Top 5 PIHL Rankings

[Mr.lovable]

55 minutes ago, aaaahockey said:

Wow standings even closer this week than last. 

Wow! That is close. With how people were talking about that one goalie last year I wonder if montour would be up there too, Ha! Call me crazy… but I have a feeling upper saint claire may end up in the finals this year…

[aaaahockey]

4 hours ago, Mr.lovable said:

Wow! That is close. With how people were talking about that one goalie last year I wonder if montour would be up there too, Ha! Call me crazy… but I have a feeling upper saint claire may end up in the finals this year…

USC definitely playing well and sustaining it through the season. I'm surprised how good they are but maybe I should not be. I cut the list off so obviously there are several teams below this but I felt like these are the ones that are all competing at the top.  On The broadcast tonight they said it is roughly the midpoint of the season so it's going to be a fun finish. 

[Pa Hockey]

1 hour ago, aaaahockey said:

USC definitely playing well and sustaining it through the season. I'm surprised how good they are but maybe I should not be. I cut the list off so obviously there are several teams below this but I felt like these are the ones that are all competing at the top.  On The broadcast tonight they said it is roughly the midpoint of the season so it's going to be a fun finish. 

There is definitely a change in culture in that program, a after making the Penguins Cup and I saw a difference in Jamestown earlier this month. Any of 6 or 7 schools are in the hunt.......should be interesting  finish into the playoffs in AAA

[Pa Hockey]

[aaaahockey]

Updated rankings this week? 

[Rewster]

[Pa Hockey]

[Rewster]

On 1/6/2024 at 8:02 AM, Pa Hockey said:

So, it looks like we added 2 new rows at the AAA division. Considering that there’s only a 3 point difference between the current #2 through #7 in the standings…it’s basically a bingo ball shuffle each week…just call out each ball as they pop out one at a time. The way that the parity has been; it would probably look the same. 
 

It’s been interesting all season, but now is when each game will be amplified. It’s going to make for a really exciting final few weeks. Hope everyone stays healthy and available for their teams. And as the Old 2-9er would say, “buckle up baby”

[Pa Hockey]

6 hours ago, Rewster said:

So, it looks like we added 2 new rows at the AAA division. Considering that there’s only a 3 point difference between the current #2 through #7 in the standings…it’s basically a bingo ball shuffle each week…just call out each ball as they pop out one at a time. The way that the parity has been; it would probably look the same. 
 

It’s been interesting all season, but now is when each game will be amplified. It’s going to make for a really exciting final few weeks. Hope everyone stays healthy and available for their teams. And as the Old 2-9er would say, “buckle up baby”

There is no dominant school at AAA which makes home Ice for Round 1 pretty important  

[hockeyisgreat]

So is 8-4 Mars better than 12-0 Chartiers Valley?  Anybody know why the PIHL loaded up A Gold?  How many from each group will qualify for the playoffs?  No crossover play so they really have no idea if any of the teams in Blue can compete with Gold!  Makes for an interesting playoff scenario!

[Icebucket]

55 minutes ago, hockeyisgreat said:

So is 8-4 Mars better than 12-0 Chartiers Valley?  Anybody know why the PIHL loaded up A Gold?  How many from each group will qualify for the playoffs?  No crossover play so they really have no idea if any of the teams in Blue can compete with Gold!  Makes for an interesting playoff scenario!

I've seen both play more than once.  I think Mars is a good bit better than CV.

[Pa Hockey]

2 hours ago, hockeyisgreat said:

So is 8-4 Mars better than 12-0 Chartiers Valley?  Anybody know why the PIHL loaded up A Gold?  How many from each group will qualify for the playoffs?  No crossover play so they really have no idea if any of the teams in Blue can compete with Gold!  Makes for an interesting playoff scenario!

There will be 6 schools from Blue and 6 schools from Gold. If you started Playoffs today 5-6 Beaver would get a spot and 8-4 Mars would be out ? 

Edited January 8 by Pa Hockey

[Ihearthockey]

On 1/8/2024 at 12:17 PM, Pa Hockey said:

There will be 6 schools from Blue and 6 schools from Gold. If you started Playoffs today 5-6 Beaver would get a spot and 8-4 Mars would be out ? 

Which is why loading up the one division was a dumb idea.   If this is, in fact, the playoff scenario.

[Pa Hockey]

3 hours ago, Ihearthockey said:

Which is why loading up the one division was a dumb idea.   If this is, in fact, the playoff scenario.

