Saucey

Just as info for those who don't know....Danner talked about a 'merit' scholarship. The only program that can offer athletic scholarships is an NCAA D1. A 'merit' scholarship is money a school can offer based on the academic record and isn't based on the sport at all. Schools aren't supposed to offer these as a way to get players for non varsity sports. Moral of the story...get the grades, kids. Make the school/area of study the important part of your decision and hockey the plus to that decision. Even at D1 you have to get into the school and demonstrate that you won't flunk out. Also, even many of these ACHA programs have rosters littered with players who played AAA or pay to play Tier III juniors. I don't know when that started happening, if related to the pandemic or what. Basically, it's not easy to play hockey in college for most people without a crazy amount of commitment, delay in going, and additional significant money spent that is well above the ask of any other sport. Makes all the crazy things people do to chase the extra A with the thought of playing college even crazier IMHO. It isn't likely to get your kid money to go. That being said, looking at rosters, a lot of the programs listed do take players right out of high school, which is nice to see. There is good hockey played at ACHA. Some bad hockey, too.

True. The top team at an organization often doesn't get in at AA if they don't belong there

Someone was asking how PAHL can retain players and there was all this fancy talk about what is wrong with PAHL. Add an 'A' to the AA designation, obviously. ? And just let the parents pick the teams!

They know that the parents don't know any better. Hook em into the AAA while you can.

I think he is referring to if they play in Black Bears AAA league, which would include trips to NJ

That's awesome. I hope this goes well for the ladies. ?

Are there high school girls teams in the east?

The organization has come a long way and I disagree with the slights. But open skates are usually an attempt to attract talent. This ad suggests they are looking for 07s to join their National Bound team What the...or maybe they are looking for a AA team next year as their National Bound team goes independent. Good luck with that. There are less 07s around at this point than there was with the 05s. Certainly not enough to field AAA and AA at the same organization. But no one wants to hear that, we have more and more AAA teams littering the landscape these days...

Not that I disagree, but let's set aside the money for a second and ask a different question about the system that PPE has set up. Maybe it is not a question of talent of the players, or of the coaching. I have doubts that treating children as adults and training them as adults...is good for children. The entire system that has evolved regarding sport and kids, not just in hockey. With Excel, the multiple ice touches per day plus off ice training sounds good in theory. But children...are not adults. They have things to do that the professional adult player does not. School. And growing. When in this system do they get a chance...to be children? To rest? When is hockey...fun? I have never met a PPE player who seems to be enjoying themselves. Even in these questionable 'AAA' programs that keep popping up, I do run into kids who seem to be enjoying themselves. Perhaps it is a failure of the adults all around who push too hard. Parents and the PPE who cater to them.

It's like yelling into the wind. It just makes me sad, because we are moving into a direction that makes hockey more elite in terms of access. It doesn't grow the game to make AA into low level AAA teams. Just more expense.

I've never said that I love hockey. My kids love hockey. I see the faux 'AAA' programs chasing the squirt group now. Get em while their parents really know nothing.

All that chasing people do. ?‍♂️ Still the big hockey states, still the big programs.

I am glad that PIHL tries to make the schedule competitive all season. Blow out games are a waste of time for everyone. Those lopsided football scores are ridiculous and going to get worse as kids continue to avoid that sport in growing numbers.

The Trib wrote up a recap. Peters has been very hot and I think will win easily, but you never know in playoff hockey.

I don't understand the criticism of Allegheny, either. They've done nothing but get better. Good, solid hockey with a lot of puck movement. I remember hating to play this program because they were goons and the parents were awful....now it's because they are good. I get the criticism for AAA, but do we know if the offering is by choice? Either Blackbear told them to or because Blackbear is having a AAA option there is worry some of these players will go there. There are now so many of these teams I think every program is going to have to offer one to keep up, like it or not.. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The parents are winning. More expensive AA hockey, here we come. The real test is going up to Nationals. It's not too often the Western Pa teams have a good showing.

Yep. Just like Culver sends it's JV team to compete in the Hoosier Cup

This is a good point. Not having an end of season playoff and not getting to go to Nationals....how boring to only compete for a my hockey ranking.

That program has come a long way in recent years. Respect and good luck!

Yep. Nothing is changing except to make playing AA hockey more expensive and inaccessible.

There are always crazies and now he is in a rink with a AAA league.

Anything can happen in those tournaments. Sometimes I don't think it is good to be the favorite.

Danner's comment is referring to the 18u NA kids on Foxes. A few people on this board have been nasty about their dedication to NA and/or maligning the head coach. His comment reflects a certain pleasure in their loss. Seems to me an odd take since he claimed to be a good family friend of one of the players, with inside knowledge of his plans after graduation. The comments smack of jealousy over NA's success, quite frankly. It's understandable in the sense that school programs usually take second fiddle around here. But really, should the players place the school second over....18u PAHL hockey? If your kid was good and could play there... would you?

As is the 2007 BY. All the more reason it sucks to have teams leave PAHL. And....Blackbeard is going to change the landscape entirely, I think. Now all the faux AAA teams can play in a league.

A friend wouldn't be posting this stuff. Just stop.

Rumors or not, I didn't think we were supposed to identify children here.I would be unhappy to have my child's plans on display here. No one's business but theirs.