Thanks to the hard work of many individuals, the hockey scene in Rhinelander just became much more competitive. Rhinelander welcomes the new Junior Hockey team, the Rhinelander Street Cats, to its ranks.

Igor Myaskovskiy, one of the instrumental individuals to bringing this team to Rhinelander, was elated with the progress this team has already witnessed within the community.

“This team has been a real project,” said Myaskovskiy. “We lost a lot of our hockey presence a few years ago, so we went to work. We just desired to get the family leagues back into Rhinelander.”

The addition of the new Rhinelander team goes hand in hand with the new Ironwood Bears squad. The team is open to interested athletes 15-21 years old, and this experienced coaching staff is looking to share some of their knowledge and pave the way for a successful hockey futures.

“We want to be there to assist the student level hockey and help open doors into the athletes’ futures,” Myaskovskiy said. “The ultimate goal has got to be providing a shot at playing professionally.”

There are 16 teams in the league with the Street Cats, spanning Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio, as well as other states. They hope to begin play sometime this September. The recruiting process is very important for the league teams, and the tryouts arrive in Rhinelander on Saturday, July 28. They will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Rhinelander Ice Arena. Myaskovskiy hopes to see quality numbers.

“We invite all interested athletes to come out and give it a try,” he said. “We recruit all of our teams from the best competition, as we want to give the kids a chance against the best.”

For more information regarding the new Rhinelander Street Cats junior hockey team, or the league they play in, visit northernstarshockey.com/rhinelanderstreetcats.htm.

Myaskovskiy said he’d like to take time to thank all the great support over the last couple years from the Spencer family, Steve Dalquist, Brett Aylersworth and Chuck Stroede, and to extend his appreciation to everyone involved for helping bring back an exciting and worthwhile opportunity for local athletes within the Rhinelander Area.

Editor’s note: Watch for upcoming coverage of the Rhinelander Street Cats on StarJournalNOW.com and HodagSports.com.