Throughout all levels of hockey, from youth to professional, coaches speak about "Home Ice Advantage". While many people point directly to ice and rink conditions for advantages (for example-Tulsa's midget glass and odd rink measurements, El Paso's lively boards or our well below room temperature arena), players always notice something outside of the ice surface. The crowd.
I remember after our grand opening, Willie O'Ree weekend against Tulsa, Vinny DiCarlo came up to me before they boarded the bus. DiCarlo and I spoke for a little bit (we met when he came to KC to train) and he commented that especially for an expansion team, we had an awesome crowd that cheered us on.
I knew we had great fans who supported us. It was evident when I let up my 2nd goal after a brutal across the body 1st goal (I think I was still starstruck by Willie); The fan behind my goal gave me the stay strong fist clench (I knew he didn't want to fight me because he didn't pound the boards Rob Vitek style) and kept me going.
Then we fought back to 4-3 and the fans were going nuts. I think Cindy Pyle screamed really loud because all of a sudden sparks flew from Cody Miller's skates and in announcer lingo he went "Top Shelf...Where Mama Hides the Cookies!"
We all thought the stars had aligned; Fans were jumping up and down like kids in a chocolate facotry. Well, not so much, as the refs disallowed the goal for reasons unknown to the rest of the world. I thought Rob Vitek was going to burst through the glass onto the ice, like The Hulk but angrier.
At the time, I was furious at myself because that game would have been 3-3 if I Kevin Blair had been our goaltending coach at the time. His tagline of "HERBIE! KEEP. YOUR. GLOVE. UP!" replays through my mind to this day.
This memory is a special one of the Renegades fan base, and if I can make it out there for the Home Opener, I look forward to seeing what it is like this year. If Colton keeps his glove up and the forwards finish on their chances, the Texas Brahmas are in for a long night.
First off, shoutout to Willie O'Ree. He's the man, the myth and the legend. Now on with the memory.
Throughout all levels of hockey, from youth to professional, coaches speak about "Home Ice Advantage". While many people point directly to ice and rink conditions for advantages (for example-Tulsa's midget glass and odd rink measurements, El Paso's lively boards or our well below room temperature arena), players always notice something outside of the ice surface. The crowd.
I remember after our grand opening, Willie O'Ree weekend against Tulsa, Vinny DiCarlo came up to me before they boarded the bus. DiCarlo and I spoke for a little bit (we met when he came to KC to train) and he commented that especially for an expansion team, we had an awesome crowd that cheered us on.
I knew we had great fans who supported us. It was evident when I let up my 2nd goal after a brutal across the body 1st goal (I think I was still starstruck by Willie); The fan behind my goal gave me the stay strong fist clench (I knew he didn't want to fight me because he didn't pound the boards Rob Vitek style) and kept me going.
Then we fought back to 4-3 and the fans were going nuts. I think Cindy Pyle screamed really loud because all of a sudden sparks flew from Cody Miller's skates and in announcer lingo he went "Top Shelf...Where Mama Hides the Cookies!"
We all thought the stars had aligned; Fans were jumping up and down like kids in a chocolate facotry. Well, not so much, as the refs disallowed the goal for reasons unknown to the rest of the world. I thought Rob Vitek was going to burst through the glass onto the ice, like The Hulk but angrier.
At the time, I was furious at myself because that game would have been 3-3 if I Kevin Blair had been our goaltending coach at the time. His tagline of "HERBIE! KEEP. YOUR. GLOVE. UP!" replays through my mind to this day.
This memory is a special one of the Renegades fan base, and if I can make it out there for the Home Opener, I look forward to seeing what it is like this year. If Colton keeps his glove up and the forwards finish on their chances, the Texas Brahmas are in for a long night.
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