The New York Riptide will return home for a divisional matchup against the Georgia Swarm on Saturday, March 7th, at NYCB Live. The first time these two teams met was on January 18th, and the Riptide got their first win in their franchise in an overtime thriller.
New York is coming off a tough road loss to the Rochester Knight Hawks, as they fell short 14-13 on Saturday, February 29th. In the loss, New York’s Dan Lomas scored season-high six goals to go along with two assists in the game. Tyson Gibson registered two goals, along with five assists. Kieran Mcardle, Travis Longboat, and Gale Thorpe each had one goal of their own.
On Wednesday, March 4th, the New York Riptide signed Andrew Suitor and Cody Radziewicz to a one-year contract extension, pending league approval. Suitor, an 11-year veteran, has one goal, five assists, and six points on the season. General Manager and Head-Coach Regy Thorpe tells New York Riptide.com, “Since Suits joined the Riptide family, he has gone above and beyond to help our young team not only on the floor and in the locker room but off the floor as well.” “He’s a loyal warrior and a man of his word with high character. We are lucky to have him for next year. For our younger guys to have leaders/ mentors like Danny (MacRae) and Suits is something I know, our team is lucky to have. Locking him up for the next season will certainly set us up for a great year two, no doubt in my mind. There’s no one I would rather be in the trenches with as we build our New York Riptide foundation brick by brick.”
Radziewicz, a rookie, on the season has scored two goals, to go along with four assists and six points. “Cody is one of our younger guys that is benefiting from a few of the best leaders in the business and is coming into his own,” Thorpe says. “He’s earned his spot by hustling for ground balls, anticipating where the balls going and playing much bigger than his size. Cody’s grit, hard work, and athleticism certainly will help our team as we build towards year two and beyond.”
New York also signed Pat Saunders to a one-year deal. Saunders is an 11-year veteran who played in just two games this season for the Rochester Knight Hawks. For his career, he has scored 159 goals and 124 assists. Thorpe says, “We are excited to sign veteran Pat Saunders.” “He brings a wealth of experience to our young offense. Our staff is very familiar with Pat, and we know he will fit right into our system. He’s a lunch pail type player that will do anything that is asked, and he’s super coachable. We know what we get with him, and we feel our younger players can learn from him.”
The Swarm is coming off a road victory against the Vancouver Warriors on February 29th. They finished the game with two players recording hat tricks in Lyle Thompson and Shayne Jackson.
New York Riptide Key Players:
Dan Lomas: 20 goals, 20 assists, 40 points
Tyson Gibson: 15 goals, 25 assists, 40 points.
Connor Kelly: 14 goals, 22 assists, and 36 points.
Georgia Swarm Key Players:
Shayne Jackson: 26 goals, 38 assists, 64 points.
Lyle Thompson: 24 goals, 24 assists, 48 points.
Miles Thompson: 16 goals, 15 assists, 31 points.
Randy Staats: 17 goals, 40 assists, 57 points.