twoboys
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Posts posted by twoboys
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55 minutes ago, Ihearthockey said:
If you go on Mt. Lebo's website, they have 3 scheduled this weekend. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Seems odd, not sure what the play is there.
I think they are trying to get out of AA. Lebo already played the 08 Viper Stars. They tied them. So, has to be 07 Viper Stars. NP could be either 1 or 2. Essentially showing that they don’t belong AA.
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So, what games are scheduled?
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On 8/16/2019 at 5:15 PM, Jack Handey said:
Why waste time playing under different names? Seems silly to manipulate ratings for 10u.
Just a guess but I guess the PAHL games lower their ranking which means fewer teams want to play them. Also, isn't it easier to get into some tournaments if your are a AAA team?
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4 hours ago, Lifelongbender said:
I have never been able to understand why amateur tournaments don't provide these updates, either. It would make it much easier for teams to know when and where to be for consolation/championship games and the like.
Tourney Machine is an app that we have used for tournaments.
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1 hour ago, Ihearthockey said:
South hills and Renegades looking like the cream of the crop in 12u AA. NP and Altoona should be a close 3rd and 4th.
NP looking strong in the A major divisions.
Any other observances?
Renegades are not playing PAHL. Depending on how many teams PAHL wants in AA a second NP could sneak in.
My guess is AA is SHAHA, Foxes, NP, Altoona, Allegheny and Huskies. After that I am not sure. Viper Stars, Preds, Indiana, NP 2, Lebo?
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My kids are still pretty young so they don't pay attention to myhockeyrankings.com However, I know that parents often look at the rankings when we play an out of town team to see if the game will be competitive.
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7 minutes ago, Saucey said:
Someone told me that Alpha in Harmar is icing over the dek hockey rink.
That is what I heard too. Supposedly, this will start in December. Also, involves a plan to add a pair of roller rinks behind the building.
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On 9/7/2019 at 10:20 AM, Ankletape said:
Scir 05 they have a lot more size then icemen and are a very skilled team
SCIR played the Rush as well. They also played Westmoreland this weekend.
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3 hours ago, Snap Shot said:
You are also correct. This is where the expectations of the players, coaches, and parents all come into play. Some of these people are simply happy that there son or daughter is playing a sport and having fun, while others (normally the more skilled players) are looking for more. These players only have a few options depending on the size of the program they are participating in: 1) hope that there are enough like skilled players with parents and coaches that are going to demand a commitment so that there is enough to field a team with the same high expectations and skill level. or 2) go to another organization which supplies what they are looking for.
People on this board need to stop placing the blame on parents and players, and start looking at the organizations, coaches, and hockey directors that are not doing enough to adequately serve this portion of their "customer base". As with any other business or service, if a customer isn't getting what they want, they have the right to look elsewhere. Successful businesses don't blame the customer for leaving, they try to find out why they are leaving and make changes to address what the cause is. If organizations within PAHL began taking this approach, there is a chance that we could be looking at stronger teams at the AA level but until people in the hockey community start to look at what is causing players and parents to look for other options instead of jumping to the "they think their kid is the next Crosby" argument we are going to be forever stuck in this cycle.
As for the "trickle down" where there's the perception that there are players on a higher level team that shouldn't be there because player's A and B went to another organization to play, the answer to that problem is simple... The players who are moving up into those spots need to simply get better.
Some kids love hockey more than other kids. Hockey might be their only thing. Not everyone of these kids is a AAA. Or even capable of making their organizations top PAHL team. What happens if one of these kids gets placed on a team that doesn't require a commitment from its players? A team that doesn't get decent attendance at practice because the other players are playing other sports too. And the team only plays one or two tournaments when the top team is playing 5-7? The player and the family are probable not happy and they are probably looking for a new team the next year. I think there are more of these kids and parents than you think.
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30 minutes ago, Hockey00 said:
Baseball is the same. Kids don't want to play on rec teams so they play just tournament ball and in other competitive leagues that are just for travel teams and pay lots more than the other families but the tournament teams require the kids to be committed and attend all games and tournaments and rec teams will allow kids to miss. Some pahl teams have a lack of commitment but it is really the coaches who have to require the commitment
I would think it would be more accurate to say that most PAHL teams have a lack of commitment. I can't tell you how many times I walk through various rinks and see teams holding practice with fewer than ten skaters.
From my experience it is usually the top teams in each organization that require a significant commitment.
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11 minutes ago, sadday4hockey said:
Are you sure it wasn't Viper Stars 15U? There's an old tie-in between that team's coach and Armstrong. If it was Esmark, buckle up for a long season.
