Manchester Man Aims To Help School Add Hockey Team

As the popularity of youth ice hockey continues to grow, high schools all over the state have added ice hockey teams. A Manchester Township man wants to add Manchester High School to that list.

Rocky Raimondi spoke during the district’s Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, asking that they start considering the possibility of adding the sport.

“I know I have a lot of work to do yet, but I just wanted to get it on the agenda,” Raimondi said.

The primary factors Raimondi said he needs to determine are how much student interest exists and what the costs will be to have a team. But he told the board he’s hoping they could get a program going soon. His son, a middle schooler, will be in high school soon.

“This isn’t just about him, though; it’s for the future too,” he said.

Raimondi said he played ice hockey at Toms River High School South in the mid-1980s, including on the Indians’ inaugural team in 1983. Back then, few schools in Ocean County beyond Brick had teams. Now, nearly every high school in the county has a team, he said.

Raimondi said the best approach may be to work out a cooperative agreement with another school district to field a team. Barnegat does not have a team yet, he said. Another possibility would be to work out an agreement with either Central Regional or Lacey, which both put hockey teams on the ice this season for the first time.

In a co-op arrangement, two schools field a team that has athletes from both teams when neither school has enough to have a team on its own. Manasquan and Point Pleasant Beach have a cooperative agreement in ice hockey.

Raimondi said a minimum of 15 players is needed to start the team. The cost considerations include renting ice time and player equipment, and he said he is working with athletic director Keith Lister to come up with that information.

Board President Donald Webster and Superintendent David Trethaway said Raimondi was welcome to present a proposal to the board when he has gathered more information.

Anyone interested in seeing a hockey program at Manchester can contact Raimondi at rockyfireman@hotmail.com.