Next PIHA season

[yokes]

So what does everyone want to see worked on or changed over the offseason for the league. Ive heard something about league will provide scorekeepers.
Im personnally excited about the addition of the new teams and most of them are already established so most of the kinks should be worked out.

"Only God saves more than Yokes"

[MBurke]

IMO, live or at least nightly updated scores and stats would add a lot - right now, I trust IHC to have the scores before the league site.

It's sporadic depending on the teams involved and the time of the game.

Mike Burke

[wolves89]

yeah i think that the website should have more stories from each team, or at least each game... sometimes there are no changes on the site for over a week. but this has no impact on our game, the thing that i think should be worked on that most affects the games, and i think that most will agree with me on this, and that is the officiating. There needs to be much more consistency in the calls and what is good for each game. I know it sounds like complaining, but i really think it will help out the league.

i'm not slow, i'm patient

[born2runPROgm]

I agree with both above posts... I also think it would help the league if there were more pictures available... I think more people from outside the league would have a real concept of how organized the league is if they could the various teams in action. Easier said than done however... Tough to get real photographers for the games. Richmond is very fortunate to have someone like Pat there at every game.

"The defenseman formerly known as #11"

[GROWL]

These are two terrific points made here about the website. I have tried to keep things as up to date as I can without knowing what goes on with other teams. Team stories must be written by the teams themselves and that is what needs improving. Each team must take the responsibility that only a few have to update scores immedietely and to write stories after atleast home games. Things did take a huge step in the right direction this past season and I hope they continue to do so.

[inferno98]

I have heard that they are thinking about allowing checking and possibly 5 minutes for fighting.

One other thing I was thinking about was maybe make the pro games 15 minute periods or three 10 minutes periods. Even with the stop clock the games are too short.
But the other side of things there is no mercy and teams could be getting beat by 20 goals if there is more time added., and you just dont want that happening.

Just my view and thoughts.

What are peoples thought about this?

[extremes55]

pictures would be nice especially with some of the sweet jerseys

[wolves89]

i dont think they should allow checking and fighting just yet, wait until all of the talent is where it needs to be, MLRH had problems with this concept because most of the guys in the league never played ice and do not know how to throw a check or take one... also with fighting and checking the leagues insurance will sky rocket, i can't see that happening.

i think that the games should be longer, but it's tough to justify this when we have beaten teams 17-1 in 24 mintues, not a knock on them at all, im just saying the longer the games, the more out of hand the scores can possibly get, maybe 3 games a night then, to allow more playing time?

i'm not slow, i'm patient

[yokes]

I had wondered the samething about period length since they went to this format. I like the 2 periods just maybe 15's instead. The website is a definite upgrade over the past but like anything else it can be improved. As well as the refs, my complaint about them is consistency, but once again its been better than past seasons. Id like to see NARCH/Torhs pro style play as far as hitting and possibly reducing suspensions for fighting. What about the OT format? What do people think there as well as how playoffs are done. I know this upcoming year will be diff for the championship but what about the rest of the playoffs?

"Only God saves more than Yokes"

[Brooklynite10]

I like the OT format except that it goes to one on one. I feel that it should stay at two on two until a goal is svored. A team game shouldn't be ended by a one on one. Even a shootout has 3 players from each team shooting

[oldschool0099]

i agree need more pics and i would rather see one long game then 2 short games

[cus32]

All good points made in previous posts. Right now they need better consistency in officiating. Playing in and witnessing some games in Western Pa, they were embarrising at times, and because of that, they (the refs) lost alot of credibility with the players. Here is a good suggestion, I have seen the PIHA book and the officiating manual, but 99% of the players have not, so hence, we don't know how the game should and will be called until we drop the puck in a different city. I would like to see the by-laws and officiating manual to be available in pdf or something on the PIHA site. That way there will be no excuses on the player's end or the officials end. Then, as Rodney said, "Can't we all just get along."

If we want to see pics and articles, players from the teams must step up and take some responsibility. After all, for most teams, it does not cost the player anything to play. It's not hard to write articles, everyone learned to read in write in elementary school.

I would like to see 2 - 15 minute period. I think we should be allowed to check and play the body (new NHL style). Let a guy fight, but make it known that he will be gone from that game, if it occurs in the last 5 minutes, make him out for game 2 of that PIHA night. 3rd man in is automatic ejection and suspension.

The fans in our area (western pa) want to see high talent level hockey, but like to see some physical play too. They don't like pretty boy inline hockey players that are afraid to get hit.


