New Arnprior, Ont. hockey team hopes charity game marks primer for season

The newly named Arnprior Rivermen have had a tough time putting fans in the stands at the Nick Smith Centre.

Having recently relocated from West Carleton, the team is having a tough time convincing the community to come out in support.

But heading into their second season, Rivermen owner and player Adrian Moyes is hoping a preseason charity game Saturday night will do the trick.

"Honestly, I'm not quite sure what to expect," Moyes tells CTV News. "It's a new year, the exposure for the team is a lot bigger than it was the first year."

The team is hosting a game benefitting Valley Warriors, an organization dedicated to getting kids with special needs onto the ice and playing the game of hockey.

"We don't have a lot of fundraising events, and to get support from Adrian and the Rivermen is just huge for us," says Jerry Novack, founder of Valley Warriors.

Novack says Valley Warriors charges families just $100 to enroll their child in the hockey program, which also offers an equipment exchange program.

"It's huge for us because the registration fee that we charge covers the ice time and stuff," says Novack.

"The extra money we get provides hoodies, trophies, medals, and an end of year party."

At the start of their first season, the Rivermen averaged an attendance of just 40 people. By the time they were eliminated deep into the playoffs, attendance climbed to around 200.

Moyes is hoping Saturday's show of commitment to the community will be enough to keep attendance high into the start of a new year.

"I don't really care about turning a profit or anything," says the team owner. "I want the team to be successful so that we can have some good entertainment for families in the town."

"Them being in Arnprior, us down in Pembroke just really speaks to the owner Adrian's heart for the community and what he's trying to do there outside of his own hockey program," says Novack.

The Rivermen's first game of the 2022-23 season is Sept. 24 at 4:30 p.m. versus the Glengarry Pipers at the Nick Smith Centre.