Our History

From the frozen canal to our new state-of-the-art home, hockey and Ridley have been indivisible for more than 125 years. For more than a century, the Tigers have played Canada’s game like it was their own. Founded in 1889, the game of hockey has been a part of this school just as long as any of its other traditions. Ridley’s first official team (1893) honed their skills on the frozen 12 Mile Creek running along the east side of campus. With few indoor hockey arenas in this era, the school became a hockey leader when it built the campus’ first indoor ice surface, Nichols Hall, in 1903, giving birth to the modern game. Most of Ridley’s early hockey experiences took place in the Niagara Region before becoming part of “The Little Big Four.” This precursor to the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) that we know today was a breeding ground for top athletes and hockey prodigies. The school’s commitment to the game has endured having built four rinks with the latest addition, Tiger Arena, opened in January of 2009. Continuing its tradition of leadership in athletics, Ridley was at the forefront of the explosion of women’s hockey in Canada. Playing an organized schedule for the first time in 1993, Ridley girls had been skating since they first joined Ridley in 1973. Now over 25 years into their own history, the girls programme has developed into one of the top prep hockey programmes in North America.

Playing hockey at Ridley is much more than a team or an individual pursuit. It is the continuation of one of the longest and most storied sport histories in Canada. Wearing the orange and black connects our athletes to a unique hockey family unparalleled in Canadian school sport.

RIDLEY HOCKEY today

The hockey programme at Ridley has produced provincial, national and international champions, as well as well as hundreds of post-secondary hockey careers. As such, we attract promising young student-athletes from across Canada and around the globe who are more than confident that they can continue to develop not only on the ice, but also in the classroom. In recent years, our Prep Boys and Girls Hockey Programmes have enjoyed tremendous success including five MPHL Championships (in the past six years) and back-toback CISAA Championships. Both programmes, however, are most proud of the number of studentathletes consistently moving on to post-secondary opportunities including the NCAA, OHL, CIS, and Tier 2. Ridley College Hockey continues to flourish due largely in part to our first-class facilities and resources.

Preparation for this level of play includes four onice practices per week, as well as multiple off-ice sessions, which include strength training and active recovery. Training and competition are supported by a dedicated coaching staff with national and international experience, Ridley’s athletic therapy and school medical team, a strength and conditioning coach, and other professional instructors.

Away from the ice, players are educated by Ridley’s dedicated professional faculty and supported by academic advisors, tutors and residential life staff. When you're living with teammates, going to class with them, having lunch together, hanging out in the dorms, it really changes how you gel as a team. You grow incredibly close to one another and it translates onto the ice. ”

– Evan DeBrouwer '15 Bentley University (NCAA)