USA Hockey National Tournament

YouthHockeyHub · Post by **YouthHockeyHub** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:16 am

Depending on who you ask and where they stand on how MN Hockey assembles itself, the USA Hockey National Tournament is a potential lightning rod for conversation.

We are following the SSM team in NY this week (so far they are 1-1). The 9 players from Minnesota (paying 40K tuition...wow) are outstanding 97/98 players. For proper perspective, a light squad of SSM players without any '96s on their roster beat the consensus #1 Bantam A team in Minnesota with ease.

I believe someday this tournament will matter to more Minnesotans. How soon? Nobody knows for sure.

Enjoy,

http://youthhockeyhub.com/usa-hockey-na ... sville-ny/

old goalie85 · Post by **old goalie85** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 11:17 am

Nice forSSM they beat OUR top "town" team!!!! Let them try A D2/D3/D8/ Let alone a D6 "allstar" team. Good luck ta tha minn kids at nationals. WE don't NEED Nats!!!!!!!!

gardetto · Post by **gardetto** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 4:05 pm

old goalie85 wrote:Nice forSSM they beat OUR top "town" team!!!! Let them try A D2/D3/D8/ Let alone a D6 "allstar" team. Good luck ta tha minn kids at nationals. WE don't NEED Nats!!!!!!!!

I am with you on that

O-townClown · Post by **O-townClown** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:42 pm

So I'm at the rink the other day and conversationed turned to Tier I with a mom I know. Our boys played together on a Squirt team this season, but she also has an older son that was a Tier I Bantam.

She said the tally was $12,000. I replied, "well that's pretty good. Ron told me the number was $18,000 or $19,000 for him (son was on same team as her son) and John said it was $18,000 for him (totally different team)."

"We couldn't have done it any cheaper. I shared a lot of hotel rooms and our son had to travel by alone (with other families) quite a bit."

And some people ask me why I'm not all in for Tier I hockey!

Getting through District 6 and the Minnesota state tournament is at least as high of a level as USA Hockey nationals. Sure, maybe two or three Bantam squads in the whole country are at a little higher level, but the top-top of the teams at nationals is hardly indicative of what you'll run into during a full season of AAA hockey.

5thgraders · Post by **5thgraders** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 11:23 pm

That has to be the dum dum national championship post of the century. Go back to the sand with that post as it is so far from the truth. Some of the top bantam teams will be in the game with mid to low level varsity teams.

mackjogger · Post by **mackjogger** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:31 pm

5thgraders wrote:That has to be the dum dum national championship post of the century. Go back to the sand with that post as it is so far from the truth. Some of the top bantam teams will be in the game with mid to low level varsity teams.

Patty Lala's team on the NHL network looks like they could take down any of the varsity teams that played in the state tournament. Note even sure what grade those kids are in. Anyone know?