James Gatz

This info helps. Take all this with a grain of salt because I don't have a daughter playing, though several of my friends do. Maybe some parents of girls can weigh in too. Though the PAHL league starts at 12U, there are a several 9-10 year-olds on the rosters of most of the PAHL teams. Some even have a majority of 10U players, so I would not rule out looking at any of the girls team in the area so long as taking on a whole season obligation is not too heavy a lift. Every team we have been a part of has included some girls that also played on a girls PAHL team. There were some scheduling conflicts but fewer than you might thing and everyone made it work well. Now, assuming you still don't want to join a 12U PAHL team, forming a 10U team for local tournaments is doable. I still think it will be easiest to partner with a recognized organization who can handle the rostering. I'd reach out to the different organizational presidents/directors to talk through your goals. Some of the bigger organizations (Arctic Foxes, North/South Pittsburgh/Vengeance ect.) may not be interested or will push you into their programs, but it is worth asking. Some of the smaller organizations (Aviators/Beaver/Lawrence County/Yetis ect.) may be happy to handle the rostering and help find some half-ice slots. Another route could be reaching out to some of the different school club organizations. I may be wrong, but I think most are USA Hockey recognized organizations and can roster teams. May not be the case, but a couple years ago, Hampton had more ice than it could use, but they did not want to give up ice slots. If that is still the case, they may be happy to "sublease" out some ice and to roster your team. I wonder what type of competition you will see at 10U tournaments. I'd look into that a bit more. I can envision a scenario where you face stiffer competition in a 10U girls division than in a lower level 12U division just because of a selection bias of there being so few 10U teams. Looking at the my hockey rankings seems to refute this concern, but I'd try to research which teams are in the tournaments. There are very few 10U teams in the Mid-Am District and they seem to run the gamut ratings-wise. Last thought is that maybe some of the tournaments you are considering do not require USA Hockey rosters for teams. If that's the case, the rostering concerns are moot.

Not to rain on your parade, and maybe I misunderstand your situation/objective, but there is more to amateur hockey on the organizational side than just forming a team. If the aim is to compete as team rostered as a USA Hockey team, you will either need to roster through a recognized organization or become a recognized organization through the Mid-Am. The former is by far the easiest way to accomplish this. Step one will be to have a solution for rostering with USA Hockey. That step may solve, or limit the ice rental issues. That organization may have access to ice or facilitate rentals/splits. Are you willing to share more about your plan? Locking in to only wanting ice at Baierl (and not really much ice from the sounds of it), is this going to be a team in addition to most of the players' usual club team, or would this be the only team most play on? Do you plan on opening tryouts, or is the objective to avoid the try-out process and keep a group together that wants to stay together? Depending on the goals, people should be able to offer some advice that might help.

Hilarious Freudian slip.

Total for Wildcats: 5 penalties (4 minors + 1 match). One player accounted for 2 of them, including a match. Total for Badgers: 12 penalties (7 minors + 3 misconducts + 1 game misconduct + 1 match). One player accounted for 3, including a match and a misconduct. One player accounted for 2, both minors , and coach accounted for 2, including a game misconduct. Unless any of the players with a misconduct has 5 in the season, there should be no fall-out for the minors and misconducts. The game misconduct will likely be an automatic 1 game for the coach. The most serious consequences are for the match penalties. This is speculation, but seems the rules may result in the following: Immediate Suspension: Both players are suspended from **all USA Hockey activities** (games, practices, team events) with all teams (including non-PAHL like high school) until a hearing is held. This starts immediately and lasts up to 30 days if no hearing occurs (rare; hearings are mandatory). - Hearing Process: PAHL Discipline Committee or Mid-Am (USA Hockey affiliate) reviews, typically offering a suspension length or requiring a full hearing. The player's family/association is notified. Representatives (e.g., parents, team rep) attend; outcomes can include multi-game suspensions or more based on severity. - Specific to the Wildcat (Removing Helmet): Under USA Hockey Rule 601(e) or 304 (equipment), deliberate helmet removal during an altercation is often treated as unsportsmanlike or intent to injure, leading to a match. Usual range on some reports is 1-3 game suspension post-hearing, plus any supplemental if part of a fight. - Specific to Badgers (Abuse of Officials): If verbal/physical abuse (e.g., profane language, threats), it often results in longer suspensions (e.g., 3-5 games or more). Coaches with 3 abuse-related game misconducts in a season face suspension until a hearing. Progressive under Rule 411: Repeat offenses escalate. The Badgers had exactly 12 penalties in the game, triggering an automatic 1-game suspension for the head coach.

