U12B game tonight - Centennial Red vs Princeton

[HockeyMom5]

Thoughts?

[eaaafan]

Yeh Princeton does not have a 12UA team are they a true B-Team?

[acrossthestreet]

The problem is many associations do not have enough players for more than one team. They have new girls or very inexperienced players that make playing the A game difficult. Other teams have U10 girls playing up so that a U12 team can form with enough players. Would you expect this team to play A level also?

Teams with a couple A players does not make an A team.

The problem lies in the fact that a really good A player stuck on a B team can score too many goals and make a difference in the outcome of some games - even if they are only on the ice once every 3 shifts. Are there any U12B players that dominate every game they are on the ice?

Some associations work to fix this by combining teams ... Tartan and NSP did this, but gave up. IGH and SSP are combined this year.


Answer: Minnesota Hockey needs to form a committee and decide if their really is a problem and then if they reach a decision (yes), decide how do you fix it.

Allowing "A" players in small associations to cross-over to neighboring associations (without much red tape, district barriers, etc..) may help some problems, but often even the most talented young lady wants to play with her friends.

[acrossthestreet]

Did Centennial split their two B teams (Black and Red) evenly?

[jollyroger]

It's always debatable what to do about the B teams with no A team. Some say let them have a different state tournament. I don't know what to think about that.
However, this year Mahtomedi has 2 U12 teams, and both are designated 12B. I think this is really weak. I don't care how many legitimate A players they think they have, if they made an A team it wouldn't be the worst one out there. I'm sure they could play with many of the less advanced A teams.
No surprise, one of their teams is highly ranked in the LPH rankings Just like last year when their one 12B team was in the top 2 all year. Maybe they don't want to expose their kids to losing or disappointment????

[HockeyMom5]

Score of the game

Princeton 3
Centennial Red 1

[HockeyMom5]

Did Centennial split their two B teams (Black and Red) evenly?

They are both good teams - the Red team has some older U12's on it. Like very young 8th graders.

[HockeyMom5]

...

[eaaafan]

Jollyrogger - I agree with you 100% if you don't jump to the A-Level or you move back to the B-Level what is that saying for your program? You may have to take a year on the chin in the win catagory but I think all in all it's better for your program to take the hit in the younger youth years then jumping into Varsity Hockey all fed from a B-Team program. Just my two cents worth.[/quote]

[MoveYourFeet]

Breaking barriers is a good idea but veteran Association families would balk becuase it could take the opportunity away from their player to "make an A team". That may be the fatal flaw.

Princeton does not have a A team but would not be able to compete as well at the A level with the current team makeup as it has at the B level. I believe they are in the right division as they have not had one girls that has the ability to "take over a game", as it is right now.

I have been told that Centennial did not split talent into two equal teams. They have a upper and a lower B team. The lower team has some U10 players including a move up U10 goalie. The uppper B team has taken advantage of a novice , first year U12A coach that took some suspect talent at the A level and left that B team to be very good. Congrats to Princeton for beating the undefeated Red team.

Good luck to all teams @ Districts!

[MaxSnatch]

Princeton played at the 12A level last year and did not win a lot of games, however they did compete with the lower tiered teams in D10. The year previous they played at B and I beleive played in the State Tournament. They wanted to play B again last year, but I heard the D10 would not let them, so they played A and took some lumps, but improved along the way. And now this year they are back at B and winning.

Is it best to compete at A and struggle against better competition or play B and win most of your games? Development or Wins?

I don't agree with them moving back to B. I am sure that they have several players on their team that played at the A level last year.

In my association we have 1 14 team A, 2 12 teams A and B and 1 10 team A.

[HockeyMom5]

.........

[MaxSnatch]

"Princeton has five of 15 girls who played on the team last year at "A" that are still on the team this year. Two of those girls moved up the year before that and played "B" and went to state. The remainder of the team is first year U12 and one is actually U10 eligible. I would say only two of the 5 would make an "A" team in a larger association. "


So why did Princeton play A last year? And who are wins great for - You and the coach or the players?[/quote]

[goaliegirl]

"Princeton has five of 15 girls who played on the team last year at "A" that are still on the team this year. Two of those girls moved up the year before that and played "B" and went to state. The remainder of the team is first year U12 and one is actually U10 eligible. I would say only two of the 5 would make an "A" team in a larger association. "


So why did Princeton play A last year? And who are wins great for - You and the coach or the players?

[/quote]


Read above post.......D10 advised against playing B level again since they did so well and went to state. So, they played A level...apparently D10 doesn't think smaller associations should do that well?? Princeton struggles to even put a team together. If they end up doing well....congrats to them.

[HockeyMom5]

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[HockeyMom5]

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[MaxSnatch]

Until you are in a small association that has to scrape to put teams together, you have no right to judge.

I am in a small association. We do scrap to put teams together and we do have 2 at the U12 level playing A and B with only 11 players on each team, 1 team at 14 playing A and 1 team at 10 playing A. This is with only one girl playing on the boys side. So yes we are small but still play at the higher levels and struggle, but it is not about winning at this level.

Your "B" team would have been better off in the long run playing at the A level. That is why your coach wanted to play there and I am sure your HS coach would have the same opinion.

[HockeyMom5]

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[MaxSnatch]

Well not as small as Princeton. We have U10 and U12 and that's it -you go to high school after that. The fact that you have enough for two U12 teams doesn't make it as small as us. You can say all you want about it not being about winning but I'm sure most kids want to win. And I will state again - we have an excellent coaching staff and they are developing the girls well which is why we have done so well. If we had different coaches, it would have been a totally different story.

Again, your coach wanted to play A for those kids that are moving up to HS. You should listen to him and your HS coach too. A hockey is where this team should be playing.

[royals dad]

I think people need to get over this A and B issue, it seems to come up every year (ussually from B parents in big suburbs). At 12s we had one B team last year and an A and B team this year. Next year we need to see how many kids we have and try and find the right spot for them. The debate each year was about what the right thing for the developement of the girls would be, not wins and losses. I don't think there is an association out there that strives to stack up U12B state titles and therfore sandbags a strong A team into the B leauge.

IMO none of the associations without an A team is doing it for titles, they are looking at who will be one thier teams and trying to find the best place for them. That said if those same teams are skating a power line and not doing equal shifts then the coach is out of line. The whole idea of going B would be to give the 2nd and 3rd line girls an opportunity for equal ice.

Have fun with the playoffs, there is always an unranked team that suprises this time of year.

[goaliegirl]

Well not as small as Princeton. We have U10 and U12 and that's it -you go to high school after that. The fact that you have enough for two U12 teams doesn't make it as small as us. You can say all you want about it not being about winning but I'm sure most kids want to win. And I will state again - we have an excellent coaching staff and they are developing the girls well which is why we have done so well. If we had different coaches, it would have been a totally different story.

Again, your coach wanted to play A for those kids that are moving up to HS. You should listen to him and your HS coach too. A hockey is where this team should be playing.

I'm sure it is not up to the parents of this team as much as Princeton's board members, coaches and D10 who decides what level to play.....if you are not a member of Princeton Hockey.....what qualifies you to say what level this team should be playing??....yes, playing A level is good prep for HS but with so many first year girls playing you can never predict how the team will come together. The other side of the coin being....play A then you have larger associations complaining about having to "waste" their time playing Princeton and beating them by double digits. Who benefits there? Why is it so hard to appreciate a small association B team doing well?? With the numbers so few...you NEVER know what you're going to get...there are 11 and 12 year old girls putting on skates for the first time and they should be playing A level?