There will be crossover in Round 1 of the playoffs and the upper division will rule. 1st and 2nd place schools get byes and seeded in final 8 same as a year ago 

[Icebucket]

1 hour ago, Pa Hockey said:

There will be crossover in Round 1 of the playoffs and the upper division will rule. 1st and 2nd place schools get byes and seeded in final 8 same as a year ago 

This really make you wonder why they would split the division into an upper and a lower. Teams in the bottom half of the upper division really get shafted 

[Pa Hockey]

the # 7 Team will have a really good record and NOT Make the Playoffs 

[fafa fohi]

1 hour ago, Pa Hockey said:

the # 7 Team will have a really good record and NOT Make the Playoffs 

Wheeling Catholic is currently the #7 team in the Blue division and their record is 6-5-0-1 with 13 points

Greensburg Salem is currently the #7 team in the Gold division and their record is 8-4-0-1-1 with 18 points.

GS has played much better teams than WC ( already beaten Mars, NC, Meadville and Indiana ) and may miss the playoffs.

One very good team from the Gold division will not make the post season which sucks as that division is stacked.

[Happy Hockey Fan]

32 minutes ago, fafa fohi said:

Wheeling Catholic is currently the #7 team in the Blue division and their record is 6-5-0-1 with 13 points

Greensburg Salem is currently the #7 team in the Gold division and their record is 8-4-0-1-1 with 18 points.

GS has played much better teams than WC ( already beaten Mars, NC, Meadville and Indiana ) and may miss the playoffs.

One very good team from the Gold division will not make the post season which sucks as that division is stacked.

I really do not understand PIHLs reason for doing this. It is a disservice to many kids that may not get a chance to make the playoffs. But why should it surprise anyone? They fail miserably at selecting the right teams for divisions all the time. However, this seems to be politically motivated where as past mistakes have been a result of the “competitive “ balance formula that doesn’t take into account things like number of seniors lost. 

[ANKLEBENDER]

14 hours ago, Happy Hockey Fan said:

I really do not understand PIHLs reason for doing this. It is a disservice to many kids that may not get a chance to make the playoffs. But why should it surprise anyone? They fail miserably at selecting the right teams for divisions all the time. However, this seems to be politically motivated where as past mistakes have been a result of the “competitive “ balance formula that doesn’t take into account things like number of seniors lost. 

I agree. D2 seems to be set up same way and coincidentally is also geographical except you would need to switch BC & Knoch, which would benifit the lower teams in D2 Gold.

In Class A, seems it would be beneficial for everyone if QV, Montour, and WA switched divisions with Plum, Richland, and Hampton

[hockeydadlife]

I think John Mucha is sorely missed when some of these division selections were done. Rest In Peace, John. 

[Pa Hockey]

Competitive Balance works in AAA because numbers are consistent in those programs EVERY year. AA works pretty well as well as those schools have JV and Varsity with good numbers ( North Hills lost a handful + of Seniors and never should have been moved).

Class A is a mix of schools which should be in AA because they JV and Varsity with decent numbers and schools like Quaker Valley Greensburg Salem and others that are true A Schools. The rest of Class A is a dumping ground of schools either in trouble or mis managed along the way going through a rough stretch and true Class A schools (Freeport Avonworth Beaver and others). The WV schools should play in Class B !

The playoff set-up is a disaster with 6 schools from each division. Should have taken 8 and 4.

Western Pa has not won States since 2012 Quaker Valley and has a shot this year with several good teams here and a weaker than usual Flyers Cup A Bracket. 

 

Edited January 15 by Pa Hockey

[Rewster]

3 hours ago, Pa Hockey said:

Competitive Balance works in AAA because numbers are consistent in those programs EVERY year. AA works pretty well as well as those schools have JV and Varsity with good numbers ( North Hills lost a handful + of Seniors and never should have been moved).

Class A is a mix of schools which should be in AA because they JV and Varsity with decent numbers and schools like Quaker Valley Greensburg Salem and others that are true A Schools. The rest of Class A is a dumping ground of schools either in trouble or mis managed along the way going through a rough stretch and true Class A schools (Freeport Avonworth Beaver and others). The WV schools should play in Class B !

The playoff set-up is a disaster with 6 schools from each division. Should have taken 8 and 4.

Western Pa has not won States since 2012 Quaker Valley and has a shot this year with several good teams here and a weaker than usual Flyers Cup A Bracket. 

 

Just out of curiosity, why do you suggest that the West Virginia schools should play in Class B? Is there even a Class “B?” I know that there’s D2 for the intermingled schools.

Wheeling Park’s record is 13-3-0 (2nd place in Class A Blue Division).

Wheeling Central Catholic’s record is .500 (6-6-1, 8th place out of 12 schools in the Blue Division).

