Icebucket

RMU will still be dramatically behind those programs, regardless of being on or off campus. Will it help, sure. But putting a facility on campus isn't going to turn moon township into grand forks when it comes to hockey

While I don't at all buy into the theory of an on campus arena making the team better and therefore drawing tons of outside fans, I can't certainly see the benefit of having easier access to get more students in the seats.

It's my understanding that RMU isn't packing the barn. I haven't been to a game this year but I've heard this from multiple people so I'm assuming it's the case. Is the "seating capacity is holding us back" just something they thought sounded good to help get the grant?

For the amount families pay for hockey, I'd think the overwhelming majority would gladly pay a little more to have games not end in a tie or be cut short by curfew.

16 and 18 AA standings are littered with ties. Multiple teams at each level tied over 25% of their games.

I think the only time it becomes a problem is when a poor official makes a bad call and realizes it. Instead of acknowledging that they made a mistake, just like coaches and players do all the time, they take the "I'm the authority here and I will call the game the way I'd like" approach. Just man up, say my bad, and everyone can move on. I see no reason for an official to have to explain every call. But when a very questionable call is made at least inform the coach on how you saw it. Or even better, when a player asks what he can do next time to avoid the call, actually give him the guidance he is looking for instead of giving him an additional 10

Most refs are over paid already. The good refs earn their pay, but when thinking about the horrible ones it's almost aggravating how much they make. If they were to do that poorly at any other job they'd get fired or be stuck working for minimum wage. Last I checked the hourly rate for refs was well about that mark.

Spot on. It's not really the refs fault that no one keeps tabs on them. And there are a few very good refs in the area but not nearly enough. Considering most youth hockey is using a two man system, it always makes for interesting games when you have a very good ref paired with a bad one.

While it certainly isn't right to call the guy out while hiding behind a screen name here, I do agree with the fact that there is nothing to hold the refs accountable. The refs have no real reason to work to get better at their jobs. They are going to keep getting games whether they are good or not. most refs in this area are not great, but keep in mind that both teams are playing with below average refs so over the long run it should even out.

I would have loved to see SCIR stand up to Alpha, but in the end they can't risk hurting the kids in the event they lost the fight. What percentage of Alpha ice does SCIR purchase? I'd have to think it's enough to have given them a case to stand their ground.

Crazy thing is, while this seems like it might just be a ridiculous bitter post. It's spot on.

It's the same move Alpha has pulled many times. Rebrand as vengeance or you can't get ice Use our officials or you can't get ice Buy our team supplies or you can't get ice None of these have any benefit to the kids. Only to Alphas pockets

Assuming the person who would take over isn't a minor. Why don't you share some info?

I said it from the day the team was announced. They will collect sponsor money, then at some point in the season the team will fold and the owner will walk with a pocket full of cash

I don't understand why those top 09s wouldn't just look to make a good U16 AA team? I believe most of the consistently AA teams are taking the top players whether they are major or minor year by U16. For the individual players, there isn't really any benefit to sticking to a true U15 team if you are good enough to make a split U16AA team.

I think this is also going to cause issues in terms of playoff seeding/who makes the playoffs. Teams wrap up their season this weekend and have no idea where they actually stand because FPP are not accurate with incomplete box scores.

They just hired a new coach this year. Safe to assume they just placed someone there who will let the board run things? Sure doesn't seem to be working 😂

For the people who are confused about why CV isn't at he top of single A. It would be like saying QV should be at the top of AA, or that SF should be ranked as the top AAA team because they have a better record than the top team in the division above them. That blue division was built to be a level completely under the A gold division. No idea why they did it that way, but can't do anything about it now.

I think Canon Mac will likely get dropped to AA next year. It's been a train wreck this season, and I'm pretty sure they were well under .500 the last few seasons also.

The issue now will be that teams won't be able to track how their competition is doing with fair play points. The FPP system is awful, but it will have a major impact in the AA divisions.

I think AAA will be an uphill climb for the west, and single A will likely be a landslide win for the east as usual. I'd like to see the west win, but especially at A it's just not an even matchup in terms of school size.

Those Minnesota HS teams are picking from hundreds of players. You couldn't have that same model here. There just aren't enough players at each school for HS hockey to be a high level here.

This really make you wonder why they would split the division into an upper and a lower. Teams in the bottom half of the upper division really get shafted

PAHL 18U AA is very good this year. Typically by 18s it's a 2-3 team race and they crush everyone else they play. This year there are 5 strong teams that all play very competitive games. Teams 2 through 5 are separated by only 18 spots in MHR. For comparison last year 2 to 5 was 53 team apart

Agree 100%. People here, including myself, complain about faux AAA teams. However, when I talk to parents/players on faux AAA teams they usually list fair play points high on the list of why they don't want to play PAHL.