RICHMOND, Va. – In keeping with the SPHL’s desire to develop officials as well as players, Commissioner Jim Combs announced in early October that the league would utilize four-person officiating crews in a limited number of games this season to give both groups experience with the “two-ref, two-linesman” system used in all NHL and some AHL games. Each team would host at least two and participate in at least four during the course of the season, with Richmond the most active in the program, hosting four and participating in six. “Players in this league are looking to make it to the next level, and the same goes for officials,” NHL officials’ supervisor Charlie Banfield said while attending the Nov. 19 game at the Richmond Coliseum. Banfield sat with Scott Brand, SPHL Director of Officials and Director of USA Hockey’s Officiating Development Program (ODP), which supplies on-ice officials to the SPHL. They watched the two-ref system at work as Dan Dreger and John-Michael McNulty called the Renegades 5-4 victory over the Twin City Cyclones. Each team was tagged for ten minors, 65% of them obstruction calls (hooking, holding, tripping and interference.) No majors occurred and the game flowed well, ending in two hours, 20 minutes. “I’m a firm believer in the four-man system, but consistency is the key,” Banfield said. “The two referees have to be in the same mindset. You have to have good chemistry between them.” That point cannot be overstated. Brand’s referee pairings, which typically have a good balance of youth and experience, have shown that so far. He seems to have a knack for identifying and developing those with potential for officiating in the higher leagues. “We’re trying to take the best guys we can find, put them in this situation and move them up, because eventually we’d like to get as many as we can in the National Hockey League,” he said. Banfield’s son David, a protégé of Brand and a product of the ODP, recently called his first game in the NHL, and gave Brand much of the credit for his opportunity. Brand returned to Richmond on Dec. 10 to observe another of those candidates referee his first pro game.  23-year-old Curtis Marouelli and CHL/AHL veteran Ian Croft combined to call Fayetteville’s 5-2 victory over the Renegades. The game featured only 12 minors, no majors and took just two hours, 12 minutes to complete. “The four-man system is a little more methodical, a lot less run and gun,” Marouelli said. “If you’re not in such a rush to get up the ice and anticipate the play, you can just focus on everything that’s in front of you.” Being in position to make the calls that need to be called is a good tool to facilitate USA Hockey’s emphasis on reducing obstruction penalties without prolonging the game unnecessarily. A sampling of statistics comparing Richmond’s three “two-ref” games to their 24 other contests supports that: percentage of obstruction calls per game went up about 21%, while the overall total of PIM’s dropped. The average game length also dropped, going from 2:29 down to 2:21. Despite the limited scope of these stats, a few points seem obvious. In theory, two refs can each cover half a rink twice as well, or better, than one ref can cover a whole one. There’s less distance to skate for an in-position view and there are two pairs of eyes observing from opposite vantage points. And players, like most people, tend to behave better when being watched – which in the long run will lead to less mucking behind the play, less retaliation, and in turn fewer spontaneous fights. Less time spent by the refs on guys cheap-shotting each other will mean more time for them to monitor and maintain the flow of the play. After all, that’s the look USAH was going for when they instituted the Standard of Play doctrine in 2006. “With four guys watching you’re going to see more obstruction calls,” Brand said. “That’s what, in theory, the teams say they want – until it goes against them.” Eager to get feedback, be it good or bad, the SPHL set up a computerized system for coaches to register their compliments or complaints following games. Most of the feedback has been constructive and supportive of the program. “The teams can go online and rate the officials – there are about six questions on there that we use to identify trends,” Brand said. “Some coaches are very good – they wait until Monday to fill them out, after they’ve had a chance to calm down and watch the video, and some will fill it out right after the game while they’re still wound up.” The Board of Governors will consider the input from coaches, players and ODP officials alike to determine the potential use of four-official crews for subsequent seasons. Cost, a key factor in the SPHL, will weigh in the decision. Somebody has to foot the tab for the extra official, and under the current program, the refs take a cut in pay to do the four-man games. “They don’t complain too much because they want that experience,” Brand said. Halfway home, the experiment seems to be working well on the ice. Assuming it continues to, the SPHL, as the leader in single-A hockey, should move forward to adopt this system. Hopefully others will follow. “We’re not perfect, believe me, and the game’s not perfect,” Banfield said. “We’re just trying to make it a little better than it is.” Contact the author at tom.brandt@prohockeynews.com
 
 
 
 

