forbin

16 minutes ago, sutton said:

Not sure I'm able to post it, but how they are allowed to take the ice last night is inexcusable.

 

Please do not post the photo on this site. You may private message it to people if you wish. Feel free to send it my way if you’d like. 

WARNING FOR LANGUAGE.

I understand this is a sensitive subject and we are all (mostly) adults here, BUT there is a strict language policy on this forum. I am not going to go through and mark every post I see with foul language, but moving forward, if I see it or its reported you will be marked for it. 

This subject has obviously brought a lot of new posters on to this site - please help me by continuing to report any unsavory posts. 

I'll echo others and say that the RMU guys are great for the little ones. A lot of really good volunteer coaches and managers there. It's the best inhouse program in the area, by far.

Unsure of her name, but the mom who coordinated their mite program with Bob last year was one of the most organized and knowledgeable people I've ever come across. I hope she is still involved somewhere in some capacity.

Brad Michalski is an excellent skills coach and an all around great guy. I have never had a single bad experience with him, nor have I heard anyone else experiencing anything negative.

I would like for this thread to continue because this is a topic that is absolutely due a discussion, however lets all please remember what the topic at hand is, and to have some respect for the individuals involved. 

Trolling comments like this will no longer be tolerated:

8 minutes ago, we the people said:

1st Amendment

This is blatant verbal sexual assault against a minor female we are talking about. Please don't come back here again with this type of crap. 

Yikes.

@sutton I would highly suggest you report this to PIHL immediately. 

52 minutes ago, 3 Boys said:

They do use parent coaches.  At least they did last year and that was one of the main reasons a lot of the 07 kids went to Esmark.

Parent head coaches or assistant? 

Also, completely unrelated and strictly a vanity issue. Why don't they provide pant shells for the youth teams, and why don't they have the players last name on their jerseys?

I mean even the most basic of PAHL teams have those for their kids. 

17 minutes ago, fafa fohi said:

Ain't no way in hell a team starting the season at AAA drops to AA Tier 2, under any circumstances.  Can you imagine the irate parents paying AAA dollars for their superstar kid to then play the lowly dregs in AA, while demanding some sort of kick back or refund?  

Maybe, and just maybe the group of parents are sensible would rather see their son actually win some games and be happy, than care about that extra A.

I know, I'm completely off my rocker for even thinking it.

32 minutes ago, 3 Boys said:

Agree, Ohio Prospects are not strong at all.  The 07 Vengeance team would have been better playing Tier 2 this year.  The kids would probably have had a much better time and a chance at Tier II Nationals.  They will never qualify for Tier I Mid-Am playoffs this year.

How does that process work? Are they able to move down to Tier 2 now or is it too late? Perhaps the players, parents and organization wouldn't want to "swallow their pride" anyway. 

The Ohio Prospects do not appear to be a very strong organization from top to bottom. 

3 minutes ago, hockeyisgreat said:

It looks like there is not a route straight to NCAA D-1 from High School.  Much different from other High School sports.

Why?  From what I see it costs around 10,000 a year. Is that right?

The path to D1 hockey is vastly different than football or basketball. The only time you'll see a kid go from high school hockey to NCAA D1 is if they are lighting it up for a powerhouse Minnesota high school program. Even then its still highly likely that they played at least half a season in the USHL or for the US national team. 

D1 schools aren't scouting the USPHL and the other tier 3 junior leagues, and yes they are pay to play leagues for around $10-15k or more a season. 

Locked because we’re not going to have every thread on this site turn into COVID talk. Take it to Facebook.

I have asked and been told that Alpha blocks 99% of their weekday/night slots because of teams practices. They only allow it to be accessed on the weekends for games, but even then sometimes it’s locked. I am not sure about the college games but I know the majority of PAHL, PIHL and Vengeance games you can watch. 

1 minute ago, hockeyisgreat said:

Don't you think the majority of kids playing nowadays have parents who played hockey? I'll bet it's close to 75 percent. No facts just what I see.  Mom's yell the loudest! Dad's get on the Refs more.  Just my opinion!

I'd say its probably closer to 50%. Worse at the younger ages.  Nobody wants to be a ref anymore because parents are complete a$$holes to them. Its a shame. 

