Division Ranking Predictions [Archive]

thepredictor

11-01-2007, 01:06 PM

Northeast Division

1. Boston Swamp Rats - obviously the returning PIHA champs have to be the early favorite

2. Long Island 495'ers - Long Island is just a major hotbed for roller hockey

3. Conneticut Blaze - Pinheiro and company can be tough to beat

4. Marple Gladiators - The studs of ECRHA d2 will pull in the last playoff spot

5. Massachusettes Bombers - Look to be strong but will be ousted in the final week

6. Hartford Fire Ants - Look to be stuck in a tough division

Atlantic Division

1. Philadelphia Growl - 2 time champs just revamped and made their roster even better

2. NJ Stampede - Look to be extremely strong with their decisive preseason wins over Feasterville

3. Aston Demolition - New look great team made up of most of the Gladiators from last year

4. NJ Grizzlies - Will squeeze their way into the playoffs

5. Feasterville Fury - Will miss the playoffs again. Roster improved but to many major losses in personnel

6. NE Philadelphia Revolution - In a division that is going to be way to tough for them to withstand

Mason Dixon

1. Pittsburgh Bandits - They will not falter again in the playoffs to the Lunatics

2. Harrisburg Lunatics - Seniority will carry them through but youth will beat age

3. Potomac Mavericks - Welcome to PIHA and they show everybody why they belong

4. Winchester Generals - Former MLRH players all over will definately give all the teams a scare

5. Scottsdale Inferno - With the Bandits so close there isn't enough talent for them to survive

6. Maryland Knights - No information really available could be the bottom or a true sleeper

Southeast

1. Raleigh Assault - Early favorites with a great roster

2. South Carolina Pirates - Should be equally as strong as the Assault

3. Savannah Stingers - Should be interesting year in this new division give them guys from Georgia and Alabama a shot

4. Richmond Robins - Will get their first taste of playoffs in PIHA

5. York Typhoon - New division same team thats falling apart like last year

Gateway

1. Southside Snipers - Early favorite as the league finalist last year

2. Midwest Tornadoes - Could very well be the best in the division

3. Chicago Untouchables - Chicago has some major talent there should do well

4. St Louis Cobras - Could very well squeak in as the thrid st louis team

5. River City Whalers - Could be the other third st louis team in the playoffs

6. Cinncinatti Flying Monkeys - Still way overmatched in a phenominal division

Rocky Mountain

1. Colorado Springs Thunder - CJ and Brian will not miss the playoffs and will win their division

2. Littleton Fire - Should be a very good team this year

3. Parker Prowlers - New name and location will be solid

4. Fort Collins Catz - Last team in this division

5. Westminster Blizzard - Somebody has to get left out each year

PACIFIC AND SOUTHWEST - Don't know much about these teams so I cant say

Lets hear them thoughts boys

Wingman

11-02-2007, 01:24 AM

Nice picks... let me expand a little on the Mason Dixon division.

Pittsburgh and Harrisburg are most likely to be the two best teams in their division, Scottsdale I've never seen so I don't know how well they're do. As for Winchester, Potomac, and Maryland they'll be bringing a lot of MLRH talent from last season. The Winchester Generals has some Virginia Wings (last MLRH season's "Maryland Crush" competitors for division champions) players, and some other local talent, some of which on the Shennendoah Valley Eagles travel hockey team. The Potomac Mavericks have one of the finest travel hockey teams I've seen, I expect them to do very well this season. (despite the DC Mad Dogs unfavorable season record in the MLRH) And as for the Maryland Knights, I'm guessing they're mostly if not entirely all Maryland Crush (last season's MLRH champions) players, I definetly expect a lot of talent from this team.

I think our division will be pretty tight this season, I expect a lot of close games.

growl89

11-02-2007, 10:03 AM

nice breakdown, i do not however agree about Feasterville. I feel as though they will be challenging the Growl and Stampede for the division.

They picked up 3 of the Blazes best players (stracuzzi and the Kulls')

they picked up Brian Fisher and Mike catalano from us (Growl) Dont underestimate these 2 guys, because they can play.

They also picked up one of the best minor league guys the growl had to offer in Chris Altomere. Any other team last season, he would have been playing pro.

I think this team will suprise many this year....

SPORTSPLEXJEFF

11-02-2007, 10:40 AM

As the owner of the Fury I can say that in my opinion we will do fine this season. People speculated we would be in dead last in our division last year. I have no problem with them ranking us that low. We will do our talking on the floor. Just to rehash a little of last year. FRANK FRANK would you like to RO-SHAM-BO for last place!

By the way Billy where do you see the teams in our division standing?

Jeff

thepredictor

11-02-2007, 11:06 AM

Jeff since you are so confident where do you think you will end up?

phil29

11-02-2007, 11:14 AM

its a whole new season so how can you judge who will finish what without seeing performances yet? a few preseason games shouldnt judge a teams season. my 2 cents.

SPORTSPLEXJEFF

11-02-2007, 11:18 AM

Phil29 I agree with you 100%. Obviously the predictor is part of a group of people who may not be a fan of mine. Oh well. I am confident that my team will be involved in the equation when it comes playoff time this year!

