Life at RoseGarden Ice: My 2025-26 Season Covering the Norwich Sea Captains
- Ryan Holden
- Jun 3
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 10
During the 2025-26 season, I had the opportunity to serve as a Photography Intern with the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) while being assigned to cover the Norwich Sea Captains throughout their home schedule at RoseGarden Ice in Norwich, Connecticut.
Looking back now, the experience became far more meaningful than simply another stop in my sports photography journey. Over the course of the season, RoseGarden Ice became one of those places that slowly starts to feel familiar every time you walk through the doors. The long drives, late nights, cold rink air, warmups before puck drop, and the routines that come with hockey season eventually become part of your life. By the end of the year, covering the Sea Captains no longer felt like just an assignment. It felt like being part of the environment surrounding the team and organization.
Coming from primarily covering NCAA Division-I athletics before this internship, junior hockey introduced me to an entirely different side of the sport. What stood out immediately was the intensity surrounding every game. At the junior level, players are constantly fighting for opportunities to move forward in their hockey careers, whether that means advancing to higher junior leagues, college hockey, or simply earning another opportunity to continue playing the game they love. That urgency creates an atmosphere where every shift, every save, and every game carries real importance.
The Sea Captains battled through a difficult East Division schedule throughout the season against teams like the Long Beach Sharks, New Hampshire Jr. Mountain Kings, Buzz, New Jersey Titans, and Maine Nordiques. There were nights where Norwich looked capable of competing with anyone in the division, including impressive wins against Buzz, hard-fought victories over Maine, and physical games against Long Beach and New Hampshire. Other nights reflected the reality of junior hockey and the challenges that come with a long season against strong competition.
Photographing hockey in that environment pushed me significantly as a photographer. Hockey has always been one of the most difficult sports to shoot because of the speed, physicality, and unpredictability involved. Junior hockey only increases that challenge because of how emotional and chaotic games can become at times. Throughout the season, I continued improving my ability to anticipate plays, track movement through traffic, and capture moments that told the story of the game beyond just the final score.
Some nights the story centered around celebrations after huge goals or emotional wins. Other nights focused more on frustration, exhaustion, and the adversity that naturally comes during a difficult hockey season. That emotional side of the sport became one of my favorite things to document throughout the year because junior hockey players wear everything on their sleeves. The reactions are real, the emotions are raw, and as a photographer, those moments create some of the most authentic images you can capture.
One of the most rewarding parts of the internship was seeing how much the organization and players embraced my photography throughout the season. My photos were regularly used by the Norwich Sea Captains across their social media accounts for game promotions, final score graphics, player features, and other team content. Beyond the team itself, the NA3HL also featured my work throughout the season on both the league website and league social media platforms.
Seeing my photos shared throughout the league honestly made the experience feel even more meaningful because it showed that the work being created inside a smaller junior hockey environment still carried value and visibility. It reinforced how important storytelling and visual media are at every level of sports- not just the NCAA or professional ranks.
One of the coolest parts of the season was also seeing players personally repost and use my photos themselves. Junior hockey players dedicate so much of their lives to the sport while chasing future opportunities, so being able to provide photos that players genuinely appreciated and wanted to share became incredibly rewarding. It reminded me that sports photography is not simply about taking pictures. It is about preserving moments, accomplishments, memories, and experiences for the athletes actually living them.
As the season continued, I slowly became more connected to the environment around RoseGarden Ice than I ever expected when the internship first began. The fans, families, team personnel, and players all contributed to creating a genuine hockey community around the Sea Captains. Junior hockey may not have the crowds or production level of Division-I athletics, but what it does have is authenticity and heart. The people there truly care about the team, the players, and the growth of the sport.
One moment that perfectly captured that connection came during one of the team raffles, where I ended up winning a red Norwich Sea Captains jersey. That jersey honestly became one of my favorite pieces of hockey memorabilia because it represents an entire season of memories and experiences connected to the team. I wear it now as a way to commemorate my time covering the Sea Captains and everything that season represented for me both personally and professionally.
The final home game of the season ultimately provided one of the most memorable moments of the entire internship. After the game concluded, the organization hosted a skate with the team event for fans, families, and supporters. Normally after games, my routine involves packing up camera equipment, editing photos, and heading home after spending hours documenting the action from behind the glass. This night felt different.
Instead of leaving immediately after the game, I laced up my skates and joined everyone out on the ice alongside the players and fans. It honestly became one of those moments where everything kind of came full circle. After spending an entire season documenting the team from the outside, I was suddenly able to experience the environment from within it.
Being able to skate with the players and simply enjoy the moment after months of covering the team felt like the perfect ending to the season. It was a reminder that sports photography is ultimately about people and relationships just as much as it is about the images themselves.
Looking back now, my season covering the Norwich Sea Captains became far more than simply another line on a résumé or another photography opportunity. The experience deepened my appreciation for junior hockey, expanded my growth as a sports photographer, and introduced me to a side of the game that carries an incredible amount of passion and authenticity.
From long nights at RoseGarden Ice to seeing my work shared throughout the league, from photographing emotional wins and difficult losses to skating with the team after the final home game, the 2025-26 season became another chapter in my journey covering the sport that I love most.
And years from now, whenever I see that red Sea Captains jersey hanging in my closet, I know it will immediately bring me back to life at RoseGarden Ice.
