hockeyisgreat

Any idea as to when the schedules will be out?  Last year they were out August 22nd.   The St Margarets Tournament starts next week. Is Pine Richland the favorite to win it again?  They should have a preseason tournament for Middle School. Nice way to get the season started.

I'm curious!  Were is the game being played? I guess the question is how good are the Icemen?  

How is the PIHL tied into MidAm?  I searched Mid Am website to find a link and was unable.  I'm just trying to understand how the 25% rule applys to the PIHL and Middle School Hockey.  I guess the PIHL is also tied into USA Hockey somehow?  I'm new to all this and just trying to understand it all.

56 minutes ago, Chinstrap said:

The official word is that there will be a Varsity team at North Catholic next season.  Best of luck to the boys.

The Middle School program continues to grow and is a few skaters short of fielding two teams.

How many more skaters do they need for a second team?   It is my understanding that they can draw from pretty much anywhere for Middle School. Is that correct?

So do we know how many teams they are able to field this year?  They offered tryouts from 10U to 18U.  Do they have players for each team? Are the Altoona Trackers and Mid State competing for the same kids?  How far away does the Mid State Mustangs draw?

So you think there is hope for Western Pa as the hockey talent pool becomes more seasoned?  My sons played hockey back in the 90's both PAHL, PIHL and then College club Hockey.  Now I am watching my grandkids play. I will tell you that the officials took much less grief from the stands back in the 90's. I saw more than 1 fan & parent get asked to leave a game and the refs wouldn't start the game again till they left.  I wouldn't be opposed to seeing that happen again.  I'm sure it does but it seems the refs take more now. I will tell you that I think the skill level of the players is vastly improved over the 90's.  Anyway you seem to have a unique view of all this. How do you see yourself In this? As a fan of hockey? Concerned parent? Agent for change?

On 2/16/2019 at 9:52 PM, Wampa1 said:

Officiating is no different in Pittsburgh than any other area. Again, when young officials see what garbage they have to deal with, they get out.

Just curious, are you from Western Pa?  It sounds like you have been involved with youth hockey here for a long time.  Do you think the parents here are that much worse than every where else?  Finally any ideas on how to fix the problems.  Or is it just a know it all culture in Western Pa.  I have herd of some pretty tough behavior associated with Midget Football in Western Pa also. What do you think makes us this way?   You seem to have very strong opinions so I'd be interested in your thoughts.

On 2/10/2019 at 11:06 PM, Jack Handey said:

It's good to hear that he's doing well in the in-house league. 

I would set your sights on North Pittsburgh again since you are familiar with that rink, and have a back-up plan with another club at a nearby rink if you really want to try travel hockey.  The nearest travel programs to North Pittsburgh are Butler Valley (playing out of Frozen Pond  on Route 8), Arctic Foxes (RMU Island Sports Center), Pittsburgh Aviators (Shadyside Academy or UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex), Beaver Badgers (Bradys Run), and Lawrence County Lightning (in New Castle PA playing out of Hess).   

I would not bother with Pens Elite.  You have many good programs in the north that can meet his needs.  Get him a year or two of travel experience and then maybe reconsider it if and when he can earn a spot on an "AA" or "A Major" travel team in the local travel league.

The Steel City Ice Renegades out of Alpha ice rink in Harmarville are also pretty close to North Pittsburgh for tryouts.  They seem to have a good number of travel teams in squirt.

Most importantly keep him on the ice as much as possible with clinics, 3 on 3 summer leagues etc. The more ice he gets as a squirt the more he will develop.

Officiating is difficult and thankless in all sports but you can't play without them.  Can anyone post a link for how to go about becoming a Hockey Referee?  Any idea how much they get paid per game in the PAHL? PIHL? College games?

I see a lot of younger Officials. Any idea of the age limit to become an official?  From what I have seen for the most part they are trying out there.  That's good enough for me.