Jump to content

Armstrong vs Mars incident


Recommended Posts

In the past, the security at the Baierl Ice Rink has been the opposite of this situation.   I've seen them remove the entire student section from games for activity that I would consider marginal. 

I also recall a playoff game at RMU ISC where security was not to be found when needed.   PIHL rep (Mucha) was approached and he was defensive of the situation without even going into the rink to observe the situation.  I’m not sure PIHL will be useful/interested in solving this problem.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why is it the Armstrong Football players aren’t being punished?? They were the majority of the student section. They were the ones who were chanting and yelling. They were questioned on Friday by the principal but since they had a big game no one got suspended! Heaven forbid the prize football players get in trouble. They were the reason to all this.  The hockey players are being targeted and getting threats. The refs (who are always horrible) and security should have done something!! They failed this poor young lady. I was at this game but was too far away I didn’t hear the chants  but I’ve seen the videos. For that I’m so sorry and ashamed. Student section was always fun growing up to be part of but this day in age, acting like this is horrible. 
Hockey is a contact sport. ALL teams play rough and dirty not just Armstrong. Recent example: Shaler picked up and tossed an Armstrong player into the penalty box almost landing on his head and another player attacked an Armstrong player that was already down breaking his collar bone. So why is Armstrong always being targeted?? Both teams had their hits and penalties.  It’s not the hockey players fault yet they are being punished way more than the student section aka the Armstrong football players and cheerleaders. 
also, there’s a letter that was sent to the school district last week naming Armstrong football players and cheerleaders “popular kids” as being bullies to the LGBTQ community yet nothing is done to these players.
 

Put the focus on the correct issue. start punishing the right team. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"hockey players are being targeted and getting threats"

Seriously?  Other than Sutton no one on this thread said anything negative about the Hockey Team.  Seems like you have an issue with the Football Team.  Not sure where I see that Armstrong Hockey is being targeted here.  It seems that we are all saying that security and the school should address this issue.  From what you said it sounds like the High School Principal is aware of it and addressed the situation. Not to your satisfaction!  I guess we will see if there is any other fallout from this. To early to tell!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn’t say on this thread of comments of threats being made. They are on other forms of communication. I know people won’t come forward due to being bullied by said student section mostly football players. Those students in the student section are the ones who should be at fault as well as the refs and security.  Those students were questioned and of course said nothing happened. So of course it’s overlooked. It’s just frustrating that nothing is being done to the ones responsible. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, hockeyisgreat said:

"hockey players are being targeted and getting threats"

Seriously?  Other than Sutton no one on this thread said anything negative about the Hockey Team.  Seems like you have an issue with the Football Team.  Not sure where I see that Armstrong Hockey is being targeted here.  It seems that we are all saying that security and the school should address this issue.  From what you said it sounds like the High School Principal is aware of it and addressed the situation. Not to your satisfaction!  I guess we will see if there is any other fallout from this. To early to tell!

Sounds like maybe the Armstrong hockey team saw some discipline and hockeyisgreat felt others did not, is how I read that thread, not necessarily complaints about the comments here. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, hockeyisgreat said:

Is the PIHL Board meeting on November 10th open to the public?  I see it is an in person meeting. The goalie from Mars should go to that meeting and ask them if they are going to address the situation.

She absolutely should not have to do that. If the league isn’t already communicating with her and with Mars Hockey on the course of action being taken, shame on PIHL. Her lawyer should go to the meeting. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Hockey4life said:

Why is it the Armstrong Football players aren’t being punished?? They were the majority of the student section. They were the ones who were chanting and yelling. They were questioned on Friday by the principal but since they had a big game no one got suspended! Heaven forbid the prize football players get in trouble. They were the reason to all this.  The hockey players are being targeted and getting threats. The refs (who are always horrible) and security should have done something!! They failed this poor young lady. I was at this game but was too far away I didn’t hear the chants  but I’ve seen the videos. For that I’m so sorry and ashamed. Student section was always fun growing up to be part of but this day in age, acting like this is horrible. 
Hockey is a contact sport. ALL teams play rough and dirty not just Armstrong. Recent example: Shaler picked up and tossed an Armstrong player into the penalty box almost landing on his head and another player attacked an Armstrong player that was already down breaking his collar bone. So why is Armstrong always being targeted?? Both teams had their hits and penalties.  It’s not the hockey players fault yet they are being punished way more than the student section aka the Armstrong football players and cheerleaders. 
also, there’s a letter that was sent to the school district last week naming Armstrong football players and cheerleaders “popular kids” as being bullies to the LGBTQ community yet nothing is done to these players.
 

