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The Peoria Rivermen settled on a new equipment manager and on a new 2026-27 home opener Monday.
The defending regular-season champions hired Kyle Harden as equipment manager.
The 29-year-old Memphis, Tennessee native spent the last three seasons as equipment manager for Huntsville, one of the top organizations in the SPHL.
He worked in the equipment role at Evansville in the SPHL in the 2021-22 season, and before that served as equipment manager in junior hockey with NAHL Amarillo.
"I'm very excited. Peoria is a great organization, been around for a long time," Harden said. "They were in the SPHL Finals last year, they have the right culture and the right people. I just want to get there and help the guys be comfortable, help them win."
Harden grew up on hockey and played in high school in Memphis, where Josh Eaves – now the SPHL Quad City Storm equipment manager – was a teammate.
"My dad played roller hockey when I was younger," Harden said. "He and my mom took me to RiverKings games since I was a baby. I loved it. Loved the game.
"And Josh is a lifelong close friend, it's a pretty cool small-world moment for us to working so close."
Harden was part of the Huntsville team that Peoria beat in the SPHL President's Cup Finals in 2023-24.
"I told (Rivermen head coach) Jean-Guy Trudel he owes me one," Harden said, laughing. "But dealing with the expectations and personalities in Huntsville, trying to meet their standards, the various leagues the players come from, all of it helped prepare me for this job in Peoria."
The Rivermen were scheduled for a home-opening weekend Oct. 23-24 at Carver Arena against expansion Pee Dee.
But the team on Monday moved that first game to Oct. 30, for undisclosed reasons.
The official home opener now becomes Saturday, Oct. 24, against Pee Dee. And Peoria will host Pee Dee in a two-game series on Oct. 30 and 31.
So the revised start to the 2026-27 season looks like this for the Rivermen:
Oct. 17: Peoria at Quad CityOct. 24: Pee Dee at PeoriaOct. 30: Pee Dee at PeoriaOct. 31: Pee Dee at PeoriaNov. 6: Pee Dee at Peoria
More: What to know about the Peoria Rivermen 2026-27 SPHL schedule
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star senior writer and sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Rivermen add to on-ice staff and make change to home opener
Continue reading...
The defending regular-season champions hired Kyle Harden as equipment manager.
The 29-year-old Memphis, Tennessee native spent the last three seasons as equipment manager for Huntsville, one of the top organizations in the SPHL.
He worked in the equipment role at Evansville in the SPHL in the 2021-22 season, and before that served as equipment manager in junior hockey with NAHL Amarillo.
"I'm very excited. Peoria is a great organization, been around for a long time," Harden said. "They were in the SPHL Finals last year, they have the right culture and the right people. I just want to get there and help the guys be comfortable, help them win."
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Harden grew up on hockey and played in high school in Memphis, where Josh Eaves – now the SPHL Quad City Storm equipment manager – was a teammate.
"My dad played roller hockey when I was younger," Harden said. "He and my mom took me to RiverKings games since I was a baby. I loved it. Loved the game.
"And Josh is a lifelong close friend, it's a pretty cool small-world moment for us to working so close."
Harden was part of the Huntsville team that Peoria beat in the SPHL President's Cup Finals in 2023-24.
"I told (Rivermen head coach) Jean-Guy Trudel he owes me one," Harden said, laughing. "But dealing with the expectations and personalities in Huntsville, trying to meet their standards, the various leagues the players come from, all of it helped prepare me for this job in Peoria."
There's no place like home opener
The Rivermen were scheduled for a home-opening weekend Oct. 23-24 at Carver Arena against expansion Pee Dee.
But the team on Monday moved that first game to Oct. 30, for undisclosed reasons.
The official home opener now becomes Saturday, Oct. 24, against Pee Dee. And Peoria will host Pee Dee in a two-game series on Oct. 30 and 31.
So the revised start to the 2026-27 season looks like this for the Rivermen:
Oct. 17: Peoria at Quad CityOct. 24: Pee Dee at PeoriaOct. 30: Pee Dee at PeoriaOct. 31: Pee Dee at PeoriaNov. 6: Pee Dee at PeoriaMore: What to know about the Peoria Rivermen 2026-27 SPHL schedule
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star senior writer and sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Rivermen add to on-ice staff and make change to home opener
Continue reading...
