News and Announcements
2010 - 2011 Pa Hockey Editorial -How do you lose 13 State Championships in one year before the season even starts?
I have been involved in promoting Interscholastic Hockey since it inception in 1971 at the Alpine Ice Chalet which marks the 40th Anniversary of High School Hockey in Western Pennsylvania. The year 2010 should be a celebration of those programs, like Shaler, Upper St Clair and Mt Lebanon, who were 3 of the 6 Original High School Hockey programs.
In addition, the Pittsburgh Penguins are moving into the state of the art Consol Energy Center and have been generous to display the Interscholastic and Amateur Hockey Organizations Jerseys and have computerization, which at some point will be linked to PointStreak and give live updates to all games in Western Pennsylvania. This is a great way of promoting the sport and after 10 years the PIHL may have gotten something right, although the Pittsburgh Penguins have a huge part in that promotion, because they understand where their future ticket base is.
To lose storied programs like 8-time State Champions Meadville and 5-time State Champions Bishop McCort should not go unnoticed, but this has been a gradual process beginning when the PIHL was formed in 1999-2000. Under the current leadership, the PIHL has gone from well over 90 schools and 250 + teams to somewhere around 45 schools competing for the Penguins Cup. Yeah, the economy can be blamed or yeah the numbers in hockey can be blamed or travel hockey, oh yeah that’s a convenient excuse as well.
The big number is the cost of High School Hockey and the lack of value that is given to this sport. For a child to play Freshman Hockey in the PIHL, it costs over $ 1500 for a 6th grader to suit up for a Freshman team. Being a parent, I have a 6th grader now eligible to play Freshman Hockey and why in the world would I pay over $ 1500 to play 16 games, when in Amateur Hockey, you can pay $ 1000 to play more games and if you want to play 3 times as many games for $ 2000. That is a huge issue for people and the PIHL is now sending surveys out to ask their membership to help them, with the question ‘Do you think all High School Teams should HAVE TO play in the PIHL?’. Folks, Monopoly is a board game and monopolies in business were banished in the 1980’s with government regulation.
The plain and simple truth is that the Laurel Mountain Hockey League [Volunteers and Less Cost], the Lake Shore Hockey League [Volunteers and Less Cost] and the PAHL [Volunteers and Less Cost] are attractive options for potential High School Hockey Players and this is why Meadville and Bishop McCort are no longer participating in the PIHL. Not like there where not any warning signs of this happening as long time programs Indiana, Penn Hills, Seton LaSalle, North Catholic and others are amongst the refuse of 40 + ‘Teams that are not here Anymore’ Wall of Shame of the PIHL Administration.
I walked away from the PIHL Administration in 2001 and saw at the time that it was a power and money grab at the time and it continues with the stale people who still are running the league. The original By-Laws had term limitations bccause many of the people involved felt that you always needed to have new blood coming in and as one so called hockey expert stated at the time “you need to have hockey people running hockey”. That person was involved with one of the two hockey programs that earned the 13 State Championships that left the PIHL in one year. Is it time for change to get rid of people who have overstayed their welcome in Interscholastic Hockey? No, I think you should fill out that survey and get on the Long Range Planning Committee!
The greatest quote I heard came out of the focus groups that the Pittsburgh Penguins put together for High School, Amateur and Dek and Inline Hockey, when someone told me that one of the illustrious board members of the PIHL stated that in their meetings ‘that we told the Penguins all of these ideas, and they just don’t get it !’
Excuse me…this was a franchise in bankruptcy and was saved by Mario Lemieux and rose from the ashes to win a Stanley Cup in 2009 and build a $ 400 Million Building, which will be a fortress for Hockey for the next 50 years. Maybe the Penguins should kick some people to the curb and take over High School Hockey and Amateur Hockey? If you think that is a stretch……Why did they form a Non-Profit Foundation? It’s around the corner folks and maybe when they get involved, they can go to the PIAA and have the sport become a part of the National High School Federation and Sanction the Sport through the schools. Then it won’t cost me the equivalent of a college education to have my son play High School Hockey?