Jeff

phil29

11-02-2007, 11:35 AM

with all the add/minus additions this year in the atlantic it should be a good year

bauernike89

11-02-2007, 01:09 PM

Where does the Winchester Generals stand as far as competing ? Do they have any real Talent on that team? Who is going to be there Go to Guy?

FrankFrank

11-02-2007, 01:52 PM

Jeff... you don't wanna Ro-sham-bo me again brother... you know I'll win. haha.

F~F

SPORTSPLEXJEFF

11-02-2007, 02:03 PM

Yeah probably along with that beer you still owe me!

GR8SK8r06

11-02-2007, 03:27 PM

Wingman

11-02-2007, 03:34 PM

Where does the Winchester Generals stand as far as competing ? Do they have any real Talent on that team? Who is going to be there Go to Guy?
The Winchester Generals pro are:

Joe Bechmann
Tim Phillips
John Koch
Dustin Keener
Don Rowe
TJ Plaugher
Jeff Erlich
JP Alley (G)
Paul Bailey
Gary Cooper
Nate Ragaller
Josh Jay (G)
Sean Gaglione

I would say yes, we do have some real talent on our team and should be able to compete well in PIHA.

growl89

11-02-2007, 04:00 PM

Jeff here are my somewhat unbiased ranking predictions for the Atlantic Divison

1. Growl - very seasoned team, did win the league 2 years in a row in 05 and 06, lots of experience and hungry after last years upset.

Who's In? Charlie Sgrillo (feastervilles leading scorer) Gene Gsell (marple stand out) Jimmy Redstreake (30 goals for the Bandits last year) Dan Quartucio (Savage Wolves Narch leading scorer, NCAA D3 SUNY Potsdam) Jake Cline (NCAA D3 Manhattanville) Matt Mckeon (savage wolves)

Who's out? Jimmy Vivona (retirement) Brian Fischer (Fury) Mike Catalano (Fury) Mike Sanchez (Scrappers) Jon Mosenson (L.I. 495ers)

X-Factor - Joey D'alosio - if he stays as consistent as he has been over the past 2 seasons then look for the Growl to be the division Champs.

2. Feasterville Fury - made some great pick - ups to deal with the loss of Charlie Sgrillo. If they can keep their full team together for home and road games, will challenge the Growl for the top spot.

Who's In? Brian Fischer (growl) Mike Catalano (growl) Carmello Stracuzzi (Blaze) Gary Kull (Blaze) Pudge Kull (Blaze) Jeff Columbo (Express) Chris Altomare (great young talent from the scrappers) Brandon Tunstall (pesky defenseman from scrappers) Anthony Merrigan (Scrappers talented defenseman) Dave Columbo (express) Neel Bhatla (Express)

Who's out? Charlie Sgrillo (Growl) Benny Dahms (Revolution)

X-factor - new faces coming together and playing consistent. This team looks VERY solid on paper, but can they gel together and be a force like we think?

3. NJ Stampede - with the rumored off season that these guys have had, look for them to be a contender this year. Formily the NJ Minutemen, they have started fresh with a pretty new roster and they appear to be ready to go. Great goaltending is the highlight of this team along with a very tough building to play in.

Who's In? Chris Havelock (moved back to NJ in time to hook back up with his old club) Felix Guzman (at one time was on the NJ Rockin Rollers Taxi team, will be great when hes back in shape) Sonny Kim (former Savage wolves and NJ scorpions star) Joe Tan (NJ Scorpions)

Who's out? Eric Namowicz (retirement) Mike Mitchell (Grizzlies)

X- home rink advantage, over the years, this has been one of the toughest buildings in the league to play in. There are a lot of new faces there this year that have played in this building before. If they use their rink to their advantage with their defensive system, they will be in a lot of games and win even more.

4. NJ Grizzlies - This team likes the youngsters and this off season was no exception. A fast team that also plays in a tough place to be a visiting team. My bet is the grizzlies earn the last playoff spot in this tough division.

Who's In? JJ Fichter (Scrappers) Mike Mitchell (NJ Mimutemen)

Who's out? Eli Napolitano, Dale Sona, Brian Troholidays (Retired, coaching Growl)

X-factor J.J. Fichter - this kid can snipe, dangle and play make. If he plays like i have seen him play in minors, he will have no problem making a name for himself as a pro and should score lots of goals.

5. Aston Demolition - New team in the league this season, a lot of them played with the Marple Gladiators last season from what i have heard. This team has talent, i have personally played with and against most of these guys for years now. While i have them ranked at 5th, it would not suprise me if they were to finish 3 or 4.

Who do they have? Pat Barano (great 2-way defenseman) Jason Yocum (Yokes has proved himself in this league for years as a legitimate #1, when you think he's done, he always has a great next game) Bill Sherwood (drexel roller hockey standout, decent year for Marple last year, expect goals from him) Mike Roman (not many like him left, gritty player with a scoring touch)

X-factor- they have talent that is for sure, my only question is, are they deep enough for the grind of the whole seaon? I hope so, and we'll soon find out!

6. NE Revolution - Sorry i hate ranking teams last, but someone has to be last. Another new team in the league, that plays in one of, if not the toughest division in the league. My guess is that they will stay in some games that maybe they shouldn't because of solid goaltending. And others they may get blown out of. Either way, i wish them the best of luck..