It was Esmark 15u.
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Shouldn’t you be upset with the PAHL programs for not giving the consumers what they want? Thus, players and parents to look elsewhere.
And is really more like 50-60 U15 and 50-60 U16. With something like 6-8 AA u16 teams you are doing something wrong if you have that many players and parents you are doing something wrong.
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I think I saw it on the PAHL facebook page.
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The price charged isn’t outrageous. I bet U15 at the Pens is close to double. A guess is over 6000 plus a team fee. It is all about the ice slots. One slot a week it is outrageous. But 2 practices plus games and then you are paying the going rate at the bigger rinks.
My kids fees are each over 3000 and they play PAHL. Most of my friends pay over 2000 without a paid coach or training.
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11 hours ago, jmmartinprov1 said:
This is quite the thread to read.
As a parent of player on this team there are so many ways I could respond to this thread. However, I have just a few questions and comments.
whome87 since you started this topic could you provide your qualifications for judging the the talent level of the team, skill level and skating ability you witnessed?
Secondly since I have stated I am a parent of this team could you provide the team your son or daughter plays for and at what level they play? AAA, AA or A? I’m just curious as this goes towards any bias you may or may not have.
Moving on to the main reason for the thread which was called biggest money grab in PGH. I’m curious as to why PPE wasn’t mentioned in your initial post? Was it ever questioned as to why PPE would field 2 Tier 1 teams at every birth year up to U15? Using an average fee of $3K that was additional $60 per birth year. Not to mention the excela academy fee of $5K which is basically mandatory to be on the Team.
As for the Predators fees, from what I understand this is how most AAA teams with Non-Parent coaches are run. The fees they pay include a coaches fee that pays for the coaches. So here is the breakdown of the fees:
Season Fees: 2400
Coaches Fee: 850
Training Fee: 250
Total : $3500
If all AAA teams have Paid coaches then I’m not seeing where there is a money grab. As for the training fee let me ask a question to all those here. How many have gym memberships, CrossFit classes etc. How much do you pay for all those? $250 pays for my player to train and do strength conditioning for the next 8 months. In my opinion a little over $30 a month is not a bad deal.
As for the talent on this team, there 8 Kids that played in 14u AA Championship last season. There are also former PPE players on this team. The rest of team from other AA programs around the city. The vast majority of these players are also playing Varsity Hockey as Freshman and Sophomores. So saying they couldn’t beat a U12 AA team is a bit of a stretch and laughable. Which is the response you were probably looking for.
So is this a Top 50 Tier 1 team, probably not. Top 100, I think so. This team does have talent and will be competitive.
The thing that makes me a little uneasy is as I read back over the thread and listen to you (whome87) talk about how these kids have no talent and couldn’t make the xyz team and have to wonder did your son or daughter not make this team or another AA or AAA team that has you so angry?
Again these are just my opinions as are yours.
I thought the Lebo team that won it basically stayed together and is now playing AAA?
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On 8/9/2019 at 4:58 PM, Jack Handey said:
Well North Hills has been around a long time. Any Huskies parents on here - what's your story? Why not just play for Vipers?
From what I have heard the Peewee Husky team came from Butler Valley last year. They wanted to be an 07 team and Butler Valley said no. The Huskies said yes. Nice kids, nice parents and nice coach.
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30 minutes ago, Chinstrap said:
NP had it set up for the 05 to be BY and the 06 to be BY. It was that way until the third night of try outs when it was rumored that the 05 team would be mixed.
I have no insight to the how or why.
The way it was explained to me was that 2 06 kids made the 05 team. So, the 06 team is an 06 team but it is without two of their better players.
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On 5/23/2019 at 11:25 AM, Bob Loblaw said:
The team is looking for a handful of 05/06 players to field a second team. At this point, the team, as well as a lot of other teams in pihl, are being handcuffed by the Mid-Am second year peewee rule. They can draw from anywhere, but generally draw from Catholic/private grade schools, and schools and organizations that are unable to field teams. If anyone is interested in playing, or knows anyone who might be, you can message me with questions, or contact NCTROJANHOCKEY@GMAIL.COM
Can you elaborate on the Mid-Am second year peewee rule. I have head rumors but nothing concrete. Isn't it something like only 20% of the team can be second year peewee?
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I agree that most parents, even parents on a house team, would be willing to pay for a "qualified" coach. This is not just limited to parents of kids on AAA teams. I know numerous parents that dreaded tryouts because they didn't want their child to end up with the same coach for the third year in a row. And the kids aren't AAA or AA kids.