Cus32



"Just fall on the puck"

[CoachClipboard]

Lots of talk lately of checking, hitting and fighting in PIHA. Take into deep and serious consideration the logistics financially, and insurance wise what would be involved with PIHA if that was to occur. If you are unfamiliar with the price of liability insurance for a league (a league which YOU, the player, or the team is funding by the way)or a rink in which the game is played. These rinks are not financially supported by big nationwide sponsors like NHL and AHL rinks are, where large ticket prices are charged. You see the rinks where these events are held. Everyday recreational sports and skating facilities that can only hold MAX a few hundred paying fans at, (get this) FOUR or FIVE dollars admission.

Side note: My wife attended all the games on the road with me as I coached, and in many cases these rinks collected not a single dime from her. She would comment on how no one asked her, or no ticket table was even set up. At many away games attendence itself would not have purchased a team a set of water bottles or half a dozen pucks, let alone liability for a league or team.

With that in mind remember where the money funnels to the league from. The answer to that is YOU the player. Take into consideration how much more it would cost if you had to purchase liability. (Need a clue?) Try looking at it more in context to your car insurance. What must you carry on your car for you to drive at the absolute minimum? Liability. Take that away and people would be bicycling to work. Now imagine just how much liability extra would be needed by insurance companies to insure facilities where actual FIGHTING and body checking is permitted, and apparently encouraged. These players arent afraid to do either (for our Naive commentor out of Western PA).

If you want, simply pick up your telephone, call a commercial insurance company, and check it out for yourself the cost of insurance on a sports facility. Make up a fictious company name or tell them you are considering building a rink which will be contact and allow fighting. Then ask that agent to get you a quote with and without the EXTRA liability for those rule changes. You will wet your pants when you see the difference. Then ask yourself if that is the financial burden YOU want for YOUR team and YOUR teammates? Then ask yourself just how much money you made this past season in the league as a player. Compare what you made with what you make with your REAL JOB, and ask what your employer at your REAL JOB would think if you became disabled because someone thought it would be a rush to blindside hit you in a game, or you lost a fight (it does happen, tough guys) and were a salesman who needed to work with clients. THINK.

Unless the league AND the teams recieves some sort of large financial backing from corporate big boys and a massive advertising campaign, with those rule changes you are asking for, your league could not survive, nor could your team, and you would be at square one with this sport like your buddy Joe Average, and Lou Whatshisface, who is in awe of you, playing recreational league hockey late at night wishing there was a PIHA league still in existence.

We all want this league to grow guys! Absolutely! But lets do it in babysteps, one step at a time.

It's amazing what a team can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by CoachClipboard on 06/08/06 09:54 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

[cus32]

Don't worry Todd, in a perfect world, I'd love to see some grit in the game. But I very well know the cost of insurance and that we would never be able to obtain a rink or a league that could pay for that. And I very well know that our players can't afford to pay anymore than they have. Hell, some of them don't have car insurance. The financial trickle down effect would be silly, and it would fall to the league, players, rink, etc.

I would never want to see PIHA turn into the MLRH. Gang fighting is not my sort of hockey.

I am still for checking, I believe inline hockey can do well and make it, but I've seen it on TV, and it is boring to watch compared to other sports of physical nature. I know inline hockey is not a checking sport, but it has the word "hockey" in it, so that is how newcomers will view it. It will take decades to change that mentality.

Most important to next season of PIHA is the officiating. We had no idea on how to play the other team until 3 or 5 minutes in. Richmond, we played a full checking game, along with Morristown. Pittsburgh and Scottdale was on and off and iconsistent. Philly, York, and Harrisburg you could not lay a hand on a guy. All we want is some consistent officiating so we can play the game PIHA wants, and play it to its fullest.

Cus32



"Just fall on the puck"

[g8kpr35]

I think everything that is said is great. The suggestion I have for the Website would be ADD SHOT COUNT!!!!. I feel that there are a lot of goalies in this league including myself that weren't justified for the way we all play. The GAA is not a great way to see how good or bad a goaltender is in this league. I just feel that adding shots will help distinguish who should play in the all-star game as well as the awards for the end of the season.

for example you have a guy like Joe D'Aloisio who is an outstanding goalie by the way. But just look at who he is playing for and you don't know how many shots there are to get those nubmers and you think hey his GAA is low he has 3 SO so he is awsome. But what if he only is taking 3-4 shots a night (which I know isn't the case in PIHA). And then Jason Kalish the goalie under him has very similar stats just less games played and who do they both play for the GRL. then the next goalie is the TYP in Neel Bhatla. (All great goalies nothing taken away from what they had accomplished for their team this season just makin a point)

Then you have a goalie like Marcus Neffield or Nick, Benincasa who are also great goalies in the league but people wouldn't realize it unless you play against them. But if you have a shot count that is ACCURATE! then people can see the difference. Cause Nick and Marcus could be facing upwards of 30-50 shots A GAME significantly more then what the growl goalies take or the typhoon goalies.