Put the focus on the correct issue. start punishing the right team. 

You’re obviously associated with the Armstrong hockey team. If you don’t like how your school handled the situation, take it up with your superintendent.

Those cheers seemed more than loud enough for anyone there to hear. If you didn’t, it’s likely other Armstrong parents were close enough to stop it if they had a problem with it and were really worried about how it would reflect on their players. How many did that?

Stop deflecting the blame. You’re all culpable. Whatever punishment the hockey association and school district receive will be deserved but probably not sufficient. 

Edited by Ynot02
Added a word
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/29/2021 at 12:02 PM, HSFBLJ said:

No more students at the games.  Only parents.  The on ice officials should have done something.  Game management should have done something.  One of the parents should have done something.  Somone from the rink should have done something.  Isn't there a police officer at all PIHL games?

Make it no fans period. It’s not like anyone from the fans, to students, to organization, to team did anything to stop it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/29/2021 at 3:30 PM, nemesis8679 said:

And I'm not laying blame, they obviously weren't chanting these things, but where was the Mars coaching staff during this? I would've demanded the refs do something, and my team wouldn't have played until this was addressed, period. Yelling parents and students acting up during the course of a game is one thing. But this is something entirely different. 

Why put the blame on them and not the actors?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Hockey4life said:

Why is it the Armstrong Football players aren’t being punished?? They were the majority of the student section. They were the ones who were chanting and yelling. They were questioned on Friday by the principal but since they had a big game no one got suspended! Heaven forbid the prize football players get in trouble. They were the reason to all this.  The hockey players are being targeted and getting threats. The refs (who are always horrible) and security should have done something!! They failed this poor young lady. I was at this game but was too far away I didn’t hear the chants  but I’ve seen the videos. For that I’m so sorry and ashamed. Student section was always fun growing up to be part of but this day in age, acting like this is horrible. 
Hockey is a contact sport. ALL teams play rough and dirty not just Armstrong. Recent example: Shaler picked up and tossed an Armstrong player into the penalty box almost landing on his head and another player attacked an Armstrong player that was already down breaking his collar bone. So why is Armstrong always being targeted?? Both teams had their hits and penalties.  It’s not the hockey players fault yet they are being punished way more than the student section aka the Armstrong football players and cheerleaders. 
also, there’s a letter that was sent to the school district last week naming Armstrong football players and cheerleaders “popular kids” as being bullies to the LGBTQ community yet nothing is done to these players.
 

Put the focus on the correct issue. start punishing the right team. 

Sounds like a you, your district and you surround yourselves with problem. The program ought to be shut down. 40 years of shit behavior in the greater Armstrong area. 
 

What will be next?  Nooses from the rafters?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The best part about all of this is we live in a world of cameras where an NHL team can go offside 40 seconds before a goal and he called back or a baseball homerun can be 2 centimeters off and be waved off but we can't punish a bunch of rednecks calling a minor girl a whore. 

Edited by aaaahockey
  • Like 5
  • 100 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, aaaahockey said:

Read the first post in here.  That's what we have been talking about. 

I understand what you are saying now!  Guess I'm a little slow! Thought you were talking about the fact that they won't face some type of repercussions.  It is a travesty that it wasn't addressed on the spot.  But something needs done to let everyone know this shouldn't be tolerated anywhere. I also can't believe it didn't make the local news!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, hockeyisgreat said:

I understand what you are saying now!  Guess I'm a little slow! Thought you were talking about the fact that they won't face some type of repercussions.  It is a travesty that it wasn't addressed on the spot.  But something needs done to let everyone know this shouldn't be tolerated anywhere. I also can't believe it didn't make the local news!

No worries. I'm with you as well.  This is disgraceful. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Punishment?   Who do you think is going to fix this problem or punish anyone?   Not should, but will punish?  PIHL, MidAm, USA Hockey, parents, school district? 
 

Other than the goalie’s parents getting an attorney, this will be swept under the rug in no time.   I hope there is a hockey parent out there that is also an attorney that reaches out to the parents.   

  • Poop 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Assuming there is a current or former Mars hockey parent that is an attorney, who was most negligent?  security guard and his company or the rink?

 Maybe PIHL since it sounds like there is a history/pattern of issues with the team and rink?