I do think it is unreasonable to limit a AAA team to only 3 away tournaments. In many locations, there are only one or two AAA teams. AAA teams are forced to travel to find games.
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4 hours ago, sadday4hockey said:
I'm confused by that. It seems more and more that the higher end teams that use more ice are moving toward SHAHA and now Lebo. I will say that the dynamic out there with 3 locations that only have one sheet to work with has to be difficult for those organizations.
At the younger ages, SHAHA seems to have the better teams than the Preds.
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On 4/14/2019 at 9:01 AM, bb2j3z said:
Have a son born 2011, we are in Canonsburg... we did our first year of Rink Rats mites at Printscape Southpointe and are looking to do it again this year. He plays pretty well for his age level and we are hoping to make the red team this season in his last year in mites. His tryouts are in 2 weeks.
Anyway he really enjoys hockey and we are looking for more ice time and instruction to improve his game. Open to going to other rinks in the area. We have been to RMU, Ice Castle, Mount Lebanon, South Park, and Wheeling Park for practices.
Here's what we have currently going on Printscape 3 on 3, RMU skills clinic, weekly private lesson for skating (w/o stick). Then we are doing Rink Rats summer program, Quest 4 on 4 summer league, then one of the RMU summer camps.
Any suggestions or advice? Maybe in the skills clinic or private instruction area as an add on. We love hockey and are looking to improve his game and most importantly have fun! I enjoy watching him play and being the equipment and scheduling manager.
I think you have a lot of hockey going on. It is okay to say no to some things. At some point you need to emphasize quality over quantity.
The other thing to be aware of is that kids are starting to play full ice hockey on the side. They will likely head to Buffalo and Rochester a few times next season to play in some AAU tournaments. I get some parents are offended by this but most of the top mites are doing this. This will likely have no bearing on how your son ends up at 15 but will have a bearing on which team he makes as a first year squirt.
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On 3/27/2019 at 6:01 PM, hipcheck66 said:
One of the best things that happened for my son was trying out for the Pens 2 years ago and not even making the 4th day. Lit a real fire under his tail.
Last year he was offered Black and turned it down. He wants to make Gold and he has improved dramatically in the last 2 years.
Not making the team he wanted with on-point constructive criticism (which we feel like we received) will drive the right kid to work hard. Did for my son. Hope it does for yours too...
Question about the on-point criticism. How and when did you and your son receive it? Was it comments made to him during the tryout or did you contact the PPE and ask?
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23 hours ago, Eddie Shore said:
Confusing post. You said he would love to tryout for PPE because he is more "exposed" to that team, but you live closer to Vengeance and Esmark?
You said that you don't think he is ready for PPE maturity wise, more so than skill, but your not sure he would stand a chance to make Vengeance and Esmark (with the idea that he is actually good enough)?
You do understand PPE would be harder to make than Vengeance and Esmark correct?
You also stated that he has played a year in travel hockey, yet you seem surprised that people on this board are "mean" and you and your kid will have to develop "thick skin"? I doubt anyone on here is "meaner" that what you would have encountered in your first year of travel, especially with a goalie. This is what "scared the pants off you", and "overwhelmed" you? This post? This "disheartened" you?
I think you are right, you are not cut out for this, or any youth sport if this relatively tame post did all this to you.
Good luck,
It isn't clear what age the goalie is, right? First year travel and looking at Esmark and Vengeance. Esmark means at least Bantams. I would think that most decent Bantam AA teams have two goalies. Same as PPE. Not sure how Esmark and Vegeance treat goalies but at the PPE they pay full price. A lot of PAHL oranizations give a discount.
By Bantams, people have a clue as to which organizations have a strong team. If the OP has an 06 goalie and isn't up for PPE or the other AAA teams. Try the Renegades or SHAHA. They have quality teams that are trying to make the jump to AAA.
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On 2/4/2019 at 2:53 PM, sadday4hockey said:
Think of it in terms of sets in Mathematics. All members of the Excel Academy are not part of the PPE set, however all members of the PPE Gold set are members of the Excel Academy. Does that make sense?
All members? Clearly, you are exaggerating.
2019 Placement Discussion
in Western Pennsylvania Youth Hockey
Posted
Erie was AA last year. Maybe they have a strong squad coming back and want to play AA again. Not many legit AA teams this year. SHAHA, Foxes, Badgers, NP, Altoona and the Huskies. Next would be the Viper Stars. Lebo and Preds aren’t that strong this year. Renegades only have an 08 team. Indiana? I still think NP 2 could sneak in.