Although the pandemic forced the MWHL to pause on-ice activity, at least one club was very busy behind the scenes. The two-time MWHL Cup Champion Ice Raiders recently announced the sale of a majority stake in their club to a new ownership group based in Reno, Nevada. The club will rebrand as the Reno Ice Raiders and move operations to the brand new Jennifer M. O’Neal Community Ice Arena in Reno.
The new ownership group includes Reno natives Jess Peterson and Andrew Peterson. Previous owners Simon Lebleu and Weston Nash will remain as minority partners. Jess Peterson will assume the role of General Manager from Lebleu who will return to the team’s active player roster. Andrew Peterson will also play on the team and was named captain. Nash, who founded the club in 2015, returns to the team’s roster after a stint with the Park City Pioneers.
The acquisition and move was made possible by the construction of a new ice arena in Reno. The Jennifer M. O’Neal Community Ice Arena is located on Wedge Parkway in the South valleys Regional Sports Complex. It is the culmination of more than six years of effort to bring a new facility to northern Nevada by the Greater Reno Community Ice Skating Association.
“An extraordinary group of individuals simply decided Reno needed a rink and got it done,” said Jess Peterson. “When the opportunity came to bring something special to Reno like the Ice Raiders, I jumped at it. More importantly the community embraced it and the support we’ve received has been nothing short of shocking.”
Tickets for the Ice Raiders first exhibition game versus the Stockton Stampede sold out in just three hours. In response to overwhelming demand from fans on social media, the club worked with the arena to expand capacity then announced a second round of tickets. Those sold out as well.
Fans aren’t the only ones excited about the Reno Ice Raiders. “Being born and raised here in Reno and playing hockey at every arena this city has had over the years, I am absolutely thrilled to have the Ice Raiders here in town,” said team captain Andrew Peterson. “I played college hockey in Minnesota and professionally over in Sweden for 5 years, so I feel very fortunate to be able to play in my hometown after so many years away.”
The Reno Ice Raiders face-off against the Stockton Stampede at Jennifer M. O’Neal Community Ice Arena at 7:15 PM on Saturday July 10. For more information, visit https://www.renoiceraiders.com/.