RICHMOND, Va. – Fairly or unfairly, the novelty of being the only Ugandan native to play professional ice hockey may garner Richmond Renegade Arthur Kiyaga an inordinate amount of attention. Following two complete seasons in the UHL and CHL respectively, the 5’ 9″

170-lb. defenseman made his way to Richmond after being released from training camp in ECHL Wheeling. “Obviously getting released was disappointing. Some guys got sent down from the AHL and I got bumped out of there,” Kiyaga said. “But two players I knew from Tulsa had played in Richmond – Mat Goody and Dennis Sicard – and a couple of the coaches I played for knew Coach Goudie, so that’s how it came about.” Kiyaga has developed a reputation as a hard working, stay-at-home blue liner upon whom Goudie can depend, even on the penalty-kill. His plus/minus rating is near the top among the Renegades. Just a few minutes spent with the bright young man reveals wisdom beyond his 23 years, and talents that extend well past the blue line and the boards. Kiyaga is pursuing a degree in English and international relations as he extends his improbable career on ice. He gets that work ethic naturally. Kiyaga’s father, who had grown up very poor, undertook a one-suitcase move from Kampala, Uganda in the late 1980’s to establish himself as a political science professor at the University of Toronto. He brought his wife, four-year-old Arthur and two younger children across the Atlantic about a year later. “My dad is a very determined and motivated individual,” Kiyaga said. “A lot of times when I’d run into hardships, I could relate to what he had to go through, and realize that I didn’t have it that bad. If it hadn’t been for him working so hard to fund me, I could easily still be struggling to get by back in Africa – and I’m not saying that would be bad or good, but I don’t know what it could have been.” Having grown up in the melting pot of Toronto and traveling extensively while playing hockey, Kiyaga has experienced many things,  both practically and conceptually, that his native people find far out of reach. Many cannot conceive of the common conveniences in North America, not to mention the luxury of playing pro sports, the game of hockey, or even ice itself. “I am lucky,” Kiyaga said. “A lot of kids in Africa would do anything to have the problems that we have. Running water and stuff that we take for granted they don’t have. Not many professional athletes in the U.S. have Ugandan teammates, much less hockey players. Even as the only African-American currently in the SPHL, Kiyaga does not see the world along racial lines as many still do – a lesson learned from his father at a young age. “I remember one season I had an assistant coach who was black and I came home and told my dad how great that was,” he recalled. “He got mad at me and said ‘it doesn’t make a difference… why are you making such a big deal about that.’ From that I learned that people are just people, and you shouldn’t go out of your way to label them.” In a sport dominated by Caucasians, whatever racial insensitivities Kiyaga has experienced have been isolated. “Obviously we all may have preconceived notions about different sexes, age, race and that type of thing. I try really hard to erase that from my memory, and treat everyone like I’d like to be treated,” Kiyaga said. “If you constantly project yourself in that manner, it becomes habit and the world seems much less judgmental. So if I surround myself with those thoughts, when remarks that would steer me the wrong way come about, they don’t really push me over the edge.” Away from the rink, Kiyaga’s medium of choice for self-expression – poetry – further distinguishes him from most of his hockey peers. “Kiyaga-isms”, a collection of his unconventional works, went to press in 2006 and embodies many thoughts and ideologies of the interesting encounters of his life. It touches on issues that range from society and race to relationships and religion. “At first (teammates) laugh and say ‘Poetry? Are you kidding me? That’s so soft,’” Kiyaga says. “But then even a lot of them who aren’t big readers might pick up my book, read it and find that they can really relate to it.” His rhymes touch on many subjects that most everybody can identify with. “There’s some pretty heavy content in there, but I tried to put it in a way where it embodied someone’s entire thoughts on things like religion, society and relationships,” Kiyaga said. “It may be graphic the way I’m saying it, but there’s a point to it. A