3 minutes ago, hockeyisgreat said:

Interesting!  Do you think those Parents, Parents were the same way when they were little? Is there any hope for this generations kids to be better sports parents or is this a self perpetuating phenomenon.

From personal experience when I was a kid playing hockey the overwhelming majority of my teammates dads also played growing up. There is definitely a different type of hockey parent nowadays. The popularity of the sport is picking up which is a good thing, but I do think parents need to be better educated on the sport across the board. It would help everyone. 

I fear that its only going to get worse. 

Terrible parents are everywhere. I see a lot of unbelievable stuff from dance/cheer parents at my daughters competitions. That's a whole new level of drama and pettiness.

As far as hockey is concerned, it has been my personal experience that the ones yelling the loudest or causing the biggest seen are usually the individuals who have never played hockey before, or are completely ignorant to the rules of the game. They are the same dumb@$$es who yell "Shoot!" every time a player crosses the red line at Pens games. 

I am assuming either '07 or '11 based on the rosters on their site currently only listing 1 goalie. 

11 minutes ago, Corsi said:

Yes, from what I heard from some parents the top division was Tier 1 AAA, the middle division was Tier 2 AAA, and the bottom division was a "high AA/low AAA" division.  

08 Icemen went 0-4 in that "bottom" division....

Anything specific?

55 minutes ago, fafa fohi said:

I mentioned this before but here goes - Excel fees are separate from PPE and NCHS fees and you are all in for around $30K per year.  Chump change.

It is not in writing to my knowledge, however all U15, U16 and U18 PPE players attend NC and are in Excel as I know players currently on PPE teams that would be attending Central or other high schools if it were not mandatory......cha-ching.

That's straight up robbery. No wonder people choose to play elsewhere. 

1 hour ago, fafa fohi said:

Excel begins before school lets out and is mandatory for all PPE players at that level

Is this true? I always assumed it was just "recommended". Is the Excel program included in the season fees for 16U and 18U PPE players? 

Strictly financially speaking, the Excel grade school and middle school programs are actually not a bad deal at all. I have no idea how the on ice instruction is though. 

From a developmental standpoint I think that private/small group sessions are awesome for developing individual skills and should be utilized by all level of players from house league to AAA. Just like all kids should be shooting pucks in the driveway everyday, or doing dryland training exercises. But I definitely agree with @BACKCHECKING that the more games a kid plays the better chance he has to develop his hockey IQ and his teamwork skills. You simply cannot replicate game type scenarios during a private lesson.

We have talked about this subject at length here how todays players are all individually skilled, but severely lacking in the team play aspect of the game. Both sides of the player needs to be developed, and early on because bad habits are formed very easily at the mite/squirt/peewee levels.

12 minutes ago, Danner27 said:

There are ways to manage skating and skills sessions that won’t break the bank. In the summer, put a group together with 3/4 kids and skate twice a week your favorite guy. 

This is a good idea. 

39 minutes ago, hockeyisgreat said:

True but in that case you get what you pay for.  Playing in PAHL is probably half the cost of the others.  That's where private lessons etc kick in for kids and parents who want to aspire to higher levels.  If I had it to do all over again I might start mine at PPE. But how do you know haw serious a child is going to be about hockey at 5 or 6 years old to travel to Cranberry when you can play down the street for fun.

Did your kids go from PAHL to AAA?

5 minutes ago, twoboys said:

I just don't get knocking AAA hockey at birth years below Bantam Major.  When I look at it, most/all of the Pens Elite kids have been there since the beginning or they have been recruited from out of town.  So, if you want to play for the PPE and have the best shot at Juniors you have to get in the system early.  Am I wrong? 

Not wrong in the slightest. We all know there is a great deal of politics with youth hockey. PPE squirts is 90% Lil 66ers, PPE peewee is 95% PPE squirts and so on. It's just common sense. 

14 minutes ago, Corsi said:

Should that team have to dominate teams that they are going to beat 95% of the time or maybe play a schedule that ends up in a .500 or .600 record and the kids get challenged?

I personally would absolutely rather see my sons team play a harder schedule and go .500 than win every game 9-0. Losing builds character and makes you humble. If that means having to go independent then so be it. 

I honestly have zero affiliation with the Preds and have bashed them just as much as the next guy on this site, but I really don't see a problem with a couple of their teams going independent.