Isn’t the rink a municipal rink?   Maybe the the town is liable? 

Hopefully something is done to prevent this from happening again   Seems like it’s time for someone to be made an example of for this behavior.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like for this thread to continue because this is a topic that is absolutely due a discussion, however lets all please remember what the topic at hand is, and to have some respect for the individuals involved. 

Trolling comments like this will no longer be tolerated:

8 minutes ago, we the people said:

1st Amendment

This is blatant verbal sexual assault against a minor female we are talking about. Please don't come back here again with this type of crap. 

  • Like 1
  • 100 4
  • Fist Bump 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, forbin said:

I would like for this thread to continue because this is a topic that is absolutely due a discussion, however lets all please remember what the topic at hand is, and to have some respect for the individuals involved. 

Trolling comments like this will no longer be tolerated:

This is blatant verbal sexual assault against a minor female we are talking about. Please don't come back here again with this type of crap. 

@we the people said, and I quote "1st amendment?"

Freedom of speech is not absolute - never was, never will be.

Thanks for the idiocy.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/29/2021 at 10:39 AM, sutton said:

these officials Zmenkowski and Trego should absolutely be reprimanded for allowing this to occur.

Thank goodness our family is out of PAHL & PIHL hockey.  We had problems mostly at 18uAA with both of those refs, and while they both are very veteran refs, they can get too much into the game themselves and off the tracks.

It's no surprise to me that these 2 names were associated with the game in question.  The worst part of this is Trego is either on or attends disciplinary hearings and for him to ignore this going on while he is calling the game is unacceptable.

I agree with the other posters that the video of this game should go to Safesport and bypass the PIHL.

I hope the parent of that goalie takes action.

Edited by Wes
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is also not surprising at all this happened at Armstrong.  Going way back (nearly 12 years), the environment has been very chippy at the least at Belmont. The issues our teams (mostly PAHL AA level) had over the years were with both PAHL and PIHL teams, as also mentioned by other people here.  But nothing ever happened and Armstrong is still Armstrong and these incidents will continue to happen.

Most recently last season we had several run-ins with Armstrong at their rink, even involving one of their players punching one of our players while they were leaving the ice after the game.  Refs were made aware of it, and there were witnesses, but again, nothing ever happened.

No matter which org we played for, when we went to Belmont we'd tell our players to keep your heads on a swivel as multiple times in that building we had players receive head-hits and be knocked out of games.  I'd say that happened 2-3 times in the last 2 years we played games there.  Never one discipline hearing that I was aware of for the kids who committed the fouls.

Seems like the older the teams get the more chippy and mouthy the players and coaches are.  To make matters worse, one of their main people at Armstrong also sits on the Disciplinary Committee for PAHL and doles out punishments to teams that play his team(!) ** note: that was last season.  Don't know if they're still on that committee.

 

Edited by Wes
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel it is necessary for me to speak up on this forum and offer my apologies to the entire Western Pennsylavania Hockey Community, the Mars School District Community, the Mars Area School District and the hockey team itself for the behavior of our student section Thursday night. 
 
Since we first heard of these behaviors as school adminstrators we have been in contact with the owner/operator of the venue in which the game occured, as well as our local president expressing our displeasure for this behavior as well as the lack of action taken on the security officers’ part as well as the arena management. They agreed that more should have been done.
 
We have reached out and discussed this incident with the administration at Mars High School to offer our aplogogies not only to them but mostly to offer our apologies to the young lady that was ridiculed. The school adminstration stated that they appreicated our efforts in this regard. 
 
We have been in contact with the PIHL and have been part of banning our students from attending any further games until a point in time in which the PIHL feels we have taken enough steps to ensure apporiate behavior. We will respect any decision they make and will be supportive in any way in which we can.  Ironically, we are in the process of creating and implementing a sportsmanship program within our school to serve as an educational opportunity for our students. Unfortunately, we were not fast enough in the implementation of this program. 
 
We are still trying to identify the students from the video to take disciplinary action. The bottom line is we do not condone these actions from any of our students and will look to take appropriate disciplinary actions as a school. 
 
This is certainly a mess. We are embarrassed and working hard to change the behaviors and ensure what happened Thursday night never hapens again. 
 
Mike Cominos
Principal
 
Edited by Michael Cominos
I apologize for the earlier typos and I hope I corrected these while using my phone to do so.
  • Like 6
  • Fist Bump 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...