Riverkings enjoy best season to date

WISCONSIN RAPIDS - Without a doubt, the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings had their best hockey season since coming to town three years ago.

The franchise, in its third year, made its first trip to Boston for the United States Premier Hockey League playoffs and finished third in the Elite Division.

The Riverkings were the regular season champions of the Elite Midwest Division and won the first two rounds of the playoffs. They went 5-3 in the playoffs to finish 48-7-3.

"I think our veteran leadership was a big key to our success," Riverkings coach Marty Quarters said. "We knew we had a lot of guys coming back, and we talked about how the older guys should lead. We talked about what is more effective, leading using respect or leading with fear. The boys took it to heart and made everyone feel part of the family. They all worked towards a common goal, which was the success of the Riverkings, not themselves."

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In the first two rounds of the postseason, the Riverkings swept Detroit and Chicago at home. In Boston, they played four games in two days, going 1-3. Rapids beat the Junior Bruins but lost to Hampton and got swept by Charlotte in the semifinals.

"We went out to Boston to win a championship and even though we didn't do that, we felt good about what we did," Quarters said. "The boys left it all on the rink."

The team has plenty of success as a unit aside from the 48 wins. The Riverkings led the Midwest in goals scored (241), while giving up the fewest (76).  Individually, Ryan Mantz was the Midwest leading scorer with 103 points in just 46 games and goalie Erik Schuette lead the Midwest with 24 wins and 9 shutouts. Martz was a finalist for the top forward award, Harrison Kohl was a finalist for defensemen of the year and Schuette was in the running for top goal keeper.

"Some of the highlights for us to me was going 5-1 against the Dells Ducks, last year's champion, and winning 15 in a row heading out to Boston," Quarters said. "We were first place from the start to the end in the Midwest, and that was something we're proud of, too."

The Riverkings were also recognized by the Wisconsin Rapids Sports Commission, receiving the MVP award. The award is to emphasize impact of sports on the tourism industry, local economy and the community.

"That was exciting for our organization to receive that award," Quarters said. "We proud of what we accomplished this year and excited to improve next year."

Mark Massoglia: 715-424-7309 or mark.massoglia@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @markmazzy.