Who do they have? Tom Conners (been a while since he played PIHA, but a great 2-way defenseman with a scoring touch) Nick Dipalo (solid goaltender fro Jr. Team USA that won torhs Pro D 2 two years ago) Benny Dahms (has a great rookie year in PIHA for the Fury)

X-factor - like i said earlier, goaltending will be the strength of this team. So if they have a good defensive strategy they will be in a lot of their games.

Thoughts? was i close?

Should be a fun season!!

GROWL

11-02-2007, 04:00 PM

I tried to resist, but I'm gonna jump into the mix here. Last year I made some early season predictions and they were pretty on target by the end of the season.

Northeast Division

1. Mass Bombers - Already a tough team, but added a few of last seasons Rats guys. These guys will be the class of the division.

2. Long Island 495'ers - Mosenson, Tamburino, and Thompson. I wouldn't want to play this team when they shorten the bench.

3. Conneticut Blaze - They added some offensive help for johnny, but defensively they lost atleast an equal amount.

4. Boston Swamp Rats - Certainly not last years team, but with Hunt at the top, they will figure out how to win.

5. Marple Gladiators - Gonna be a tough game every night for opponents, but this is a very tough division.

6. Hartford Fire Ants - Still in a tough division... Will lose a lot of tight games, instead of a lot of blow outs.

Atlantic Division

1. Philadelphia Growl - Improved by addition and subtract, plus re-motivated.

2. NJ Stampede - There best addition this off-season was at GM. Neil Hecht will bring them what they have lacked since Vivona's days, the ability to keep talent around and interested.

3. Feasterville Fury - Serious improvements in talent made. This team looks talented, but also looks like it could spend a whole lot of time in the penalty box with some of these players.

4. Aston Demolition - Should be in a fight with the Grizzlies all season for the 4th place position. Edge to them however as they have playoff experience.

5. NJ Grizzlies - Will fight with Demolition for playoff spot. The head to head games against Aston will be crucial.

6. NE Philadelphia Revolution - There stregth is goaltending, so could shock a few teams, but not enough to make the playoffs.

Mason Dixon

1. Harrisburg Lunatics - The deepest team in the division, they will rise above.

2. Pittsburgh Bandits - Hardin will impress, but without the fly-ins they are second best in division now.

3. Potomac Mavericks - Mavericks always compete and Billy Harrington will have them ready.

4. Scottsdale Inferno - Maryland and WInchester are unknows, so I give the edge to the Inferno who always play bigger then everyone expects. Try beating this team twice in a row at Hotshots.

4. Winchester Generals - Not quite sure, but the buzz down south has them ahead of MD.

6. Maryland Knights - Again not a lot of information, but someone had to be last.

Southeast

1. South Carolina Pirates - A serious commitment to winning is apparent.

2. Raleigh Assault - Street and boyz should battle hard with SC all season for the top spot.

3. Richmond Robins - As long as they get out of the gate better, they will win more then they lose in 08. Look for serious improvement in a division that they can handle.

4. Savannah Stingers - Early speculation has them a bit weaker then SC and Raleigh, but what do I know I live in PA.

5. York Typhoon - Wins may be few and far between.

Gateway

Until their draft is complete and rosters are announced, we have nothing to go on here.

Rocky Mountain

1. Colorado Springs Thunder - Have to agree that they will not only make the playoffs this season, but dominate the division.

2. Westminster Blizzard - The most talented team in the division last season, fell short in the playoffs, but will emerge second best to Thunder.

3. Parker Prowlers - Shocked everyone last season but themselves, this season will be tougher

4. Fort Collins Catz - In a fight with Fire for last spot.

5. Littleton Fire - In a fight with Catz for last spot.

CA & SW are complete unknowns, wont waste my time guessing with no information.

growl89

11-02-2007, 04:03 PM

The Winchester Generals pro are:

Joe Bechmann
Tim Phillips
John Koch
Dustin Keener
Don Rowe
TJ Plaugher
Jeff Erlich
JP Alley (G)
Paul Bailey
Gary Cooper
Nate Ragaller
Josh Jay (G)
Sean Gaglione

I would say yes, we do have some real talent on our team and should be able to compete well in PIHA.

are you sure that Plaugher is playing with you guys? i heard otherwise....

SPORTSPLEXJEFF

11-02-2007, 04:08 PM

I have also heard that plaugher is playing elsewhere!

phil29

11-02-2007, 04:12 PM

sonny and tan playing? how official is that?

growl89

11-02-2007, 04:17 PM

well until i see thier name on a scoresheet it's not official, BUT rumor has it that they are back

growl89

11-02-2007, 04:19 PM

Jeff no comments on the rankings? i spent a lot of time doing that!!

joisyan

11-02-2007, 04:20 PM

as far as we know plaugher's playing. but we havent seen him yet. otherwise our go to guys are people you've more than likely never heard of but i have faith they'll make names for themselves. john koch aka "Grandpa hockey" plays the old school ice hockey style, i'd say he's our go to guy.

SPORTSPLEXJEFF

11-02-2007, 04:23 PM

Since you did respond Billy I will give you my thoughts.

I am not going to rank the teams because from an owners position I will have to lean towards my own team first.

