Freeport Yellow Jackets

The year-long and drawn out saga for coach Jim McVay and the Bethel Park Hockey program has finally reached a conclusion. Arbitrator Donald Zeigler ruled the firing of coach McVay by the Bethel Park Hockey club was invalid and that coach McVay should be reinstated for the 2004-2005 season. Pa Hockey is looking forward to having coach McVay continue behind the bench and hopes that the Bethel Park program can move on from this situation and return to the prominance which resulted in three Pennsylvania Cup State Championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002, that was one of the great runs in State History including an undefeated season and 2 Pa Hockey SS Directors Cups in 2000-01 and 2001-02. The Hawk program has always been represented with class and sportsmanship and hopefully ALL of the people involved can move on from this experience and support the program as it moves forward !

Fairview High School in Erie will field a varsity team in 2004-2005. Fairview will compete in the Northwest Ohio High School Hockey League during the upcoming season. The spearhead of the Fairview resurgence will be aided by the return of Matt Glass, who was a member of the 1981 and 1982 Pennsylvania State AA Champions and will coach the current Fairview team. The Tigers won their 1st Pennsylvania State AA Championship in 1977.

The Northeastern Scholastic Hockey League finished the 2003-2004 season as the 8th League in Eastern Pennsylvania and is now in its 8th year of existance. NEPASHL is the local high school ice hockey league with students from schools in Columbia, Lackwanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Sullivan, Wayne and Wyoming County participating in the league. The following teams are current members. NORTHERN DIVISION Abington Comets Paupack Bucks Scranton Prep Cavaliers St. Gregory’s Highlanders CENTRAL DIVISION Crestwood Comets Pittston Area Patriots Pocono Mountain Cardinals Wyoming Area Warriors SOUTHERN DIVISION Back Mountain/Tunkhannock Tigers Valley West Spartans Wilkes Barre Area Wolfpack Wyoming Seminary Blue Knights The Season The teams within the league play a schedule of 14 games, two against division opponents and one against all other teams. Several of these organizations also field Junior Varsity squads. In all over 300 student/athletes are involved in this league. There is a mid season Christmas Tournament sponsored by the Wachovia Arena that will be played between Christmas and New Years, at the arena where several teams participate. League games are typically played Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at the Ice Box in Pittston. However with the scheduled opening of the Ice Box North in mid December, several contests will take place there as well. A complete schedule is due out shortly. The season culminates with the playoffs in late February, early March. For the past three years the United States Army has sponsored the tournament. The schools compete annually for the Army Cup for the League Championship and the past winners are as follows: Past Winners of the League Championship /Army Cup are: 2000 Back Mountain 2001 Crestwood 2002 Crestwood 2003 Tunkhannock 2004 Abington

With the season upon us ....Pa Hockey will once again be providing wire to wire coverage with Standings, Rankings, Previews, Game Summaries, Pictures and much more. Pa Hockey is the most popular Interscholastic Hockey Website because 'We are there !' and we don't just provide scores ...we give you the story ....Only on Pa Hockey ! Coming over the next month, you will start to pick up some of the ole' reliable Pa Hockey favorites as we cover Pre-Season tournaments, provide previews and a couple Game Summaries just to wet the appetite ! The annual Pa Hockey Western Pa Coaches Poll is out and Pa Hockey History will be updated with the all-time records of each Varsity competing in the 2004-2005 season. The Pa Hockey Master Schedule will take on a 'New Look' in 2004-2005, with the schedules and results of each club located in 'Team Websites' section and our 'Midnight Madness' score and highlight update to give you up to the minute news on all your favorite teams and even your not-so favorite teams. So stay tuned, fasten your seatbelts and remember.... we are always only an e-mail or a cell phone call away !

R. J. Umberger, the free-agent center from Plum, has accepted a contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. The two-year deal calls for a $1.185 million salary if Umberger plays in the NHL and a reduced salary if he is in the minors. Umberger was Vancouver's first-round draft choice in 2002, but the Canucks traded his rights to the New York Rangers March 9. When New York failed to sign him by June 1, Umberger became a free agent. Toronto made an offer similar to Philadelphia's and Umberger said it was a "very tough decision" to pick between the Flyers and Maple Leafs. "I was really impressed with both organizations," he said. "It could have gone either way." The Penguins - Umberger was a fan of the franchise while growing up - apparently also got real consideration, even though their contract prosposal is believed to have been worth only about $600,000 per season. "I was serious about the Penguins," Umberger said. "Right now, it just wasn't best fit for me." Umberger, a center, left Ohio State after his junior year and did not play during the 2003-04 season after failing to work out a contract with the Canucks or Rangers, but clearly does not regret the course he chose. "I feel like the whole year was worth it," he said. Umberger plans to go to Philadelphia next month to begin working out. And preparing for his first game action in well over a year. "I'll have to refresh my memory," he said. "It will be fun, to say the least."