The scoresheet is at 16U AA1 Scores

Dan isn't coaching 16U this year. I'm not sure he did last year either. He was coaching 16U and 18U at the same time for a season or two, but he has been the 18U coach solely for at least this season and maybe last.

Sometimes the Allegheny Badgers, Rebellion, and Aviators will have a team not play PAHL and play independent. It’s team specific. Icemen play in the THF or AHF depending on the team. I think Predators do the same. There are the non-PAHL Vemgeance teams. Mercyhurst plays in independent schedule.

So was I. I thought the notion of a 5 year old billeting was hilarious.

There are three players on the Aviators 2010 Blue team page who are listed on the roster of the PA16U2 PAHL team playing in the AA2 division. The Aviators PA16U1 team is a 2009 team playing in the PAHL A1 division. The Aviators 2010 Blue team is not a PAHL team and is playing an independent schedule. While not in keeping with the spirit of PAHL's claimed mission, I don't know that double rostering players on an organization's independent quintuple A team and their PAHL team is forbidden. The PAHL rule that address this is in the administrative policies. PIHL Governing Documents - Draft The rostering limitation provides: 4. A male player who appears on the roster of any Tier 1 team – or on the roster of a 10U or 12U team within an association that primarily fields Tier 1 teams above the 12U classification – at any point of the season shall not be eligible for participation in league games with any league team unless removed from the Tier 1 roster and submitted – or resubmitted, if applicable – to the league for approval for the league roster. The Aviators AAA team is not a Tier 1 team, so this rule would not apply as I read it. Aviators win again.

I enjoyed this announcement in the latest PAHL Pulse. I've been involved for a few years, and read all the linked pages. It is still and enigmatic process. This is the distribution for 12U based on my hockey ratings. And here is a similar chart showing the My Hockey ratings for the 10U age group. I've excluded the teams with a 0 rating in MHR, which happens when teams are on a "statistical island" and have not played outside of their grouping of teams.

PAHL permitted the transfer.

You can usually spot them. They are mature beyond their years because they started living with billet families during their Snowplow Sam years.

I think it works both ways, but agree with you it is worse when you team is the one that is severely outmatched. The developmental risk to being the better team is that it is harder for the coaches to get the kids to develop good habits playing the right way. Not a huge deal at 10U, but if those kids can skate it end to end and score, most will take that chance. They aren't having to see the game unfold and find passing opportunities. For the goalies in particular, playing on the dominant team is not great experience developmentally.

You are still in the placement season, so hopefully PAHL gets it right. Your scores seem to strongly suggest moving up, but your coaches can further push for that in their post-game reports and make it be known to PAHL that you want to move up. Being in the wrong division can make the year a lot less fun that it should be. I'd be in favor of PAHL having two short seasons with realignment in the middle or make the playoffs some sort of realigned process. For as much as USA Hockey belabors to "make it fun" we somehow become wedded to these set divisions for an entire 14-18 game season. Having two 7-9 games seasons would be possible albeit with a bit more administrative and scheduling hassle. Ideally, you want to be in a division where you end with a record close to .500. If your team is doing well above or below that mark, you are in the wrong division and development is suffering.

If you kid didn't participate in AAA Try Hockey for Free and a session of AAA Learn to Play, don't bother signing up.