Nobody ever dream that Penn State would be a Division 1 Hockey Program except of course Joe Battista and it became a reality when $ 88 Million was donated to build a new arena and fund the scholarships. Don’t think for a minute the Pittsburgh Penguins and the University of Pittsburgh aren’t watching this and they already have a new arena. Times will be changing in High School Hockey and so will the administration ….stay tuned!
Joe Ba's Dream comes True .......PSU going Division 1 !
Penn State University as been a model Ice Hockey Program at the ACHA Division 1 Level for the past 30 years and won multiple National Championships with the majority led by Penn Hills native Joe Battista. The University announced on 9/17 that the University will be building a 5000-6000 seat Arena near the Bryce Jorden Center and house NCAA Division 1 Mens and Women's Ice Hockey Programs.
This venture was made possible with a generous gift by Terry and Kim Pegula, who donated $ 88 Million Dollars designated for the building of the Arena, Scholarships for the Mens and Women's Ice Hockey Program. This is a great day for Pa Hockey and a testimony to the hardwork, vision and perserverence of Joe Battista to make it happen !
Here is the link to an article in State College
http://www.statecollege.com/news/local-news/battista-one-of-the-happiest-days-of-my-life-527050/![image](https://photos-images.active.com/file/1/60/604905/original/e227c0d3-b043-46c5-8051-d9876967a25d.gif)
Keystone State Games Eligibility and Online Registration
DIVISION CODES: IH14M Bantam, males age 14 & Under IH18M Midget, males age 18 & Under IH20M Junior, males age 20 & Under IH20F Junior, females age 20 & Under
KSG ONLINE REGISTRATION: https://www.keyinfoinc.com/html/keystone/registrationStep0.asp?action=&sportID=17
EVENT CODES: IH00 Selected Team Competition
DESCRIPTION: At the Summer Games the 4 teams in each division will compete round robin with medals awarded based upon round robin results. Competition will follow USA Hockey rules and will be held at the Twin Ponds East Ice Skating Complex, 3904 Cory Rd., Harrisburg 17109, Friday-Sunday, July 23 - 25.
ELIGIBILITY: The classification of a player shall be determined by their age on December 31, 2009. Ice hockey players may only compete in one division in one event. Players who would normally enter the proper division may enter at the next higher age division, but once this is done the player may not compete in their proper division. Junior players will be 20 and under, with birth dates in the calendar year of 1989 and under. Midget players will be 18, 17, 16, and 15 years old, with birth dates in the calendar years of 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994. Bantam players will be 14 and under, with birth dates in the calendar years of 1995 and under.
ENTRY PROCEDURE: Send the entry form and the $25 entry fee to the Keystone State Games office at least 2 weeks before attending a tryout. If attending a tryout in less than 14 days, DO NOT mail the entry form and fee, but bring both to the tryout. Players who "walk-on" at the tryout must complete an entry form and pay the $25 entry fee BEFORE competing. Entry forms will be available at tryouts. An additional $80 fee will be assessed all ice hockey players competing in the Summer Games Finals competition.
TRYOUTS: Individual tryouts will be held May through June to select 20 players in each division to represent each of the 4 areas (combined regions) at the Summer Games in July and August: West Teams (Allegheny Region minus Beaver County); Central Teams (Great Lake, Laurel Highlands and Nittany Regions, plus Beaver County); East Teams (Blue Mountain, Capital, Lehigh Valley and Pocono Regions); and South Teams (Delaware Valley and Metro Regions).
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EAST
REGION COORDINATOR
Doug Enck denck@comcast.net
Female Junior Division,
Coach
Male Bantam Division
Coach
Male Midget Division
Coach
Male Junior Division
Coach
The Pa Hockey Developmental Clinics have their own FaceBook Page for Developmental Ice Hockey, the FRLP Inline Program and the FR Street Hockey Association. Please visit the Page today !
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=124057697607018&v=wall
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