Fury- As you said we made some extremely solid pickups in the offseason. We should give all the teams an excellent match. Should be fighting for this divison.

Growl - You guys as well made some major pickups in the offseason. I wonder how our supposed trade off will work out. Hence you got Sgrillo and we got Cat and Fish. Will absolutely be one of the teams to beat. Odds on favorite in most peoples mind.

Demolition - Was the Gladiators last year. Just a name change made! Will be a very strong team with their grind it out hockey style. With the leadership they have and a new coach they will be a force.

Stampede - Played them in a preseason game and both rosters were missing significant players. They should be right there at the top fighting for this division.

Grizzlies - With a young nucleus could be a very power packed team. Look for them to be winning some games people don't think they could. Could be a spoiler for somebodies playoff hopes.

Revolution - Excellent goaltending but a very unforgiving schedule in the beginning for their first 10 games. Could put themselves in a hole they might not be able to get out of.

It will be an awesome season.....Gonna need a lot of beers to watch some of these battles!

The key to this season in our division I feel will be staying out of the penalty box. To many high scoring offenses!

Still trying to be a good teacher by underlining the key points!

thepredictor

11-02-2007, 04:30 PM

Always trying to be diplomatic with your responses. You are not going to be as good as you think. You have a player on your team who plans on causing you to fail. Good luck!

SPORTSPLEXJEFF

11-02-2007, 04:33 PM

Well thanks for the heads up I guess. Unfortunately some people don't understand my overall goals. Not only do I want to have a successful pro and minor organization, but I would also like to have a successful Jr. program. There are already people trying to put this program together with tryouts being done this weekend. So overall I want all of my organizations teams to play to their best ability. I am not here just to win the pro division. I am here to build a program that people can strive to achieve to.

Good luck to you and with whichever team you are a member of.

Jeff

towson9

11-02-2007, 05:30 PM

Rzorbck

11-02-2007, 05:37 PM

The Rocky Mountain Division is well predicted with a minor change. The Thunder, if nobody has heard, has CJ, Brian, Jami Yoder, and Mike Ciolli, along with some mission militia guys. So they are by far the favorite, but the Fort Collins Catz dont look promising this year with the loss of major talent. So I would have to put them on the short end of the stick because the Blizzard have a very good team and could very well be 2 or 3!

The Thunder have CJ, Brian, Jami, and Ciolli along with a few of the Prowlers leaders from last year - Shane Hayden, Shayne Carroll, and both goalies - Dan Lamb and James Risenhoover. They should be tough!

hockkid13

11-02-2007, 05:51 PM

Always trying to be diplomatic with your responses. You are not going to be as good as you think. You have a player on your team who plans on causing you to fail. Good luck!

Well, in the case of the Fury, I would say from just looking at their roster,1 player shouldn't be enough to hold the team back. There is a lot of talent on this team. Only thing is I heard Altomare will not be playing. If they can play together they have a real good shot. But with bringing in a lot of new guys they may run ino chemistry problems. If they don't do something this year, but remain together, I think they will be a force in future years to come.

SPORTSPLEXJEFF

11-02-2007, 05:52 PM

Long story Gene and its not mine to publicly air. Ask Flynner he can give you the reasoning behind it. Also no it was not my choice I just accomodated what the league needed.

Jeff

growl89

11-02-2007, 06:39 PM

joisyan

11-02-2007, 09:24 PM

ok, he's a little older and played college ice and all that, so he's the scrapper on the puck and shoots the flutter shots to the posts. i've never seen him shoot a puck that didnt hit the post (whether it goes in or not) not alot of power but incredible accuracy. and i mean old school ice cause he doesnt do the fast paced stick handling that's prevalent (sp?) in todays inline.

Superstar9

11-03-2007, 02:33 AM

Northeast Division

1. Long Island 495'ers
2. Connecticut Blaze
3. Massachusettes Bombers
4. Boston Swamp Rats
5. Marple Gladiators
6. Hartford Fire Ants

Atlantic Division

1. Philadelphia Growl
2. NJ Stampede
3. Feasterville Fury
4. Aston Demolition
5. NJ Grizzlies
6. NE Philadelphia Revolution

Mason Dixon

1. Harrisburg Lunatics
2. Pittsburgh Bandits
3. Potomac Mavericks
4. Maryland Knights
5. Winchester Generals
6. Scottdale Inferno

Southeast

1. Raleigh Assault
2. South Carolina Pirates
3. Richmond Robins
4. Savannah Stingers
5. York Typhoon

Gateway

1. Southside Snipers
2. Chicago Untouchables
3. St Louis Cobras
4. Midwest Tornados
5. River City Whalers
6. Cinncinatti Flying Monkeys

Rocky Mountain

1. Colorado Springs Thunder
2. Westminster Blizzard
3. Parker Prowlers
4. Fort Collins Catz
5. Littleton Fire

South West

1. Arizona Strike
2. Phoenix Dragons
3. Tucson Desperados
4. El Paso Black Diamonds

Pacific

1. East Bay Jawz
2. Sacramento Saxons
3. Northern CA Mustangs
4. San Jose Pirates

joisyan

11-03-2007, 10:59 AM

hey i'm kinda dissapointed we're ranked above anyone! (winchester generals) i was hoping we could fly below the radar and have fun catching people off guard but we're only 2nd to last? come on fellas lol

silverman56

11-03-2007, 05:57 PM

Northeast
1) LI 495ers Mosenson and Thompson are the two best defensemen in the east
2) Connecticut Blaze - John Pinheiro lead them to an upset of the Growl in the playoffs
3) Mass Bombers - heard they picked some players from the rats
4) Boston Swamprats - last years champs
5) Marple Gladiators - team made up of great ecrha players
6) Hartford Fireants

