Bryan Codner Eager for Another Year With River Dell Golden Hawks

The River Dell Golden Hawks is an interesting ice hockey team because it has skaters from and River Dell High School. Junior Bryan Codner, a student at Westwood, led the team in goals and has proven to be a very skilled player.

The Golden Hawks made the best of a tough season, after they were moved up two divisions and faced tough opponents, including Ridgewood and Tenafly. Codner did his best to lead the team in more ways than scoring goals.

“Teams are held together by leadership and this is something that I feel is what keeps our team so close together when we win and even when we lose,” said Codner. “I try to be a leader by always supporting my teammates and leading by example was something that I try to do every time I tie up my skates and hop on the ice.”

Codner switched positions from offense to defense quite often and is willing to do whatever it takes to get wins. His efficiency with goals and assists led him to be the team’s leading scorer, but he won’t take all the credit.

“Being the leading scorer of any sports team is an honor and I am very proud of having this honor for the team,” said Codner. “Although it is a great personal accomplishment, I thank all my teammates that I have had the privilege of skating with this winter. I never would've been able to accomplish any of this without my team.”

His teammates are not the only ones he credits, either.

“Coach [Brian] Sharkey was very supportive to the team the last two years I've been with the program and I am very relieved knowing that he is our head coach. I will also be looking forward to putting on a River Dell jersey next season under him.”

Sharkey also appreciated Codner’s leadership qualities.

“Bryan is a good listener and has very good skills and continues as he gets stronger,” said Sharkey. “His strongest quality is his skating and stick handling."

This Golden Hawks team was very close and was a tough minded group.

“One moment that I specifically remember from one of our games was the first game we played against Paramus Catholic,” said Codner. “We were losing going into the locker room after the second period and I couldn't help but notice how our team refused to give up. During the third period we refused to give up and we put in two back-to-back goals in an attempt to stay in the game. We ended up losing this game but I will always remember the determination that we showed in scoring those two third period goals.”

Those kind of moments can bring a team together, which also explains the friendships that Codner has developed with some of his teammates. Codner said that is something that he will always remember when his high school days are over.

The Golden Hawks are losing a lot of players this offseason but Coach Sharkey and Codner feel confident.

“Although there will be a lot of seniors who will be graduating this year, I feel that the outlook of our team for next season is very positive,” said Codner. “We have a lot of strong players who will be returning to the program next season and we are a very close team who works hard day in and day out. This is something that really makes me look forward to playing hockey for River Dell and I am also planning on cherishing next season as it will be my last season playing high school hockey.”