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High school hockey season


Wondering aloud

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1 hour ago, Wondering aloud said:

Quick question: When does the regular high school hockey season start and end? And, can you play club hockey and do high school hockey?

Both begin and end in October and, say, late February or early March. Many, if not most, players do both school and amateur.

Amateur games are on weekends, and PIHL games are on weekdays, so it's generally manageable.

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On 9/19/2021 at 4:18 PM, Wondering aloud said:

Quick question: When does the regular high school hockey season start and end? And, can you play club hockey and do high school hockey?

Don't forget tryouts for the next season. Hockey can extend through April with high school. And preseason/practices start late August/early September. I know some school programs have ice over the summer.

It also depends on a lot of other variables. What level amateur are we talking about? (Rhetorical, I don't want/need to know.) How big is the school program? You end up with way more demands on time and exclusiveness from the AAA/ independent crowd. Varsity in a big school program can be similar with demands. You can end up paying for ice your kid isn't able to use for either team.. And those independent teams have no problem lying to you about whether they are school friendly. Yes, they are school friendly to the extent that your kid can play school...so long as it does not conflict with their schedule. I've seen demands from the faux AAA teams to attend their PRACTICE over an important PIHL game. Um....let the kids play for their schools, please.

You have a better chance of managing both if your amateur and school use the same rink for home ice.

And what age? I think it's harder to do both the older the child and the higher the level of play  How many ice touches are we talking about for the school? School hockey doesn't usually provide enough ice touches per week to keep up with development until varsity, and even that is only if you are in a big program, usually.

And God forbid if your kid wants to play another sport. ☹️ Since ice hockey overlaps every season, then you have three coaches in your ear and it's hard to make anyone happy.

You also have to watch....they are growing and young. Their bodies need to rest. They need time for school, a little social life, and to recharge. And once they hit midgets, the game gets much more physically demanding because the hits start to come from grown men, basically. 

Lots of variables to weigh.Lots of people do it, but it ain't easy. Looking at the way other states in big markets work, I'd rather see split seasons and rules where you can only play one at a time. You know, those markets everyone points to for BY because that is so awesome but somehow, aren't any good when you bring up these different structures.

We do a lot in Western Pa that goes against what is good for young bodies and the development of athletes.

Edited by Saucey
Added to length of season
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