Kirk Jackson

I have been playing ice hockey since age 10 when my parents packed me up in my older brothers hand-me down equipment and sent me packing to Canada for 2 weeks of hockey camp. Took a few hits but came back for more and since then if I don't have ice skates on, I will have rollerblades on.

Started coaching youth hockey in New York City in 1988 at the old Sky Rink learning from Jimmy Burns when he started up the Youth Hockey Program and initiated the NYC Cyclone travel team. When the Chelsea Piers Sports Complex was built in the mid-90s, I had the pleasure of coaching with Pat Murphy as he expanded and developed the Youth Program at Chelsea Piers and laid the foundation for achieving its well recognized status today.

At Chelsea Piers, I coached the Squirt and Peewee Cyclone travel teams and the House League teams and became the Youth Roller Hockey Director from 2000 thru 2002. I became the head coach of the Fieldston School Team (located in Riverdale, Bronx) in 1998 and I am entering my 11th year there. The Fieldston Eagles Hockey program has grown into a well respected High School team that considers Riverbank State Park as its home base.

I have played many years in Adult Leagues and even traveled with the infamous Ice Pirates team overseas from Iceland to Mexico to Slovakia with many hockey stories to tell. Some of my proudest playing moments have been the chance to play and coach with so many fine hockey players who have grown up playing the sport at a high level and are such distinguished and classy individuals.

Riverbank State Park and Chelsea Piers have always been a home away from home for me with many a smiling face and welcoming hand shake. The sport of ice hockey is a great introduction to life teaching kids values, sportsmanship and compassion for others and I hope to give back to kids today what my coaches gave to me when I grew up.

Keith Knight

Keith played professionally in the New York Ranger organization 1985 thru 1987. When he tried out for the NY Rangers, he competed against John Vanbiesbouck and Doug Suter who went onto play in the NHL. Keith went on to play in the Atlantic Coast League for the Virgina Lancers and the Erie Golden Blades, in the IHL for the Toledo Gold Diggers and in the AHL for the Springfield Indians and the New Haven Nighthawks.

After his professional ice hockey career, Keith has been a regular player and coach at Chelsea Piers bringing his infectious enthusiasm, humor and the unique experience of seeing the game from the goalie position. Keith has coached all levels from mini-mites to midgets over the past decade with the Chelsea Piers Youth Hockey program, the New Canaan Winter Club and at the Darien Ice Rink in Connecticut.

Keith's philosophy is simply to give back to the kids what the greatest game has given to him: a lifetime of fun, opportunities, an education in life and a great brunch of friends.

Khuong Phan

Khuong Phan grew up playing ice hockey in Sunrise, FL, taking to the ice at age 13 and played on his hometown rink’s travel and tournament teams through high school. He eventually ended up competing on Florida State University’s club team for two seasons.

During his senior year of high school, Khuong found his way into hockey coaching and instruction. He coached a Squirts team at 17, and became a powerskating instructor with South Florida’s ProMark Hockey Academy shortly thereafter.

After graduating from college with a BS in International Relations in 2003, Khuong worked as a reporter/columnist for a newspaper on Florida’s West Coast. He moved to New York City last year and works as a public relations account executive. Khuong lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with his fiancée.

Jeff Bandar

Jeff was born and raised in Central Minnesota, where he had both an extensive playing and coaching history. He played goalie for St. Cloud Apollo High School from 2001-2005, starting in over 90 varsity games. In the off season, Jeff participated in the Upper Midwest Elite I and II leagues, the spring Minnesota Advanced festivals, and trained at Robb Stauber's Goalcrease in Edina, MN.

In 2005, Jeff began coaching the goaltenders for his former high school and the St. Cloud Youth Hockey Association. As a level 3 USA hockey certified coach, he spent a total of four years coaching while attending St. John's University in Central Minnesota. This tenure included serving as goalie coach for two seasons for the St. Cloud Bantam A team, four years for St. Cloud Apollo High School junior varsity and varsity teams, and two years for the Granite City Lumberjacks of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League. Over this period, Jeff worked with over twenty goalies of all playing styles and abilities. Jeff is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in chemistry at Columbia University.

Mike Bruynesteyn

Mike is a true hoser, born and raised in Canada. He enjoyed house league hockey at the PeeWee and Bantam levels before joining the pick-up squad at his father's office for the remainder of his teen years. Mike then played for one of the Mechanical Engineering teams in the far-from-serious Hamburger Hockey League while studying at the University of British Columbia. He volunteered to coach soon after graduation, when he co-led local PeeWee and Bantam travel teams for three years in Vancouver before moving to England to pursue a business degree. Mike reignited his puck passion several years later in Zurich, Switzerland, forming what have become longtime friendships as the token Canuck on a local club team for three seasons. Mike remains linked to his old Swiss club, joining his former teammates periodically for training camps in the Alps and tournaments in Canada.

After arriving in New York in 1996, it took Mike a few years to get back into hockey but he eventually found the recreational environment in the Adult League at Lasker Rink in Central Park to be appropriate for his skills, mindset and stage in life. Interest in hockey from his son, Adam, got Mike back into coaching in 2008, when he assisted with one of the Squirt teams at Chelsea Piers. He is excited to be helping develop enthusiastic young players with the Riverbank Hockey program this season.

