About Us

River City Youth Hockey is a nonprofit organization with a mission to make hockey accessible to all youth in La Crosse, regardless of their socioeconomic circumstance. RCYH serves over 100 children within the city of La Crosse, and no child is denied the opportunity to play. We believe that high-quality coaching, team play, and leadership development through the game of hockey fosters confidence, grit, respect, and resilience in our youth.

River City Youth Hockey (RCYH) was founded in 1984 by a group of local parents and has remained a parent-run association ever since. RCYH is affiliated with USA Hockey, Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association (WAHA), and Wisconsin-Minnesota Hockey League (WMHL).

Prior to 2019, the Coulee Region Chill junior hockey team operated Green Island Ice Arena under a lease with the city. When The Chill left La Crosse in 2018, the City of La Crosse slated Green Island for closure, jeopardizing the future of hockey in La Crosse. River City Youth Hockey families banded together and successfully advocated to keep Green Island open by agreeing to assume full operational control of the ice arena.

Each year from October 1 through March 31, RCYH leases the facility from the City of La Crosse and is responsible for managing all aspects of the arena during the lease, including financials, scheduling, operations, mechanicals, staffing/labor, cleaning, and more.