Atlantic
1) Philadelphia Growl - picked up Redstreake and Sgrillo
2) Feasterville Fury - picked several solid players
3) NJ Grizzlies - solid team from last season who upset the growl twice last season
4) Aston Demolition - playoff team from last season
5) Philadelphia Revolution
6) NJ Stampede

Mason Dixon
1) Pittsburgh Bandits - lost Leggat and Redstreake but picked Hardin
2) Harrisburg Lunatics - still a great team that could win this divison
3) Maryland Knights - pending on how many games Gardner plays will impact this team
4) Potomac Mavericks - solid looking roster with Plaugher
5) Winchester Generals
6) Scottsdale Inferno - great team at home but different story on the road

Southeast
1) Richmond Robbins - finished really strong last season
2) Raleigh Assault
3) SC Pirates
4) Savannah Stingers
5) York Typhoon

wheels15

11-04-2007, 01:57 AM

hey jeff, any reason why you guys dont play the li 495ers this season? i thought it was set up for every team in our division to play (4 games) and than every team in the NE (2 games) for the 32 games. maybe i was wrong but when i was looking at our growl schedule that is how ours is set up, so i assumed that is how it was for everyone.

Gene, I heard from players from Aston that they are not allowed to play Marple due to what happened last season with the rink and things like that. So due to this, it kinda screwed up the schedules with other teams. If you notice, Aston plays Long Island away and home, but not Marple at all, so there may be some truth to that rumor. Take is easy Gene. See ya next saturday.
Beauchamp #17

seanth123

11-04-2007, 12:40 PM

Don't under estimate the MD Knights yet! They where ranked dead last in last seasons MLRH and took it all hands down, no competition! And, they were the smallest, fastest, most skilled team playing! (my opinion). Everyone who saw them play MLRH have said they should be playing PIHA from the start.

The Pro team is about half ex-MLRH, and the other half are tournement players who have gone far. Most of the Pro team are the State Wars roster which had them at the AAA level (experience level). The other ex-MLRH players are on the Minor roster I believe. Young guys, great skill, high energy! I think alot of them play college ice, or at least high level ice as well. M Gardner is an awesome player, and will just add so much more to an already awesome roster!

They tend to keep quite in the press, but come out strong when the puck drops. If you look at their staff on PIHA's site, you can see a great coaching staff as well. Simpson I remember from my ice hockey days (games and clinics) as well as MLRH last year, and remember that he demands perfection and control during game time.

I think they are going to be a very disciplined, fast paced team. Sure to finsh at the top of their division by the end...

growl89

11-04-2007, 09:11 PM

i agree the Knights are good and i play with Gardern, he's a great player, but The Bandits and Lunatics are two of the best teams in the PIHA in my opinion. So i think making the playoffs for MD will be a sure bet, but being at the top of the division is a far shot...

dan sangiorgio

11-05-2007, 10:57 AM

Northeast Division
Its hard for me to seperate the top four and without knowing the mass bombers final roster it makes it even harder. this is probably the toughest divsion to make any predictions
1) L.I. 495ers lack of firepower on offense after top 2 guys will be no problem with 3 big scoring defense
2) mass bombers if they did pick up alot of the old rat players this is where they will finsh but if not best i see them is fourth
3) Marple glads-most depth at forward postion in divsion can beat any team when playing its best will be a toss up with L.I. for best special teams
4) swamp rats- will win alot of tight games going to be tough to ever sweep a seris from them. after mike hunt where is the offense goning to come from is a ?
5. Conn Blaze -lost way more then they picked up
6 hartford ants- to tough of a divsion to finish anywhere else
Atlantic Division

1) Growl- is gonna be hard for teams to shut down sully when there other lines contain so much firepower. safe to say there thrid line is better then some first lines out there
2) Feasterville fury- a complete roster overhaul could prove to put them in the number 2 chair
3) NJ grizzles- young roster lead by neumann alum kris moore will win alot of games
tied 4) aston demo- top line needs to score every night for them to win like stampede they seem to lack depth. sherwood on pp gives them the edge over stampede
tied 4) NJ stampede- from looking at the roster last year baron needs to recruit some more of his mission assault team to help him out. because there is a huge lack of depth. they need head to head wins vs aston to make playoffs
6) Ne Philadelphia Revolution- someones gotta be last
Mason Dixon
1. harrisburg lunatics- mazer leads a team with a great core
2. maryland knights - will have a better regular season then bandits but come playoff time won't beat them head to head
3. pittsburg bandits- more then likely will be playing alot of games without keene due to college ice/roller and without fly ins for most away games. playoff time will be where they play there best hockey.
4. Potomac Mavericks- will make playoffs as no better then the four seed.
5. Winchester Generals- lost preseaon games 3-2 then got blown out 9-1
6) Scottsdale Inferno- don't really know anything about them but a losing record last season
Southeast
1) Raleigh Assault
2)Richmond Robbins
3) SC Pirates
4) Savannah Stingers
5) York Typhoon -only team i have seen play in this division
Rocky Mountain

1. Colorado Springs Thunder- a little help for cj and yingling is all they needed this year and it looks like they got it.
2. Parker Prowlers
3. Littleton Fire
4. Fort Collins Catz
5. Westminster Blizzard
gateway untill i see chicago's roster i can't really say i am gonna go with the tornado's to win there divsion though.

