Pittsburgh Ice

[Pa Hockey]

Black Bear Sports Group, Inc. News

[hockeyisgreat]

Definitely could be a competitor to the PAHL.  Have they tried to organize anything at Delmont (Allegheny Badgers) for their  AHF?

 

[forbin]

I could totally see teams at the three Pittsburgh rinks they own plus the ones in Ohio joining the AHF. Might give another outlet to players looking for something a little different. 

[nemesis8679]

So what happens if they get a monopoly going around here? 

Do they make it hard for teams outside of their own (school, PAHL teams) to get ice time? How about ice time for skills coaches? 

 

I can see this being a positive as far as being organized, having clean & maintained facilities, etc. 

 

I can also see it being bad news. 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2021 by nemesis8679

[sadday4hockey]

Monopolies are never good for the paying customers.

[Lifelongbender]

15 hours ago, nemesis8679 said:

So what happens if they get a monopoly going around here? 

Do they make it hard for teams outside of their own (school, PAHL teams) to get ice time? How about ice team for skills coaches? 

 

I can see this being a positive as far as being organized, having clean & maintained facilities, etc. 

 

I can also see it being bad news. 

 

 

The biggest knock on Black Bear I have heard so far is the increase in ice time costs at Delmont, which again I heard from a source I trust but I cannot actually confirm it with data. The increase described to me didn't normalize the cost for ice there with other rinks; instead, if true it would make Delmont the most expensive rink I know of to rent ice time in. If that price increase is typical of their takeovers, that could be an issue for both organizations and hockey and skating instructors over the long term. I assume most organizations have longer-term contracts for ice that preclude large price increases in the short term(I know the one my kids play for does), but that may not be true for all organizations, and also those contracts that do exist will end eventually.

Of course it's possible that after contracts expire, organizations will pay a bit more and independent ice rentals will cost a bit less. But that sort of adjustment never seems to happen.

[aaaahockey]

1 hour ago, Lifelongbender said:

The biggest knock on Black Bear I have heard so far is the increase in ice time costs at Delmont, which again I heard from a source I trust but I cannot actually confirm it with data. The increase described to me didn't normalize the cost for ice there with other rinks; instead, if true it would make Delmont the most expensive rink I know of to rent ice time in. If that price increase is typical of their takeovers, that could be an issue for both organizations and hockey and skating instructors over the long term. I assume most organizations have longer-term contracts for ice that preclude large price increases in the short term(I know the one my kids play for does), but that may not be true for all organizations, and also those contracts that do exist will end eventually.

Of course it's possible that after contracts expire, organizations will pay a bit more and independent ice rentals will cost a bit less. But that sort of adjustment never seems to happen.

The independent ice rentals will always be more. Think about it from your own business perspective - if someone comes in and says here I'll buy out 75% of your available ice for the season you would certainly cut them a better deal than Johnny Hockey's dad trying to squeeze in some extra skate time for Johnny just because of the sheer amount of ice the organization is renting. 

Someone should develop ice rental software that operates like airlines do and adjusts the price according to the demand (time of day and season along with other rentals) in order to always set the optimal price and you would probably be able to rent everything you could staff. 

 

 

[Corsi]

The AHF looks to be intended to being done in addition to an organization's "traditional" league.  Honestly, looks like a way to ensure that the rinks sell every single ice slot.  The closest thing I can think of is the EJEPL (https://www.ejepl.net), which operates up and down the coast and is a way for teams to play a "split season" schedule and not have to be scrambling to fill game slots.  Ashburn, Montgomery, Tomorrow's Ice, and Team Philadelphia have all played in EJEPL in the past.

The AHF has over 250 teams in the league providing high quality competition at every age group and level.  AHF’s initial goal is to act as a supplemental Tier II league to rink owners who operate clubs in the DVHL, NJYHL and CBHL.  The AHF provides high-quality, non-league games and showcases in the Mid-Atlantic uniquely catering to its member owned clubs.

The key word there is "initial", if they buy enough rinks and attract enough teams/organizations I could see it replacing some of those leagues down the road, but not in the near future.  It will be interesting to see how long it takes before Allegheny and South Pointe stop attending local tournaments and traveling to these other member rinks to complete in "showcases" as opposed to tournaments.

 

[forbin]

I really don't see a problem with this approach. A lot of AA PAHL teams play independent schedules on top of their PAHL schedule already. If this league makes it easier for them to schedule games/tournaments I say go for it. Play some teams you wouldn't normally play, get some more ice time, travel to places you typically wouldn't. 

Maybe this approach will start to curve the "faux AAA" teams?....

[Danner27]

5 hours ago, forbin said:

I really don't see a problem with this approach. A lot of AA PAHL teams play independent schedules on top of their PAHL schedule already. If this league makes it easier for them to schedule games/tournaments I say go for it. Play some teams you wouldn't normally play, get some more ice time, travel to places you typically wouldn't. 

Maybe this approach will start to curve the "faux AAA" teams?....

For the sake of the parents and players, you could only hope.