Tip of the Hat to Reston Raiders Youth Hockey Club!

As the fluffy white stuff from Snowpocalypse becomes slush gunk oozing down our busted gutters and clogged drains, the wreckage caused by the 4th Snowman is becoming more evident.

One victim of the Snowpolcalypse was the Prince William Ice Rink, home of the Prince William Panthers travel youth hockey team. The weight of the snow on the roof reportedly caused a significant collapse.

The Prince William rink management is committed to rebuilding and hopes that the rink might be back online within 6 months. The PW Panthers hopes to field travel hockey teams again next year.

In the mean time, there is a lot of hockey to be played to finish the current Capital Beltway Hockey League (CBHL) season, leaving the PW Panthers with a bit of a dilemma of what to do.

Enter Reston Raiders, the CBHL team skating at Reston Skatequest. On Feb. 10, Reston Raiders posted the following message:

Last evening, the first of several Prince William Panther Hockey Club teams visited SkateQuest and shared the ice with Reston Raider travel teams. The Prince William Squirt UA team shared the ice with Squirt Silver and Squirt Blue. While the arrangement is mildly crowded… a good time was had by all and coaches reported little or no disruption in their routines.

As we move forward through the end of the CBHL season most other Raider travel teams have offered to share their practice ice slots with their displaced hockey brethren from Prince William.

We appreciate the sacrifices and restructuring of practice plans by coaches and teams and thank all those willing to share with our friends to the south.

All of us would not hesitate to take in a neighbor whose home was damaged or lost. We believe the same spirit is being shown but our teams and players. We feel that this life lesson that is tangible and valuable one for all of our players.

The Reston Raiders is one of the oldest clubs in the area and runs a full travel hockey program. For them to share their ice with the Panthers is no small thing. It is clearly the personification of good sportsmanship that we hope our children might learn through the participation in sports (well I dont know if that's possible, it is hockey after all)

Tip of the Hat to Reston Raiders! Keep your sticks on the ice!