FORMATION and BEGINNING CAMPAIGNS
The Red Land Patriots Ice Hockey Club was formed in 1999 as Red Land and Cedar Cliff seperated from West Shore Ice Hockey to form two seperate teams, now bitter rivals from the West Shore School District. In Red Land's first season, The team finished with a varsity record of 11-5-0. Their second consecutive .500 finish followed in the 2000-2001 campaign, with an 8-7-1 record, but the team dropped to 4-11-3 the following year. In the 2002-2003 season, the Patriots improved to a 10-7-1 record. In the first four years of the team, the Red Land Patriots went 33-31-5, making them a successful .500 team in the beginning years.
THE START OF A CUP TEAM
The start of the 2003-2004 season began the formation of the most successful team in RLIHC history. Goaltender Shane Sholar along with players John Geesey, Sean Ryan, Joby Kowalczyk, Christian Hancock, Pat Ryan, Cameron Norman, Dylan Smith, Dagan Magaro, and Dylan Succa began their careers with RLIHC, in what would be a majority of the Viola Cup team. The varsity team finished 11-6-1 in the 2003-2004 season. The following season, Adam Sheaffer and Chris Sternberger began their careers and the varsity team finished 4-12-0 in their least successful campaign in team history. The 2005-2006 season saw freshmen Dagan Magaro and Dylan Succa move up to Varsity as Jeff Conley began his career. The varsity team went 11-4-1 in the 2005-2006 season, greatly improving from their previous season. In the 2006-2007 season, the team which would capture the Viola Cup began to take shape. Varsity finished 9-5-2 as goaltender Shane Sholar and players John Geesey, Sean Ryan, Pat Ryan, Christian Hancock, Cameron Norman, Adam Sheaffer, Mark Sutton, and Dylan Smith moved up to varsity. Shawn Sholar, Skylar Weaver, William Ott, and Corey Fink begin their RLIHC careers in this season as well. In the 2007-2008 season, Corey Fink and Chris Sternberger move up to varsity as Mike Fedor begins his career at the varsity level. David Turby and Josh Stewart begin their RLIHC careers and varsity goes 10-6-2.
THE YEAR OF THE CUP
In Jeff Conley, Skylar Weaver, William Ott, David Turby, Josh Stewart, and Shawn Sholar's first season at varsity, the team went 13-4-1 alongside 10 seniors, giving them a place in the Tier II Viola Cup Playoffs. Defeating West York, Trinity, and Manheim Township in the first three rounds, the Red Land Patriots faced the Annville-Cleona Little Dutchmen in historical Hershey Park Arena on February 27th, 2009, in the Viola Cup final game. After three hard-fought periods, the game was tied, and an overtime period took place, and as Sean Ryan, the player who began his RLIHC career four years earlier along with 9 other players, took the last shot of his RLIHC career, the puck trickled beneath the AC goalie's pads and the Red Land Patriots became the Viola Cup Champions in a most memorable year which holds personal feelings to all the players, coaches, and parents involved in the team's victorious and unforgettable campaign.
MOVING UP/PRESENT
After the Patriot's Cup winning season, they were moved up to the more competitive CPIHL Tier I. This upcoming 2009-2010 season will be different after the loss of ten seniors, but the pride in being a Patriot remains as the team looks forward to the start of their new season.
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