InlineMBA

11-05-2007, 11:24 AM

Add Tamburino to the I495'ers and they become even stronger.

Steve Inge

bauernike89

11-05-2007, 11:34 AM

From what i hear Plaugher has made up his mind and decided to play with the NJ Stampede. How real are those rumors?

rolla420

11-05-2007, 11:53 AM

seanth123
Don't under estimate the MD Knights yet! They where ranked dead last in last seasons MLRH and took it all hands down, no competition! And, they were the smallest, fastest, most skilled team playing! (my opinion). Everyone who saw them play MLRH have said they should be playing PIHA from the start.

I'm pretty sure that Chicago's MLRH squad beat Maryland IN Maryland 4-0 last year. And Chicago's only loss was to Michigan in a meaningless game they didn't even want to play.

They would have won the whole thing if the playoffs weren't cancelled, then not cancelled, then cancelled, and then finally played - and after all of that Chicago only had 4 guys show up to the playoff game (4 12:00 minute stop periods - full check obviously) and still were winning going into the 4th quarter until they ran out of gas against MI.

I'm not saying MD won't be a solid squad (especially with Gardner) but to say they won the MLRH, "hands down, no competition" is not even close to the truth.

seanth123

11-05-2007, 12:41 PM

My bad, you are correct rolla420! They did beat MD in the regular season 4-0. Although I was at that game, and it really could have went either way, however the MD team took some stupid penalties, and the larger Chicago team sealed the deal. It was an awesome game to watch!

Chicago had an awesome MLRH squad. If they are the same team playing in PIHA, watch for them to advance far.

I think MD has a solid squad even if missing a few key players. All of them play well, and have been on top tournament level teams. I don't think their is a weak link in the bunch. Same with Chicago from what I remember. They ALL played strong, regardless of the roster on gameday.

Potomac seems to have a solid roster, but I would have thought they would have played Winchester a little harder. I understand that Potomac was missing a few key players though, and it is pre-season, and anything can happen on gameday!

From what I see, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh are te top two teams. Head-to-head could go anyway for them. Can't wait to see those games!

Wingman

11-05-2007, 02:40 PM

Okay, just to clear everything up, Plaugher is still playing for Winchester. He was at the pre-season game Novemer 3rd against the Potomac Mavericks and he says he's 1,000,000% committed to playing for Winchester.

growl89

11-05-2007, 02:53 PM

Unless he signed a contract with you guys, i would not be too sure, just from personal experience...

bauernike89

11-05-2007, 03:23 PM

Growl89 let me tell you i agree with you and Wingman let me tell you something word is that TJ is signing a Contract with the NJ Stampede.

bauernike89

11-05-2007, 03:59 PM

Rumor had it that He was suppose ot move to Va but things came up with his Daughter. so the word is he is satying here in NJ and is going to play for NJ.

growl89

11-05-2007, 04:05 PM

well after just speaking with him moments ago, the NJ Stampede will be home to TJ Plaugher for this season...

bauernike89

11-05-2007, 04:06 PM

The rumor is True about his daughter. he has had a rough time going on with everything. Why such the rough treatment towards the guy? he is a Great player and has straighted up his attitude.

SWAMPDONKEYS29

11-05-2007, 04:06 PM

Quite honestly, this is an issue that has to be addressed for next season. I am aware of a number of similar situations happening this year and under the current landscape, there is zero protection for the teams involved.

Players should be expected to sign a contract binding them to a particular team for an entire season once they have commited! If a player wants to keep his or her options open then they should explore all of those options prior to giving any team their word that they are a part of their team.

growl89

11-05-2007, 04:12 PM

The rumor is True about his daughter. he has had a rough time going on with everything. Why such the rough treatment towards the guy? he is a Great player and has straighted up his attitude.

well not that i have any harsh feelings towards him, but some people have good reason is all i have to say, whether it's proper to go about it over the internet, prolbably not.

Wingman

11-05-2007, 04:13 PM

Where do you guys hear these rumors from?

William Bourque

11-05-2007, 04:15 PM

well not that i have any harsh feelings towards him, but some people have good reason is all i have to say, whether it's proper to go about it over the internet, prolbably not.

While this is true, there should be some sort of protection involved for teams as well. Especially this late in the game.

bauernike89

11-05-2007, 04:15 PM

I agree 100% with you alright. plaugher has had some problems regarding his Child and he puts her first. He also has straighted up alot more then what people know Alright Troho? no need ot bash the guy . He is a Outstanding player and a good asset to the Stampede. Leave the guy alone Tro your days are washed up. let the kid play hockey.

William Bourque

11-05-2007, 04:16 PM

Where do you guys hear these rumors from?

