Coach Biographies 26-27 Season

Bantam A1

Bucket list: Coach a youth hockey team... CHECK!

Added bonus: Win a CT State Championship in your first year coaching... PRICELESS!

Adam grew up in Rye Brook, NY, where he played competitive hockey from the age of 7 thru 17. He competed for a number of teams including the White Plains Plainsmen, New Rochelle Lightning, Ramapo Saints and various elite summer teams. Prior to college, Adam jumped from a B team to playing Midget AAA Major for the Saints in the AYHL. During high school, Adam played in the inaugural year of the Rye Town Titans Varsity team and was a member of the undefeated league champions in 2003. Adam grew up in a hockey family, (his 2 siblings also played competitive hockey), and as a result was a true “rink rat”. He is excited to continue that lifestyle and give back to the Lions. He currently lives in Armonk with his wife, and two daughters, who have begun their own hockey adventures. 

Peewee AA Asst

Billy grew up playing hockey in CT since he was 4 years old. In high school, Billy was team captain and 1st team All-State and FCIAC selection for both ice hockey and baseball. He graduated from Williams College in 2002 where he was team captain of the baseball team and went on to play baseball professionally in Europe. Billy has coached ice-hockey for over 20 years. He was a lead instructor for the STR hockey department under the tutelage of Mike Backman, former New York Ranger, and he was also an assistant coach for the NC Rams Girls Varsity ice hockey team for 9 years, recently winning an FCIAC and State championship. Billy is well versed in the USA hockey ADM model and has great pleasure in creating fun and creative practice plans to best develop his players skills and confidence. Billy has a masters degree in education and currently resides in Ridgefield with his wife Emily and two hockey playing sons - Drew and Paxson.

Peewee A

Cody Kopf grew up in Westchester County, New York skating for a variety of ice hockey programs. He began playing at five years old as a Mini Mite with the Bedford Bears and continued competitive hockey with The Westchester Express and Brewster Bulldogs. He began his high school career as an 8th grader skating for John Jay Cross River’s varsity team, spending his offseason playing for the Movie Time Monsters in competitive showcases. He attended the University of Tampa where he proudly wore the Assistant Captain sweater and helped to develop their first ice hockey team which is now part of the SCHC.  Cody comes from a family of huge New York Rangers fans and enjoys helping his nephews develop their own games on and off the ice.

Bantam AA

Jackson’s love for hockey began with watching the Phoenix Coyotes in Downtown Phoenix with his father. He moved to Idaho at age five and played AA travel hockey in Boise for the Idaho Junior Steelheads from ages 6–15, winning a 1A National Championship in Wayne, NJ during his second-year Bantam season. He was later recruited to play U16 AAA for the Pikes Peak Miners in Colorado Springs, moving away from home during high school.

After U16, Jackson returned to Idaho to play junior hockey with the Idaho Junior Steelheads (WSHL), helping lead the team to back-to-back league championships in 2015 and 2016. During the 2016 championship run, he was named All Thorne Cup Defenseman. His junior career also included stops in Fort McMurray, Alberta (AJHL) and Kemptville, Ontario (CCHL). He concluded his playing career at Arizona State ACHA Division I, serving as assistant captain as a freshman.

Jackson now resides in Mount Pleasant, New York with his girlfriend Sophia and their two cats. He enjoys golfing, fishing, and traveling, and looks forward to joining the Lions at the Bantam AA level, focused on developing men of character and building a physical, relentless hockey team.

Mite B Yellow

Coach Kevin grew up in Westchester County and just recently moved to Ridgefield in 2020. He has played hockey his whole life, started playing mini mites club hockey with the White Plains Plainsman, then the Harvey Cavaliers, Westchester Vipers and finally the Yonkers Kings. He played both forward and defense in high school for the Pleasantville-Westlake Ice Cats (now Mount Pleasant) winning 3 league championships and named league MVP senior year, and still holds the school record for points. Kevin played two years of college club hockey at SUNY Albany, ACHA Division 3, winning a MET conference championship and bids to the national tournament both years. Kevin has been coaching with Ridgefield since 2021 and in 2022 he led the Squirt AA team to win a CT State Tier 3 title, EJEPL Gold Title, and The New England Tier 3 Regional Title. Prior to joining the Lions Kevin coached for the Westchester Vipers and loves the chance to develop young hockey players and teach them about the game he loves. Kevin lives in Ridgefield with his wife and 4 year old daughter.  

Squirt Girls

Melissa started her skating career as a competitive figure skater in singles and synchronized skating. After spending so much time on the ice, she decided to trade in her figure skates for hockey skates. She played with the Quarry Cats Women’s Team in Montclair, NJ and other teams around the area. She has coached skaters of all ages in house league, learn to skate, and learn to play. Previously, she has worked with the NY Rangers as a member of the On Ice Blue Crew, Junior Rangers Learn to Play coach, and youth hockey camp instructor. As a coach, she has Level 1 USA Hockey certification. For Melissa, the best part of being on the ice is watching children learn and develop their skills while building sportsmanship, making new friends and having fun!  

Squirt AA

Coach Shayne Bingham returns to the ice for the Ridgefield Lions for another season with the Mites! Bringing years of experience from playing competitive hockey in college and juniors, he hopes to impact the program with enthusiasm and passion for the game. Coach Bingham understands the importance of how practice translates to the game and wants to help young hockey players establish good habits at an early age and make sure they have fun every single time they step onto the ice.

Coach Bingham initially joined the program right after Covid, beginning with small 1-on-1 lessons at Winter Garden during the early hours of the day and then joining as the Mite C coach for his first year. After three seasons coaching the Mites here in Ridgefield at the A, B, and C levels, he is excited to return to the program and continue where he left off. Shayne grew up being coached by his father, Gary Bingham, who also helped grow the program at RAHA a few years back. He hopes to continue the trend of hockey development and advocacy for the program by making sure each kid on the ice ends the year better than when they started and eager for more.

"I cannot wait to be back on the ice with the kids and teach them how to play the game that I love. GO LIONS!" - Coach Shayne

Bantam A

Coach Troy has been involved with the sport of hockey his entire life having grown up playing with the White Plains Plainsman, then the Harvey Cavaliers and finally the Westchester Vipers where he captained the 2004 Bantam team to the New York State Tier III championship. He played in high school for the Ossining Riverhawks winning 2 league championships and earning Section I First-Team honors as both a junior and senior. Troy played both defense and forward for two seasons of college club hockey at the University of Maryland where he also worked in the athletic department. A career with ESPN’s Stats & Information Group brought him to Connecticut where he now works for Stathletes, a hockey analytics company that statistically breaks down multiple facets of a player's game, providing unique and accurate insights into their performance. Troy and his fiancée Sara, who is a Spanish teacher at Guilford High School, reside in Middletown CT.