couple of years ago when I first wrote it, I’d give it to my friends and they’d kind of skim through it but didn’t really see it like I did. Maybe with the style I use where everything rhymes they thought of it like Dr. Seuss or something.” Not everybody gets it, but that’s okay. Also close to his heart are the struggles of underprivileged people around the world, and he hopes to work with the United Nations in the future to help their cause. He especially loves children, enjoys helping with kids’ clubs back home and does a hockey camp in Toronto. “I absolutely love doing that sort of thing, and especially like when we skate with kids after the games. I’ve been given so much help to get where I am,” Kiyaga said. “I just love to give back. It’s beautiful when you can touch people without even necessarily trying to, but just by doing what you do in a truthful, respectable way. If they can see that I made it, regardless of whatever hardships I went through, that they could do it too.” For the resume of a 23-year-old to include a published book and three years in the pros speaks volumes about the effort that went into each. “There’s a parallel entwined among them – understanding what you do and working hard at it. I never thought I’d be playing professional hockey,” he admitted. “But I’ll keep working hard, run with it and go with whatever happens.” Contact the author at tom.brandt@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at lisa.murphywood@prohockeynews.com Arthur Kiyaga (pronounced kee-YAH-gah)

RICHMOND, Va. — Hockey season has finally arrived, and the Richmond Renegades are among the six teams preparing for the SPHL’s fifth season of competition. Head coach Brian Goudie returns to lead the team after a busy summer recruiting quality players for the Gades’ third campaign. “This year I’m taking a different direction, going more the college route,” Goudie said. “I’m looking at more Division 3 guys and guys that already finished Juniors. With three or four years under their belts they’re more seasoned, more mature.” His efforts attracted nearly thirty players to the Renegades’ most productive training camp to date, with bases apparently well covered behind the blue line, up front and between the pipes. SPHL Defenseman of the Year Dan Vandermeer, whose return had not

been considered a lock, highlights the list of nine returning players from last season’s squad. Fellow veteran R.C. Lyke will join Vandermeer behind the blue line, along with returnees Dan Hickman and Clay Lewis. An interesting newcomer who could also impact the squad is John Halverson, a four-year defensive leader from Trinity College in Connecticut, who likes to stick his nose in on offense. Big Jozef Kubaliak’s camp barely got started before he broke his hand in a scrap, but look for 6’3″, 225-lb. Slovakian to round out the defense and handle a fair amount of the tough-guy duties as well. Perhaps Goudie’s toughest decision will be between the pipes. Incumbent Ryan Senft looks healthy and expects to follow up his excellent 2007-08 season with the Gades. Junior-B goalie Josselin St. Pierre, younger brother of veteran pro Martin St. Pierre, had an excellent showing throughout camp and did nothing to discredit his obvious abilities. Whether he can beat out Pierre-Olivier Girouard for the second spot is uncertain. The 6-6 Girouard, who led France’s Magnus League for the past two years, stood out in camp with excellent technique and mobility for a man of his size. Offensively, Goudie wants his attackers to stop hanging around the perimeter, a tendency that may have cost it a chance of advancing in the playoffs last season. “I want guys to be on the same page,” he said. “I want guys to drive the net and get those lucky goals.” Top goal scorers Andre Gill and Donald Melnyk have moved on, but scoring should not be a problem for this season’s squad. Filling the Gades’ final veteran spot will be left-handed winger Tom Kotsopoulos, who brings extensive experience from the CHL and UHL. “People don’t know about him, but it won’t take long for them to figure it out once they see him skate,” Goudie said. “He’ll be a fan favorite before long. He can skate, shoot, score and loves to hit.” His energy showed immediately in camp, and he took on a role of team leadership as well. “He’s gung-ho about coming in and wants to be one of the better players in the league,” Goudie added. Kotsopoulos found an instant training camp linemate in Ryan Busby, a chippy point-per-game center who played at SUNY Plattsburgh with high-energy forward Justin Joy, who returns to Richmond for a second season. Expect workhorse Trevor Karasiewicz to center the Renegades’ top line again. He showed up in top form and has not missed a beat. Winger Beau McLaughlin, obtained in a trade with Huntsville along with Kyle Sheen, should give the Gades additional energy up front. He, along with Jason Price, has also shown considerable defensive skills in camp. As of now the gritty 6’2″, 225-lb Sheen maintains a spot among eleven forwards with CHL Rapid City. Time will tell as to his ultimate availability in Richmond. Either way, Richmond looks to be solid up front, and size should not be an issue either. “We’ve got guys like Brett Needham – big guy, doesn’t mind going in front of the net,” Goudie said. “Jason Price, same thing. 