Mike lives on the East Side with his wife, Jennifer, and two kids, Lila and Adam. He works as a Senior Advisor with Strauss Capital, focusing on M&A in the automotive industry.

James Goldwasser

James Goldwasser grew up in Chicago, going to Blackhawks games and playing pick-up hockey on the midway. He was a player and manager of his high school hockey team. Although he gave up playing after leaving for college, he has remained an enthusiastic ice skater and rollerblader.

He lives in Washington Heights. His son Felix has been skating since the age of three and has played with Riverbank since 2007.

James has a BFA in Studio Art from Ithaca College, an MFA in Painting from Hunter College, and a PhD in German from Princeton University. He owns a rare books and manuscripts business in Manhattan.

While playing floor hockey in gym class at age 11 Marcell was intrigued by the sport and learned how to ice skate. After attending Red Berenson’s hockey camp at University of Michigan he learned how to play and loved hockey. He later won trophies for fastest skater and shooting accuracy in skills competitions in travel and high school hockey.

One of Marcell’s greatest off ice hockey memories was drinking champagne from the Stanley Cup at a Red Wings championship party. His best on ice memory is between a hat trick or a 6th grade ice-skating birthday party where all the popular kids were in attendance.

Marcell graduated from University of Michigan in 2006 with General Studies Degree in Political Science, Economics, and Business. After working in sales and trading at Citigroup Marcell founded The Key NYC a technology start up that helps local businesses advertise. Marcell enjoys running track, volunteer coaching for Riverbank Hockey, and Harlem Little League Baseball. His favorite sports teams are the Michigan Wolverines, Detroit Pistons, and arguably the greatest NHL team of all time The Detroit Red Wings!

Derek Leung

Derek joined as coach of the Riverbank Rangers in the winter of 2009/10. Derek (alias D-rock) started playing hockey when he was 9 years old after being inspired by the outstanding Stanely Cup finals series involving the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens in 1989 and Lanny MacDonald's mustache. Although he took a brief hiatus from hockey while rowing in college at Yale, his passion for the sport never waned. After moving to New York City, Derek started playing hockey several times a week at Chelsea Piers.

Derek is a hard-working, tenacious and disciplined hockey player who prides himself on skating hard every shift and respecting everyone on the ice. When Derek is not playing, thinking or talking hockey, he works in the financial business in Manhattan. He is also a diehard Toronto Maple Leafs fan (unfortunately).

I played organized and pond hockey growing up in New Jersey and found it to be the perfect antidote to the winter blues. Early morning wake-up calls in the dead of February for a 7am away game? No problem – Game On!

With three boys of my own now playing hockey at Riverbank I’ve enjoyed rediscovering the excitement of hitting the ice at all hours of the day in a great hockey program that brings together kids of all different backgrounds.

Dan Parietti

Dan is originally from Nyack, New York (Rockland County). He has been an avid fan and follower of ice hockey since 1957 when he saw his first New York Rangers game. He first learned to skate at a local outdoor skating when he was about 8 years old. Although he never played hockey in high school or college, he has played adult recreational hockey for many years after graduating college.

Dan discovered the adult ice hockey program at Riverbank Park and has been actively skating at the rink for the past five years. He has also attended ice hockey instructional programs at Chelsea piers for the last four years. His participation in these instructional programs has stimulated his interest in coaching youth in the sport.

Dan's other interests include reading, crossword puzzles, and racing small one design sailboats. He is a certified Level 1 dinghy instructor through US Sail. He has been a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club and Nyack Boat Club, each, for more than 30 years.

Dan received a B.S. degree from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University), Pittsburgh, PA. He also has received M.S. degrees from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Brooklyn, NY and Pace University, New York, NY.

Dan has been a resident of the Inwood Hill Park and Washington Heights sections of Manhattan since 1983. He is now retired and worked in the information technology field for 30 years for private and public sector organizations. He is single, no children, but is an uncle and grand uncle many times around.

Alex Silverman

Alex grew up in NYC, not exactly the ice hockey capital - and certainly not offering any youth programs approaching those at Riverbank or Chelsea Piers. Fortunately, a friend of the family drove his son and Alex up to Westchester for weekly practices and games starting at the age of six. He played until he was twelve and then took a few years off until he rediscovered the sport at the college club level. Alex is also a founding member of the Chelsea Pier's Blizzard Hockey club which fields three teams, one each in divisions 6, 7, and 8.

Alex lives on the upper west side with his wife and two sons, the eldest of whom participates in the Riverbank Mites Prep program. He is a portfolio manager at a NYC-based hedge fund.

Matthew Weinsier

Born and raised in Manhattan, Matt's been skating and playing competitive ice hockey in and around New York City since he was seven years old. Over the years, Matt's played on and captained multiple junior travel teams from the Squirt through Midget divisions and currently serves as a Captain of Riverbank's 2011-2012 Midget team. Matt was also a member of Riverbank's gold medal winning Bantam Division team at the 2008 Flight on Ice Tournament in Newark, Delaware.

Ice hockey has always been, and remains, one of Matt's greatest passions and something that he intends to continue to pursue, both as a player and as a coach, for many years to come.