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MF and DW Two great ambassadors for the good of hockey.

The majority went to predators last year. rumor has it all the esmark kids that came to allegheny are going back to esmark and that 09 team that won pahl is going to end up having to be 08/09 mixed since their 08 team was not competitive at all in u16 and lost most of their good players

That is going to add up to a lot of travel for Badgers and South Pittsburgh

Well there will be six Tier 1 09 teams next season. Compared with four this season. Esmark is really going to have to work some magic to put together a good team. We'll see. Tier 1 will be a bit watered down I think. PPE may start to bring in non-locals and that always shakes things up. And a few of the top top kids will look at prep schools. For Tier II, the better 09 AA players are going to gravitate towards the teams that are putting together a 15U team. Any 09 team that stays together will probably play A Major if they play in PAHL. Playing against older but less skilled kids than they are used to. I would guess that Allegheny and South Pitt will have 15U teams to match AHF 15U AA division. They don't have much choice but to play in that league. And I'm guessing those two teams will not be playing PAHL and then just schedule a lot of independent games. Those two teams will probably pick up a lot of PAHL AA kids from other organizations that are putting together 16U mixed teams. Kids from Foxes 09 and North Pitt 09 will probably seek out other 09 teams since they won't have a birth year team option anymore. I think SCIR is the only 09 team that will try and compete in 16U AA PAHL. Preds will no longer have an 09 AA team so those kids will look around to find an 09 team. I'm not sure about Lebo, but if they keep their 09 team there is no way they can play AA next year.

I'm sure that's true but you can't tell much by these informal pre-tryout secret skates, especially when the timing of many of these skates violates USA hockey rules.

Because they have some strong teams and see an opportunity to squeeze those people. They're betting they'll bite the bullet and stay on a strong team rather than risk going elsewhere

This ^

That 14u Icemen team had a great run. They went 20 games straight without a loss before that loosing to the Renegades in Mid Ams. They beating a team 6-3 that was ranked in the 50's AAA the weekend before Mid Ams. A couple weeks before that the beat the Badgers 7-0. They won their first Mid AM game 11-0 against Mt Lebo and the 2nd 5-0 against North Pitt who lost to the Badgers in the PAHL championship game. That's just how it goes sometimes when it is just one game. The 2009 Pens lost to a team ranked in the 60's earlier in the season. It happens. Unfortunately, it ended the run. Would playing in PAHL been better for them? I don't think looking at those scores. Driving to NJ to play AHF probably didn't make the most sense either though as it is similar ranked competition. Playing an independent schedule probably would have made the most sense but it is tuff for the tweener teams to get games sometimes. Preds, Vengeance, SHAHA, and Icemen should have been playing each other but teams are to worried about the ranking. It's a shame.

Because the vast majority of kids and parents don't want this. It isn't about being on the best team. It is all about having continuity, the kid having fun and being on a reasonable team.

Hard to believe that shaler put up 16 against GS in the regular season and then get completely shut down. What a hot streak by Greensburg

I bet they're not.

If that number is right that is a lot. More than usual. Those kids absolutely would make a Tier 2 15U team. But next season those players will now be on a comparatively worse team as it relates to their skill that has had a year to develop.