Morgantown is in 1st place in the D2 Blue Division (9-4-0 record).

I’m not sure if it’s still the case, but it used to be ruled that because all 3 schools are not in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, they don’t qualify for the postseason tournament. So, they don’t affect the Penguins Cup playoffs or the State Championship game.

If anyone in Class “A” should be moved, it’s Bishop Canevin…they should be promoted up to a higher class as they have a regular season record of 44-2-1 in the last 3 seasons. I’m not exactly sure why they’re in D2–probably because they have a co-op squad; but so does Wheeling Central Catholic, or any private school or parochial school…especially on the eastern side of the Commonwealth).

Regardless, what you’re suggesting is that the 3 West Virginia schools should be in Class B? Is there a reason other than a mismatch of competitive balance?

[Happy Hockey Fan]

19 hours ago, Pa Hockey said:

Competitive Balance works in AAA because numbers are consistent in those programs EVERY year. AA works pretty well as well as those schools have JV and Varsity with good numbers ( North Hills lost a handful + of Seniors and never should have been moved).

Class A is a mix of schools which should be in AA because they JV and Varsity with decent numbers and schools like Quaker Valley Greensburg Salem and others that are true A Schools. The rest of Class A is a dumping ground of schools either in trouble or mis managed along the way going through a rough stretch and true Class A schools (Freeport Avonworth Beaver and others). The WV schools should play in Class B !

The playoff set-up is a disaster with 6 schools from each division. Should have taken 8 and 4.

Western Pa has not won States since 2012 Quaker Valley and has a shot this year with several good teams here and a weaker than usual Flyers Cup A Bracket. 

 

Nobody in Class A from PIHL has shot at States in my opinion. 

You keep mentioning teams that have competitive and full JV teams should be in 2A. There are teams that have been barely able to field a JV team that have been forced to play AA and it has showed that they didn’t belong there. The competitive balance formula needs to take that as a more serious reason for not moving teams up. As well as taking into consideration how many seniors a team loses. North Hills is a perfect example of that this year. 
 

Bishop Canevin should have been removed from the open class years ago. They have had enough kids that attended the school to field teams without the Co-op players. They have played many many games with kids that actually attend the school watch from the stands while the co-op players played in every game. They manipulate the system so they can have their outstanding co-op players play all the while they could field a team without them. It is a shame that PIHL has let this happen. But I guess no one should be surprised by their lack of action as they have been manipulated before. When Moon won the open Class championship they had ONE player that didn’t attend Moon. It was an excuse not to play AAA that year. Which was also a ridiculous ask of Moon after losing so many seniors the previous year. 

 

[Pa Hockey]

First of all, Canevin would need to be pure to move to Class A (they have a handful of KO and Seton LaSalle players) They are close and should want to move up.

The whole Moon situation was a fiasco and their program has suffered ever since. The whole Open Class /D2 has a lot of pitfalls and instead of developing pure programs has become way less than delivered.

The West Virginia Schools are not a part of the Pennsylvania High Hockey Championships and should be in another division similar to Delaware and South Jersey Schools of the Flyers Cup. 

The PIHL A will have chance in the State Finals as whoever wins will get a less than stellar West Chester East or a new Flyers Cup champion that is nowhere near the WCE Teams or Rustin powerhouses since 2012. Although the Penguins Cup champs will not be the caliber of some the Mars teams or QV Teams or Franklin 2017, they are all pretty competitive.  

[oneanddone]

2 hours ago, Happy Hockey Fan said:

Nobody in Class A from PIHL has shot at States in my opinion. 

You keep mentioning teams that have competitive and full JV teams should be in 2A. There are teams that have been barely able to field a JV team that have been forced to play AA and it has showed that they didn’t belong there. The competitive balance formula needs to take that as a more serious reason for not moving teams up. As well as taking into consideration how many seniors a team loses. North Hills is a perfect example of that this year. 
 

Bishop Canevin should have been removed from the open class years ago. They have had enough kids that attended the school to field teams without the Co-op players. They have played many many games with kids that actually attend the school watch from the stands while the co-op players played in every game. They manipulate the system so they can have their outstanding co-op players play all the while they could field a team without them. It is a shame that PIHL has let this happen. But I guess no one should be surprised by their lack of action as they have been manipulated before. When Moon won the open Class championship they had ONE player that didn’t attend Moon. It was an excuse not to play AAA that year. Which was also a ridiculous ask of Moon after losing so many seniors the previous year. 

 

FYI - 9 out of 23 players are BC kids, 8 are from Seton and 6 are from KO so not sure where your information is from.  This is not enough to make a "pure" team for any of these schools and thus why the co-op continues to exist.