Coach says Arnprior Rivermen will improve on tough EOSHL start

(Nov. 24, 2024: In the original story, West Carleton Online misidentified Rivermen assistant coach Doug Twining. We have corrected the mistake and apologize for the error)

ARNPRIOR – The Arnprior Rivermen (2-5-0) started the 2024-2025 Eastern Ontario Super Hockey League (EOSHL) with a tough win on the road, followed by a rough 1-5 streak, but assistant coach Doug Twining says the team has the talent and skill to finish the year strong and start a run for the playoffs in 2025.

And that starts this Saturday (Nov. 23) at 5:30 p.m. at their home barn in the Nick Smith Centre.

The Arnprior Rivermen are an Original Four team of the fast growing EOSHL, starting its team history in West Carleton before moving to Arnprior, now in it’s three seasons ago. The Rivemen and the EOSHL is in its fifth season (the 2020-2021 season was cancelled due to COVID), and the team has never missed the playoffs which includes a trip to the league championship in 2019-2020. In fact, head coach Mike Byrne, the longest tenured coach in the league, was honoured for his 100th game behind the bench at the team’s last game.

The league now sits at 16 teams spread across four divisions and two conferences. The Rivermen are in fourth in the Capital Division. On Saturday, the team gets to prove coach Twining right, taking on the division leading Manotick Mariners (6-2-0) with puck drop at 5:30 p.m.

“Our record thus far doesn’t adequately reflect the talent and effort on this team,” Twining, a Corkery resident, told West Carleton Online yesterday (Nov. 20). “The boys are doing everything the coaching staff is asking. The attitude is fantastic. Every person in our dressing room is playing hard, for the rest of the team.”

The Rivermen are owned by Galetta’s Adrian Moyes who also plays on the team. The Rivermen were very active on the roster during the offseason, after exiting the 2023-2024 EOSHL playoffs in the first round.

Despite those changes, the Rivermen have had a tough time scoring, with only 28 goals in seven games. The defence has been solid, only allowing 44 goals so far which puts the team in the middle of the pack.

Third-year Rivermen Connor Noonan leads the team in scoring with three goals and five assists. The Carp native is only 24 and has tons of experience playing hockey in the Valley including three years as an Ottawa Valley Titan. As a junior, he also played with the Renfrew Timberwolves, Kanata Lasers, West Carleton Inferno and most recently the Arnprior Packers.

Newcomer, Kanata’s Dylan McMahon, 24, is second on the team in points with five goals and two assists in seven games. This is McMahon’s first year in the EOSHL after a five-year NCAA Division III career with Utica and Nichols colleges.

Third year Rivermen Luca Nocita also has seven points (1 g, 6 a) in six games. Nocita had a five-year junior stint with the Kanata Lasers before joining the EOSHL in 2022-2023.

Owner Moyes has only been able to suit up for four games so far this season notching one goal. This is Moyes’ first season missing any action at all for the Rivermen.

Twining says, despite the rough start, the team is still having fun and still working hard, knowing it can get back in the race.

“They are playing for each other,” Twining said. “The hustle is strong, and there isn’t an ounce of quit from any player. We have been on the wrong end of too many bounces so far. And posts and crossbars aren’t cutting us any slack. It’s a little silly to think just how many times we’ve been denied by the iron.”

Twining expects the worm has to turn at some point, and the coaching staff expects that will begin early Saturday evening. It will be a tough test. The Mariners are led by Jonathan Cyr who has 10 goals and 13 assists in seven games.

Cyr, 28, is a Sarsfield, ON, native in his third season in the EOSHL after four years playing for Dalhousie University. The Mariners are a double-headed monster with Ryan Lough have the exact same stat line but in eight games. The 31-year-old Manotick native is a five-year veteran of the EOSHL including playing for the Rivermen in year one. Other former Rivermen playing for the Mariners include Brett Gustaven (6 g, 9 a, 15 pts) and Jesse Dick (8 g, 6 a, 12 pts). Manotick is third in the league in goals scored with 48.

“The boys are primed and ready for the rest of the season,” Twining said. “Manotick will be in our barn this weekend. We know they’ve pushed around a lot of opponents so far this year. But Saturday, our boys will push back.”

Puck-drop will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Bert Hall Arena inside the Nick Smith Centre (77 James St.), just before the Arnprior Santa Claus Parade. Tickets are available at the gate and for more information or advance tickets, visit the Rivermen website here.