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PIHL Girls Division


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So If this does get off the ground, do we think that they will try to ban the girls from playing on the boys teams? I have mixed feelings on it. I really respect the girls that can hang with the boys teams, but I've seen way too many girls get targeted during HS games. Not because they were scoring threats, just because they were a girl ..... there's a lot of stuff you hear when you are in the play or cruising past the bench that you have no idea of in the stands.

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@GrumpyOldPucker That certainly wasn't the intent of the exercise. They just wanted to run a little mini season - really more of a showcase - where regionally-based teams made up of girls from several different schools would be formed and would play in an all-girls format. 

I hear you about the stuff the boys do on the ice, though. Shouldn't be tolerated by coaches, but it's out there anyway. I don't think parents have any idea how boorish boys are out there from time to time.

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I would love to see a girls division, but how are high schools going to find 10+ players per school in Western PA?

I can see JOINT teams forming to get enough numbers, but I can't see more than a VERY small # of schools having a goalie + 8-9 skaters.

 

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Great thought to do something to showcase the girls, Any one know if the St-Louis showcase is gonna happen and if Mid-Am will be fielding a team? The numbers for autonomous HS teams just are not there and probably never will be. The Mid-Am girls numbers are difficult enough if you are just trying for proper age appropriate amateur teams...... I looked at it a couple years ago and it would be hard to come up with 6 - 8 co-ops that could field 12-13 player rosters at all the girls ages so yeah I think you are on the money Wes. IRRC Mid-Am has one of the smallest girls registration levels nation wide.

Edited by GrumpyOldPucker
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I would like to run a girls showcase over the summer in Pgh.  I have the time and contacts.  

I would also be glad to lead work on a PIHL girls co-op setup.  Maybe North-East-South-West pgh regional teams for starters??  I am SURE if we could network the high schools and girls teams hard we could get this going.  Extra ice time is what it's all about... and for the ladies meeting new friends and having fun.

 

Edited by Wes
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Wes, Just playing devils' advocate here.....are you looking at it being additional ice and just highlighting that girls are playing too, or an actual showcase of some sort? How do you evenly divide talent to keep a "super team" from forming and just blowing every other team out. Then, If you do prevent the super team, how do you still draw the better players who would consider it "playing down" , not wanting to play with lesser players, and maybe not worth the risk of getting hurt.

Anyone know if Keystone games are planned for this summer? You might also have the tier 1 and 2 national bound teams starting to skate once you get into July.

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16 hours ago, Wes said:

I would love to see a girls division, but how are high schools going to find 10+ players per school in Western PA?

I can see JOINT teams forming to get enough numbers, but I can't see more than a VERY small # of schools having a goalie + 8-9 skaters.

 

@Wes Exactly the second paragraph. The intent was a joint teams set up. Players were going to wear a regional jersey, and as I remember their HS logo would be added to their regional team jersey.

It's a good idea. I'm all for it.

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42 minutes ago, Lifelongbender said:

@Wes Exactly the second paragraph. The intent was a joint teams set up. Players were going to wear a regional jersey, and as I remember their HS logo would be added to their regional team jersey.

It's a good idea. I'm all for it.

This was the PIHL plan. They were all set to go but for COVID.

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BF - Ya gotta start somewhere and this is a start.

 

I see a couple issues with the plan as I heard it last year.

First, There really is not good time to do it. No matter when you try to do it you have issues. Summer and you get mediocre commitment. Fall and it competes with the season ramping up. Spring everyone is coming off a long season. If they happened to go to nationals, they are immediately ramping up for tryouts as soon as they get back ....  some girls play only PAHL or HS and PAHL and will have completed their seasons after the first weekend in March. But some play HS and Tier 1 or Tier 2 travel, or just travel and literally have been skating for 10 months solid. Any way you look at it many want a break before they start skating again for next year.... that's upwards of 100 girls that might opt out. Granted, maybe half of these upper tier girls would not want to participate anyway and including them in the potential player pool is not proper.

Second, Parents wallets might need a break. After a season of driving all over Western PA (or maybe all over from Michigan to New Hampshire and staying in hotels 1 or 2 weekends a month, lots of meals away from home) and having to - or just did - write a big check for next years team the wallet and bank account might be a might bit drained to find another several hundred dollars. And I didn't add in any extra sessions with private skills coaches....

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15 hours ago, BeaverFalls said:

Let’s not fool each other. A girls PIHL division is an afterthought at best. 

Well, yes. I believe the idea is to generate excitement for girls hockey, as far as possible, and give the girls a little exposure while having fun doing it. There's nothing wrong with that.

Nobody is fooling themselves here. Hell, boys HS hockey isn't being crowded with scouts here, so it's hard to see how the girls program is anything but a fun idea for the girls.

For my part I support it, even though my daughter is only Middle School age. Too many people in this region don't take girls' hockey seriously, including a good number of folks on this board.

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17 hours ago, BeaverFalls said:

I don’t have any issue with girls hockey in general. It’s just that regional teams and co-ops aren’t really scholastic hockey. I feel the same way about boys. 

Bit of an elitist aren't ya? Theses teams let kids play who normally would not have the opportunity at their school.

it's a start. The girls who signed up were happy to play and there was enough interest. It wasn't designed to be a huge commitment. 

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