So just my thought is to have shots counten ACCURATLY! and adding them into the site.

#35 Garrett B.

[born2runPROgm]

I've spoken to many rinks who have piha teams or are considering to take on piha teams and the management almost always feel that the full contact of mlrh is too much wear and tear on the boards and glass.. If piha ever went to full contact that could seriously affect some teams... Plus, what the last poster said about the insurance is absolutely true. The reason MLRH on the west coast (that actually did well for one year) simply dropped out was purely because of the insurance issues surrounding a full contact league.

"The defenseman formerly known as #11"

[Maskman]

I completely agree. The problem is save are a very easy stat to pad. I still think shots on goal would add a lot to game summaries.

ALso, I know you didn't mention yourself, but the game in PA you probably had 50 saves, and I don't think any of them were routine.

[vapor10]

I'll be honest . . . I think there's a fair amount of body contact already . . not once was I able to go into the corner this year without getting snuffed out on the boards or just down right hit. And it's all good, thats the way it should be. Everyone needs to remember one thing, and if you ever had a competent(and classy) coach in ice hockey , they'll tell you, hitting is not intended to hurt the other player, its a skill use to retrieve possession of the puck. Unfortunatley when you start telling players its a checking league now, go out and hit, guys just do that, rather than what players do now, which truely is the proper way of checking. Ray Katinsky is probably one of the best in PIHA right now, every time I play him, I know I'm going to get hit if I'm not quick by him. Because he checks like an ice hockey player, but he's checking the way it is intended, to get me to lose the puck . . .not to punish me for coming at him. Sadly I think thats the problem MLRH, everyone just wanted to f--k some one up. Rather than worry about the game.

[NLane]

Stats like that need good scorekeepers. We found if we paid them they kept better count and were more reliable.

[wolves89]

i could not agree more chris, thank god ray is my brother and i get to play on his team. by far one of the hardest workers in the league espcially in the corners. you should have seen him play MLRH, you would never want to play him one on one haha

It's tough to say whether i would like a full checking league or not, i mean i grew up playing and still play ice hockey and i love the checking game, but when it comes to roller hockey too many people do not know how to hit, recieve a hit and the officials who have never done ice hockey have no idea what to call. In MLRH sticks and elbows are up every time and there is no call.

Also, as far as taking hits, guys are going to get severely hurt. As I stated earlier ray is an ice hockey player who can knock just about anyone over, and we've played MLRH on and off for years in our free time and i've seen guys look behind them to get a puck coming up the boards. 2 seconds later they are flat on their back looking at the cieling wondering what happened. The point is that one day a guy is going to get paralized because they do not know how to protect themselves, and is it worth it? playing for no money, to get injured like that?

i'm not slow, i'm patient

[NLane]

I have read about several injuries that occurred this season and it seems that full checking didn't suffer many more in a season. Was it bad officiating, players that don't know how to "body" position or just one of those things that's going to happen in this type of game? And the remark earlier about allowing fighting...no league allows it, they just don't throw people out for a season for doing it. And when a team recruits a boxer to be on their team then you know it's for enforcement only.

[yokes]

Yes i completly agree with you about the shot totals Garrett, save percentage would show a diff. story.

"Only God saves more than Yokes"

[vapor10]

I agree Billy . . .but heres another thing to look at . . .why is that player going to the boards looking behind himself? It's because he's probably in a league with a bunch of idiots that wanna hurt someone. In the NHL, 9 times out of 10 you can watch a guy go towards the boards and never look back . . .because he knows at that level of play, I hit from behind will eject the aggressing player, fine the aggressing player, suspend the aggressing player, and make getting a seriously good contract from another team tougher if he's known as a dirtbag, and also probably land him in the minor's for doing it. Point is at our level, we should have enough respect for each other to not want to try to kill someone ... example, and this was unanimous amongst my team especially after we played the Growl. Ron Tracy, need I say more, you hate him on the rink, you always think he's gonna dirtbag you, and sometimes he might take a shot at you . . .but when the buzzer sounds . . .he's the coolest guy off the rink, came right up to myself and others congratulated us and was just a normal guy . ..thats being professional when what happens on the rink stays on the rink. Too many guys take things personally and thats when people get hurt. And god forbid you give them the go ahead to start checking, well than I think the sport will take a serious dive. Once guys are getting paid in inordinent amount of money to play, then you will see guys not wanting to be suspended, not trying to hurt people, if there was checking involved. Then checking could work. OK now that ive rambled for a while ill stop there . . ill see u saturday bill!