According to Growl89, from the source himself.

SpiderRat

11-05-2007, 05:09 PM

The Blaze has picked up so far 4 of the Champion RollerRat players. In my opinion, the ones responsible for the Rats winning. The guys they lost, are very good players, three I think, but the guys they picked up, certainly will make a difference.

This will probably be my only post this season. I've been warned by my new coach. Sorry Richard, I start an IHC Twelve Step program tonight. Hi, my name is Roger, and I voice my opinion way too much on IHC. HI ROGER.....lol

hockeyman16

11-05-2007, 11:05 PM

growl89

11-05-2007, 11:36 PM

well for one, didnt Jami and Ciolli join the Thunder?

RichardGraham

11-06-2007, 04:35 AM

This will probably be my only post this season. I've been warned by my new coach. Sorry Richard, I start an IHC Twelve Step program tonight. Hi, my name is Roger, and I voice my opinion way too much on IHC. HI ROGER.....lol

LOL. Don't do that, Roger. Punching bags provide a service. ;)

Mlrhnorthfan

11-06-2007, 08:10 AM

seanth123

They would have won the whole thing if the playoffs weren't cancelled, then not cancelled, then cancelled, and then finally played - and after all of that Chicago only had 4 guys show up to the playoff game

truth.

.....This sounds like the MLRH that we all have grown to "love".....
I wish Bill and the new people involved the best of luck because I want the sport to grow but I would think that anyone with a marketing background would not try and restart a product with a cloudy past.....

MajorTomFoolery

11-06-2007, 09:28 AM

Its seems like an epidemic with some of the players telling teams that they are playing with them only to play with a completely different team. There is really nothing we as GM's, managers, or coaches can do but sit and wait until contracts are signed. Some peoples word means nothing and because of this alot of people look stupid in the end. Teams go weeks or even months thinking they have a roster set only to find out a few weeks or in some cases days before the season starts that the player/players they thought were on their team are actually on another team. Or they find out during the season... hopefully none of that. But yes, all a GM can do is push the contract on him. And leaving it at home is okay once in a while, but there has to be a time where a GM brings down the hammer and says "We will have nothing to do with you until this contract is signed".
And the whole "washed up" thing was kind of across the line there, buddy.

imasieve30

11-06-2007, 09:54 AM

Maybe a letter of intent? Something that a team could approach a player with early on after a tryout, is not totally binding but requires that if a player signs it, he follow appropriate steps and get the LOI teams approval before he signs with anyone else.
This would cover emergency situations where the player cannot fufill his obligation to the original team without leaving the them unnotified. Without an LOI, the player cannot participate in any practices, exhibition games or team functions leading up to the start of the season.

PIHA should have a mandatory system set up so that if a player voids a contract/LOI for whatever reason without following the proper steps, they cannot play for another PIHA team and if a team attempts to sign him they risk forfeit of games where said player is rostered. This paperwork should be filed with the league and have a neutral third party (Charley?) judge these incidents. Sorry to get off topic.

-Joe

GROWL

11-06-2007, 09:54 AM

How do you have the best team in rocky mountain division coming in last place and the team that didn’t even make it into the playoffs first? The other thing is that there are only five teams in the division and four make it, CJ and Brian didn’t. Maybe there is more talent out here in Colorado than everyone thinks.

The addition of Ciolli to that team was why I moved them to first in my post. However, I do think the second best team out there is the blizzard and hands down the very best in the RMD off the rink.

Troho9

11-06-2007, 10:01 AM

Well you would have to be good to than be washed up and I was never good so that argument has no basis.

CoachClipboard

11-06-2007, 11:15 AM

Joe's ideas are right on target for something that as a league we need to have set up and in place next season. This is a topic that as teams now can constructively discuss without a lot of arguement. Troho has some good points regarding this topic as well with contracts and a league wide system because yes, sometimes teams get hosed by players who give their intent and then skip out and go to other teams. When owners meet league wide at the meeting during finals I think this is a topic that we can mutually all agree to actually hammer out a timeline or guideline mandatory to follow next fall. Perhaps we put a date deadline for all teams to host their tryouts and divisional draft parties ...say Sept 30. This way all teams are selected. Then put Joe's letter of intent or contract into place for each player before they can participate in any way with that team after Sept. 30. I think a contract instead of a letter of intent would be less confusing to enforce and more binding. Team approval should be mandatory before going to another team, a contract enforces that.

The problem is that so many teams have such disparity in tryout times, with some very early and some up to a month and a half after that. So a player is selected by one team, he isnt satisfied with his team for whatever reason and he trys out a few weeks or a month later somewhere else and he bails on the first team, leaving the first team stuck for a player AND his fees, and now this first team must find someone to replace him. Obviously if he is this underhanded a team wouldnt want him all season anyhow in my opinion, but I know it happens. Teams too need to respect one another in these matters, not coherecing players once they have tried out and were selected somewhere else, to come play for them instead and I know that this happens as well, so not only are the players guilty of these indiscreations.