6’ 3″, speedy, does all the little things right and likes going to the net.” Goudie expects goals from more players this season. “I might not have a 50-goal scorer on my roster, but I’m going to have six or seven guys that put up 20 and above,” he said. “I think that’s better than one or two guys that put up 30 or 40. Teams are going to need all six defensemen to cover my three lines.” From the looks of things in training camp, he’s probably right. Contact the author at tom.brandt@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at lisa.murphywood@prohockeynews.com 

RICHMOND, Va. — Through modern technology, sports broadcasting has evolved into a world of ever-present video coverage. That transition has passively ushered us away from the dwindling number of game callers who can paint the whole picture with their words. The Richmond Coliseum remains the lone SPHL venue from which no video broadcast exists. Through that perceived shortcoming, those unable to attend the games have come to depend on Renegades’ play-by-play man John Emmett. As a student and avid follower of some of sports finest announcers, Emmett has developed into one of the finest in the business. His ability to illustrate the action with unbiased emotion, humor and wit has earned him the respect of Renegade foes as well as their fans. One needs only an internet connection and a comfortable chair to enjoy hockey in much the same way as past generations did. “John Emmett is probably the best hockey announcer we’ve ever had in Richmond, and we’re thrilled to have him back this coming season,” Renegades owner/general manager Allan B. Harvie, Jr. said. “He has a way of explaining things so well, yet he keeps it simple. Whether you are new to hockey or a seasoned veteran, you feel like you’re sitting beside him watching the game in person.” From the early days of his youth in San Francisco, Emmett felt the allure of the business. “Allegedly I marched into a family meeting when I was three years old and blurted out that I was going to be a sportscaster,” Emmett said. “But what really got me going was my seventh birthday present – a Panasonic AM transistor radio. The first thing I found when I turned it on was a San Francisco Giants game with Lon Simmons and Russ Hodges. Then I went up the dial a little bit and heard Harry Caray. Up the dial a little further was Vin Scully covering the Dodgers on KFI… I was just enthralled by it. That was pretty much the moment I decided what I wanted to do.” His fascination with hockey began with following the Bay Area’s California Seals. “We started going to Seal games when I was eight or nine, but by that time I was already hooked. I had listened to them on the radio every night,” Emmett said. His participation in high school baseball, college football and rec-league hockey gave him first-hand knowledge on several different sports. Time spent wearing the stripes as a USA Hockey official lent itself to a better understanding of life on both sides of the whistle. A degree in Radio/TV from San Francisco State University laid the foundation for his career, which began in 1985 as Sports Director for KTOB radio in Petaluma, Ca. His broadcasting jobs have included baseball, football, basketball, soccer and junior hockey. “I wouldn’t trade my time working Major Juniors in the Western League for anything. For anybody who wants to experience the hockey culture,

there’s nothing like Saturday night in Swift Current or Kamloops or Moose Jaw,” Emmett said. “Very few American broadcasters get a chance to work in juniors, and they miss out on the soul of the game. It was an amazing experience.” That experience had to come to an end. Knowing that his wife-to-be Lori had grown tired of Kennewick, WA. where he worked for the WHL Tri-City Americans, Emmett had his eyes on the road. Opportunity arose in early 1998 while he covered the Memorial Cup Tournament in Spokane. After being introduced to ECHL South Carolina coach Rick Vaive by a mutual friend, Emmett learned that the Stingrays broadcaster had moved on to the AHL. He contacted the team’s general manager, but the job had already been offered to another broadcaster; Andy Davis of the Richmond Renegades. “I thought about it and called (ECHL Renegades owner) Harry Feuerstein. One thing led to another, and that was how I came to Richmond,” Emmett said. He and Lori have been in the area ever since, and live in nearby Mechanicsville with three-year-old twin sons Nolan and Sean. Richmond has benefited from his work with various pro teams that have come and gone — among them arena football’s Richmond Speed, the ECHL Renegades and the UHL Riverdogs. Emmett’s voice has been a constant for hockey fans over the past decade, and they’ve ridden the highs and lows along with him. Richmond’s double-overtime loss in Game 7 of the ’99 Kelly Cup finals ranks among his most exciting games ever called. Other favorite ECHL memories include players such as Ryan Kraft, Maxime Gingras and Darren Wetherill. Not surprisingly, Emmett is a big fan of the Vandermeers as well. “I’ve enjoyed them so much as people and as players. Pete’s a great story, still plugging at it the old-fashioned way and finally getting up to the NHL last year,” Emmett said. As Emmett considers speed his favorite attribute in a hockey player, he found the ECHL product almost unwatchable in Richmond’s last years in the league. “Trenton started it with that trapping style… you’d see guys who could barely skate get signed just to stand in the neutral zone and hold up the play,” he said. “But that style was getting coaches NHL jobs back then, and Trenton had a couple of coaches move up pretty quickly. Others with similar ambition started coaching the same style, just getting big guys to hook, hold and just hang on all over the ice.” The Renegades’ ECHL days ended following the 2002-03 season. New owners ushered in the Riverdogs in 2004, along with a new league (UHL) and a supposed new beginning. Mercifully, their vision lasted just two seasons, the second one without Emmett behind the mic. “The Riverdogs final season was an embarrassing disaster… I didn’t even go to a game,” Emmett lamented. His hockey-announcing career had hit low tide about that same time for other reasons as well. “I got really discouraged a couple of years ago,” Emmett said . “Some bad things happened to some good people in the NHL. Pat Foley got fired by the Blackhawks. Curt Keilback, who had done the Phoenix Coyotes all the way back to the Winnipeg Jet days, was let go by some suit down there for vague reasons. It really soured me on the business for a while.” The 2006 birth of the SPHL Renegades rekindled interest in local hockey, and Harvie asked Emmett to come back and do the team’s home games. He accepted, and now looks forward to his tenth season as Richmond hockey’s play-by-play man. It seems to fit in well with the day job he has held since 2004; public relations manager for AAA baseball’s Richmond Braves. “It’s perfect – I do enough that I’m still a part of it, but I’m not in the office or on the buses – it’s a lot of fun,” Emmett said. The simultaneous arrival of USA Hockey’s new standard of play also pleased him. “It got rid of the slugs and made guys play,” Emmett said. “I wasn’t too sure about the whole two-line pass thing from a tradition standpoint, but I can see that it’s opened the game up. It’s definitely helped.” He enjoys the excitement and energy of the SPHL product, where a lot of overlooked but talented guys get a chance to prove their worth. “This is a league where guys who did well in Division III or Junior-A tend to wind up, and you’ve got to be a damn good hockey player to excel there. There’s definitely a place for this level of hockey, and it’s very entertaining because it’s unpredictable,” Emmett said. Quite a few SPHL Renegades have caught his eye. “I thought Danny White and Phil Youngclaus were good enough to play up a league or two. You can’t help but notice the energy of guys like Justin Joy and Denny Sicard. I loved Denny — that guy got everything out of himself he possibly could have, and he elevated his game in the playoffs. He kind of reminded me of Trevor Senn — he could really scoot, tried to hit everything he could, wouldn’t back down from anybody. He was awesome.” Emmett finds the SPHL to be a good fit for the ever-changing Richmond market. Change looms on the horizon for him as well. He will apparently relinquish his position with the Braves when the team leaves town in 2009. Time will tell how seriously that development tests his roots here. “I’d love to work at the highest level,” Emmett said. “I’ve tried really hard for a long time, but for whatever reason never got that bounce. Now my focus is a little different, and with this (Braves) closing down, I’ve got to reassess things a little bit. I have no idea what’s next at all.” Here’s hoping that his plans include the Richmond Renegades. Photo courtesy of Pattie Anderson and Richmond Renegades Contact the author at  tom.brandt@prockeynews.com

RICHMOND, Va. — Competitive sports rank near the top of our nation’s favorite pastimes, from attending pro games to watching the kids play. This, like many freedoms we enjoy as Americans, might not be possible without the sacrifices of our men and women in the military. Perhaps the biggest sacrifice is that of precious family time. It takes a great deal of family support for a child to participate in youth sports, and few sports require more of that than travel ice hockey.

