Club Info

The Santa Rosa Junior Hockey club is dedicated to developing a true and lasting love for the game of ice hockey in the Northern California Wine Country. Programs are available for youth of all ages and skill levels. Developing ice hockey skills, good sportsmanship, teamwork, discipline, and respect are the goals of our programs. The activities of SRJHC are intended to foster an environment of fun and healthy competition for players, while creating a shared community for their families.

The Santa Rosa Junior Hockey Club has an illustrious history. During the 2023-24 season, the club celebrated its sixtieth anniversary!

The Santa Rosa Junior Hockey Club was founded in 1963 by Skippy and Meryl Baxter. The club originally skated at the Summerfield Arena on Summerfield Road in Santa Rosa. The first teams were sponsored by local businesses and took their names from sponsors. The Santa Rosa Typos (Peewees) were sponsored by the typographical union. There was even a team sponsored by a local beer company. The club's original jerseys were black with red and white stripes on the shoulders. During the 1967 season, concerns about the stability of roof beams at the Summerfield Arena led to its closure. That arena is now the Rialto Movie Theatre. The hockey club skated for two seasons at the ice arena in Corte Madera. In 1969, Charles Schulz opened the Redwood Empire Ice Arena, now known as Snoopy’s Home Ice. It has been the home rink of the hockey club ever since, except for an interlude in the 1980s when insurance issues forced the club to skate at the Corte Madera rink again. When the club moved to Snoopy's Home Ice it adopted its current colors of orange, white, and black. 

SRJHC has produced many great teams over the years, including 9 state champions and numerous Northern California champions. State champions include:

• 1996-97 Squirt A
• 1998-99 PeeWee A
• 1998-99 Midget B
• 2000-01 Midget A
• 2001-02 Bantam B
• 2013-14 Bantam B
• 2015-16 Bantam B
• 2015-16 PeeWee B
• 2018-19 PeeWee BB

In addition, numerous club teams have competed in both the NORCAL and CAHA playoffs. Our orange, black, and white sweaters are known across the state for high-quality of hockey and sportsmanship.

In its early years, the club hosted several CAHA state tournaments, including the Midget Division at the Summerfield Arena in 1965. The club also hosted the CAHA state tournaments of the Squirt Division (1972) and Peewee Division (1973 and 1975) at the Redwood Empire Ice Arena. 

SRJHC has been involved in many special events over the years. In 1971, the club hosted the Korean Army Team (ages 22 – 25). Visiting players stayed with club families. The hockey club sponsored Snoopy’s Hockey School in 1972, which drew over 100 participants for the week-long program. Its instructors included NHL players Charlie Burns and Ted Harris from the Minnesota North Stars, and Pat Stapleton from the Chicago Blackhawks. In 1973, the Bantams attended the Pasadena Invitational Tournament, which was held during Rose Bowl weekend. Charles Schulz was the Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade. In 1974, the club hosted a California Golden Seals intrasquad game. In 1982, the Peewee and Bantam teams attended the Washington D.C. Capitol Invitational Tournament, which was highlighted by an invitation to the White House. In 1980, at the Flying Father Invitational Tournament, a team of Catholic priests played Santa Rosa on a Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Admission receipts went to Catholic Charities. Through the 1970s and early 80s, the club sponsored a junior team for 18-21-year-olds. The club has also hosted a Bantam B team from Vancouver. The Canadian players stayed with club families, and the teams played two games. 

Players of note to come out of SRJHC include Kelton Bice, who later coached with the club. Kelton played midget hockey in Alberta and British Columbia and junior hockey in the US League in Sioux City and Green Bay in the late 1970s. Jason Royce, David Butler, Robert Hutten, and Mark Castillo also spent time in the US league. The 2000-2002 Director of Coaches for NORCAL, Larry Cahn, played his youth hockey in Santa Rosa, and was a member of our junior team from 1991-93. Carlos Perez played Junior B hockey in Flagstaff, Arizona in the 1996-97 season. In recent years, several players have tried out and played for junior teams in Canada, including Zach Brown, Mick Wells, and Matt Jimenez. 

Seven Santa Rosa third-year Midget players have been the recipients of the NORCAL Jordan Kocian Award: Evan Cowen (1999), Jonathan Wachter (2000), Jordan Smith (2001), Ryan Horton (2007), Matt Hanlon (2009), Peter Strauch (2013) and Marco Reyes (2014). The award is presented annually to a third-year midget player in NORCAL who exemplifies desire, determination, dedication, leadership, and inspiration in his / her approach to life and hockey. The award honors the memory of the former Berkeley and San Jose Jr. Shark player, Jordan Kocian, who died in 1996 of Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome. 

In 1997, the club hosted its first Wine Country Face Off tournament, which has since become an annual tradition. The tournament is popular not only for its hockey, but for the scenic, culinary, and viticultural attractions of Sonoma County. Many Santa Rosa teams have won their divisions at the tournament. WCFO has included teams from Anchorage, Seattle, Medford, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Reno, Denver, Arapahoe, San Diego, Bakersfield, Burbank, Pasadena, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Ventura, and Los Angeles. Local NORCAL teams that have participated include Berkeley, Belmont, Cupertino, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Solano, and Santa Clara.

SRJHC looks forward to its next fifty years at Snoopy's Home Ice.

Club Presidents 

1964-1965 Dr. Howard Moen 

1966-1967 Sherman Quinlan 

1968-1969 Michael Miller 

1970-1971 John Riley 

1972-1973 Murray Shortt 

1974-1975 Herb Hilliard 

1975-1976 Charles Kishbaugh 

1976-1977 Murray Shortt 

1977-1978 Tom McGee 

1979-1981 Dick Levy 

1981-1983 Ron Klein 

1983-1985 Mike Wiegand 

1985-1987 Larry Lambert 

1987-1989 Nancy Bice 

1989-1990 Erin Porterfield 

1990-1991 Lynda Killingsworth 

1991-1992 Steve Allen 

1992-1993 Debbie Grove 

1993-1994 Warren Smith 

1994-1996 Steve Mancuso 

1996-1998 Bob Montgomery 

1998-1999 Dave Wachter 

1999-2000 Jim Wentworth 

2000-2003 Pete Toft 

2003-2004 Mike Donahue 

2004-2006 Deanna Branski 

2006-2007 Rich Strauch 

2007-2008 Bryan Neill

2008-2010 Anne Woida

2010-2011 Rich Strauch

2011-2013 Ken Coleman

2013-2015 Jason Nutt

2015-2016 Val Moran

2016-2016 Jeff Latz (Interim)

2016-2017 Chris DiNardo

2017-2019 Anne Woida

2019 Michael McCarthy (first few months)

2019-2022 Chris Petrus (took over in Oct)

2022-2024 Greg Cote

Honorary Members 

Charles Schulz 

Charlie Burns 

Cecelia Shortt 

Claudine Hilliard 

Ron Klein 

Myrtle Klein 

Fay Ghielmetti 

Nancy Bice