On Sunday's season opener against the Connecticut Whale the Riveters scratched three players with contracts. The club's latest signing Sydney Kidd, versatile skater Erin Barley-Maloney, and goaltender Jenny Scrivens were all out of the lineup in Stamford, CT. The reason behind Barley-Maloney's absence from the lineup is unknown. Given the late hour of Kidd's (announced) signing and the visa issues that several Canadian-born players including Erin Zach had, one can safely assume that Kidd was in Canada waiting for visa issues to get sorted out while the Riveters skated on Sunday afternoon against the Connecticut Whale.

Something to keep in mind about rostered players missing games is the obligation they have to give the team forewarning. From Matt Larkin's piece in the Hockey News in late September.

THN has also learned that players must notify their coaches and GM at least 30 days in advance if they know they will miss a game or practice, barring an emergency or medical problem. Missing games and practices will result in salary deductions.

Jenny Scrivens being one of the healthy scratches should come as no surprise. The Riveters might have three goaltenders under contract, but they will likely never dress more than two of their three noteworthy netminders. Coach Chad Wiseman has made it clear he'll be talking to goaltending coach Jonathan de Castro before each game to see which two goaltenders suit up for the RIveters' weekend games. I expect we won't have to wait too long to see Scrivens either on the ice or on in her gear on the Riveters' bench.

With Kidd, Barley-Maloney, and Scrivens out on Sunday the Riveters turned to preseason stand-outs and "practice players" Taylor Holze and Amber Moore. Although Holze was used in a limited role, she had a solid game and did well keeping the puck moving despite her small stature in a game that was filled with stick-grabbing, headlocks, and big hits along the boards. Amber Moore's presence on the Riveters' blue line was a welcome addition in the physical game. Moore is 5'10" and is incredibly strong on her skates. Moore plays with an edge and has no fear battling for pucks along the boards and clearing attackers away from and out of the goal crease. The luxury of having a fifth defensemen dressed was a boon to the roster with all of the minutes that the Riveters' top defensive pairs had to eat up. Neither Moore or Holze looked out of place on Sunday night for the Riveters which was a very encouraging sign for the depth of the Riveters' roster.

When I wrote about the Riveters' four non-contract players a week ago I talked about the role(s) that Cherie Stewart, Margot Scharfe, Amber Moore, and Taylor Holze were expected to have with the team. It's always been clear that the Riveters' four non-contract players are not just skating with the Riveters to help the coaching staff have bodies for drills and to push the players who have contracts in practice. Stewart, Scharfe, Holze, and Moore are with the team to play hockey and on any given weekend one of them could step into the lineup. The coaching staff will likely have the four of them in mind when scouting the opposition, considering match-ups, and reading the tea leaves on what kind of game they expect to see.

Following Moore and Holze's appearance in the Riveters' season opener we can and should expect the Riveters to turn to the outstanding depth they have in their non-contract players in the future. Life, injuries, match-ups, and other factors will keep the Riveters' practice players in the mix as the season progresses. Stewart, Scharfe, Moore, and Holze might not have contracts but they are very much New York Riveters and all four of them were apart of the history that the team made on last Sunday's first-ever NWHL game.

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In other Riveters' news, a few of the ladies were running around Manhattan promoting Sunday's home opener. Here's my favorite picture from the day.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Tame the Pride! The Rivs take NYC today... 1st stop is the NY Public Library <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/reptherivs?src=hash">#reptherivs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYRiveters?src=hash">#NYRiveters</a> <a href="http://t.co/IRrZO68peG">pic.twitter.com/IRrZO68peG</a></p>— New York Riveters (@NYRiveters) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYRiveters/status/654748330623242240">October 15, 2015</a></blockquote>

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Thanks for reading. Let's go Riveters.