Nobody realizes that more than Angie Dyke, a mother of three and wife of Maj. James Dyke, U.S. Army. She spent a good part of this past year enabling their oldest son Trevor to play goalie for the Richmond Royals while her husband was half a world away in Iraq. Week after week, Angie faithfully delivered Trevor to his practices and games at various rinks across the Mid-Atlantic States with younger sons Justin and Cameron in tow. A model of patience and grace, she and her well-mannered sons became favorites among the hockey families that traveled together and cheered the Royals on. “Whenever you see Angie, she never looks frazzled, and always has the kids under control. I can’t imagine where she finds the strength to do all that she does while her husband is overseas. The kids obviously have tremendous respect for their parents as well, and that speaks volumes about the strong family foundation that they have,” former player and head coach of the Richmond Renegades Scott Gruhl said. Trevor steadfastly guarded the Royals’ net and earned a reputation for great sportsmanship in sharing playing time with co-starter Sean O’Reilly. Without concern for their individual playing time, each goalie could be seen cheering and supporting the other from the bench throughout the season. Their example contributed heavily to the team’s good chemistry. “He’s a tough kid… resilient, and a real battler in net. But Trevor’s spirit and sense of humor make him a great teammate as well. The way he and Sean worked together all season was really impressive,” goalie coach Jim Wallace said. Following some early-season stumbles by the team, Gruhl got the group of pint-sized eleven and twelve-year-olds pointed in the right direction by mid-December. They came together as a team and overachieved their way to the Capital Beltway Hockey League championship on March 9th. But the celebration that followed the Royals’ trophy win was missing something for Trevor. “I wish my dad could have been here to see this,” he lamented to Coach Gruhl. Angie did too, and began thinking about purchasing some ice time to have a scrimmage among the Royals’ players when “Jamie” came home for R&R in late June. Some of her extended hockey family caught wind of it, and that was all they needed to hear. Step by step, a plan for Jamie’s “Royal Welcome Home” came together and gained support. Rink owner Brad Robinson generously donated the valuable ice time. Referees volunteered their services free of charge. The rival Hampton Whalers organization agreed to bring a squad nearly 100 miles to oppose the Royals. “Hampton Roads is a military town, and many of our hockey players are from military families. I’ve been in the Navy for 18 years and have been deployed to the Gulf several times. This is something that hits home for a lot of us. The Royals won the CBHL championship, and that’s like the Stanley Cup to our kids. It would be really tough to be deployed and miss out on such a great moment in your kid’s life,” Whaler’s assistant coach Nathanael Burroughs said. What had started as an inter-squad scrimmage had ballooned to a full-fledged post-season game, and word spread about the popular event. Come game morning, crews from three different TV stations competed for camera time with the guest of honor and his family. One by one, Jamie graciously granted them interviews with a smile and a positive sense of belief in what he does for a living and the progress that’s been made. It’s not hard to tell from where his family draws their strength. As Trevor spoke to a news reporter Coach Gruhl emerged from the locker room, grabbed his attention and pointed to his watch. “It’s fifteen minutes till game time, Trevor… if you’re not ready, there’s no game,” Gruhl barked. With the media blitz over, Jamie followed Trevor into the Royals’ locker room to say a few words to the players. A few minutes later the closed room erupted in cheers, the door burst open and the Royals filed to the home end of the ice. Fans applauded the announcement of each player’s name, but Trevor’s brought the house down with a roar of approval from the crowd. Like his father, he seemed taken aback by all the attention. “I had no idea it was gonna be this big,” Trevor said. Coach Wallace had a brief one-on-one to get his goalie’s feet back on the ground right before the game started. It was time well spent, as Hampton won the opening face-off and immediately drove the puck to Richmond’s net. Trevor deflected the attack and the Royals’ defense cleared the puck from Richmond’s zone. He took a deep breath and dug in. Richmond got on the scoreboard first nine minutes into the opening period but gave up the next two goals to fall behind the Whalers near the midway point of the second. Coach Gruhl alertly called time-out to rid his team of the butterflies, and within two minutes they had tied the score at two. The Royals forwards would add three more goals to round out the scoring while their blue-liners repelled nearly all of Hampton’s attacks from that point on. Trevor Dyke, who made 18 out of 20 saves during the game, gloved or deflected everything else that came his way — and this time with his Dad right there behind the glass. Following the post-game handshake both teams flanked Jamie while photographers snapped away. The Whalers’ coaches presented him with a gift – a videotape of Trevor playing their team earlier in the season. Needless to say, Jamie left the rink with a smile on his face and a lot of great memories. And his hockey family, along with their opponents, got a chance to thank Maj. James Dyke for his service to our country. Contact the author at: tom.brandt@prohockeynews.com Photo captions: Left: The Richmond Royals and Hampton Whalers flank Maj. James Dyke, who was all smiles in response to the appreciation shown him by the players, families and fans. Center: Royals’ netminder Trevor Dyke drops to defend an attack by Whaler forward Foster Burroughs. Right: Smiles on the faces of Jamie Dyke and son Trevor express the satisfaction of a long-awaited reunion.