[wolves89]

i agree with you that save % would tell a different story, i still think however that Joey D would be at the top of the league, and this is not a knock on any goaltender, i think save percentage would let the people know however that the goaltenders on the teams that aren't as strong are still great athletes. I can say this, the goaltending in this league this past season was better then any other season, from the top teams to the bottom teams, it makes the shooters think everytime we get an open chance.

i'm not slow, i'm patient

[BLaZiNTiC22]

Insurance would be a huge issue! Would have been nice if there would have been some this year. After breaking my arm in a game and then confronting the "Commish" about if we had any I was suprised to find out the league carries nothing.(Well not really suprised). Good thing I had insurance from work to cover most of my surgery.

"Pain Heals,Chicks dig scars,Glory lasts forever"

[imasieve30]

Save percentage would be a great stat to have, but like someone said, is very hard to track accurately. Furthermore, it shouldn't show a "different story" for goaltending in the league. Look at the top GAA goalies in the NHL from this past season. Most if not all of them are also top 10 or so in save percentage. Why? Because it comes down to stopping the pucks you're suppose to stop AND THEN getting the ones you shouldn't every once in a while. No goaltender can save every shot, but if you are consistent and don't let in weak goals, your stats will show this. Whether its 12 shots in a game or 60 its all relative. If you make the saves, your numbers will reflect that across the board. Having said that, I welcome any additional stats for the goaltenders. Roller Hockey (in my opinion) wasn't really created with goaltending in mind, but accurate stats can show what a huge difference we can have on the outcome of a game. In the end, I could care less about the personal stats or GAA. Its all about consistency. Does your team know what they are gonna get every time your between the pipes? If they do, you'll be the one in there every time, and that is the most gratifying.

[Hystyk28]

I am sure the league has bigger fish to fry then shots on goal.

[hockeyburlington]

A great thing to have would be right up to date scores like the AHL and other semi pro Ice hockey leagues have. If you have ever heard of pointstreak it is a great system.
www.pointstreak.com

BE CANADIAN
PLAY HOCKEY

RYAN HARRISON

[yokes]

Knowing this would be hard to track, but with league mandated personnel it would be as accurate as could be. I agree with most of the goalies and save percentage but knowing what i know and who i played with in past seasons, save percentage tells a diff story. Some goalies(myself) are just simply not good when facing a very low number of shots. I believe GAA reflects alot of team defense in it where the save perc. shows more of a actuate goalie stat. I personnally hate only facing 10-20 shots. My percent will be low and never feel part of the game. On the other hand for i.e. I faced 34-36 shots against Typhoon in game 1 of the playoffs and gave up 1 GA. I felt more in the game and felt like i contributed whether win or lose. Now that is just me and we all know goalies are a diff. bread. So with that in mind like Joe D said roller hockey deff. didnt have goalies in mind when it was thought of. All of the rules favor a scorer and playmaker, but hey we chose this position, right? Also as Joey D said, personnal stats dont matter to me but as long as I can instill confidence in my team then i know ive held up my end.

"Only God saves more than Yokes"

[89jettawolfs]

I think it would be nice if the games were a little longer. On the matter of checking and fighting. I'm a little guy and got the crapped kick out of me for years in ice hockey because everybody wanted to hit the little guy. Not complaing though i know how to take a hit and know how i should be body position wise when i'm gonna get hit . But i would worry about some goon who just wants to hurt sombody. I have 2 kids and a job i can't do well injured. if i couldn't work because some moron wanted to hurt somebody then i don't really see playing in the league as a good idea. body contact happens and we were allowed alot this year and that's great. i love physical play. but all out full contact would turn the league into somthing different. And i can garuntee there would be alot of very talented players who would not participate if full contact was allowed. On the matter of fighting, i think 4 games is extreme. ejected for the rest of the game is fine, and as said already in the last few minutes then miss the next game. i think 4 games for a fight that got broke up with only a few punches thrown is rediculous. Officiating was very inconsistent this year. That needs to be adressed by the league in the off season for sure.

[WMBG_GM]

Garret! Did anyone say the goalies could speak?!



(for those not in the know this is a very old and (from Garrett's perspective) probably overplayed joke from the Warrior days)

Ben Loyall

[g8kpr35]

that is probably the funniest thing I saw all day. I can't belive you rememberd. And yes I did get permision to speak on behalf of the WISC and SCOTT!!!! Thanks again for the reminder though.

[NLane]

Was the post actually speaking, tho? (maybe out loud to himself as he typed...)Was writing any part of that restriction? If not then maybe it should have been.. hahaha