As for the mentioning of players actual names in these forums and their personal issues, I feel that is unwarranted. If these people are on the forum to defend themselves and actually a part of the conversation or topic, fine, he brings himself into it, but as this is not a forum of the actual fans of truly paid atheletes, we are crossing into personal lives and slander. It is one thing for a fan to come to a forum and say "Brett Farve is washed up" he is actually paid for this form of abuse and debate by FANS and their lives are way more public. But this forum is, lets face it, by and large fellow peers of the sport, players, coaches, GMs, owners, who work together in whatever league PIHA, MLRH, and NCRHA, our travel youth programs and house leagues, and we all know many of these people personally on a daily level. Dont use personal information you have first hand of someone to trash them here. It is classless and unrespectful.

PIHAGOALIE

11-06-2007, 11:21 AM

I am not a future teller or anything but I do know that you can not base the Thunder this season on last years performance. This is a totally different team than last year. With the roster we have this year their is no way that we will finish last. I am not predicting any championships or anything like that but I believe that we will be right there when its all said and done.

CJ Yoder
Brian Yingling
Jamie Yoder
Ciolli
Shane Hayden
Shane Carroll
Dan Lamb (pro prowler goalie last year)
James Risenhoover (pro prowler goalie last year hopefull to be on the pro thunder this year)

Guys take this for what its worth because there are some spots still open including my own. I just do not see how anyone can base last years team on this years team. The Thunder are completely re armed for this season.

Risenhoover #49 Colorado Springs Thunder

bauernike89

11-06-2007, 11:27 AM

Well its a def that Plaugher in playing for the Stampede and he will add power to the blue line with them. Good luck with everything regarding your kid man. Best of luck to you.

Troho9

11-06-2007, 11:40 AM

In response to Coach Clipboard, maybe the league gives teams a "tryout time frame" that all teams must abide by. From there players sign a letter of intent and teams can have call backs and players that go to more than one tryout (lets say 3 tryouts for an example) have to narrow it down to 2 teams.

Example:
PIHA Tryouts July 1 - August 30 (all teams must hold tryouts within dates)

Players have until August 30th to sign letter of intent

PIHA Call Back Tryouts September 1 - September 30

Players have until September 30 to choose their PIHA team

PIHA Pre-Season rosters locked November 1 - November 30

PIHA Season roster lock December 1 - Trade deadline

The only problem with this process is players are forced to attend a tryout/tryouts but this would provide protection for teams.

CoachClipboard

11-06-2007, 12:13 PM

I like it Troho. Rosters locked down on a specific date in November. Teams franchised players disclosed publicly to all teams and confirmed on this same lock down day. A trade deadline a full week before the season start of Dec. 1. To give the team a week to make last minute adjustments.

Why players try out for several teams after they are selected by one team is still a mystery for me. yes there is the obvious, if Im cut from one, I can still play for the other, but it is a slap in the face to the first team the player made. If Im paying my $$ to tryout and interested enough to pick that team to tryout for, should you want to play for them too? A player comes to me after tryouts and selections and says, "Hey Todd, Im interested in your team, and thank you for selecting me, but Im trying out here too and ill let you know." I will tell that player to just stay there with that team, and select another player who tried out. Teams that play that game with the player have themselves to blame for not having a backbone and being firm. And if the player says yes to you, and you catch wind that he went somewhere else, immediately cut his ass and replace him. This gives that player no options, and you keep respect for your organization and your other players by having a standard.

I dont think it forces a player to attend a tryout. If he's that good and a team gets him fine. That should be up to the team individually to accept a player without a tryout and conduct their tryouts how they see fit. I know some teams dont require their veteran stars to attend a tryout, and thats fine. I however do require all players to attend as I think it has two purposes. It shows me that players desire to WANT to still be a part, and not become complacent with his position on the team. It also shows players who really dont have the talent that "Hey! That is the level I need to be at to play this league! I need to work on this or that." or "Ok now I know why this player is here every season and its not just a good ol boy program, these players really are that good!"

Troho9

11-06-2007, 12:28 PM

It definately has potential and while the players may not like it, at first, it is what's best for the teams and the league as a whole. Some sort of league structure would help out so all teams are on the same page. The more I think about it the more ideas pop up so humor me on this one:

Finals are in May-June? (not positive on this one)

July - Free Agent Period
August - Tryouts (Teams issue Letters of Intent)
September - Call Backs (Players Letter of Intent due by opening of camps)
October - Team Camps (Free Agent/Camp cut signing period)
November - Official Team Practices (Final Roster Additions)
December - Season Begins (Rosters Frozen)

MajorTomFoolery

11-06-2007, 12:32 PM

Good stuff as always, Mr. Clipboard. A letter of intent or contract should be made very early. And the timeline of all the activities listed was also good. As for forcing the player to make a tryout, I think he has a tremendous responibility to make the tryout, for the reasons you mentioned, and also because:
1) Newer players don't feel that vets are given the star treatment.
2) Chemistry, coachability, fitness, respect and desire ALL can change between seasons.
3) Chemistry can be visible at the tryouts, and lines can be chosen quicker.

I can understand a player wanting to go to another team if he didn't make the cut, but maybe this can be worked into the letter of intent. Lets say a guy tries out for two teams. The second-choice team can save a spot for the guy if they wanted, but the player signs a "second-choice letter of intent" saying: I'm not signing anything until my status with this other team is cleared. After the tryouts, if the guy doesn't make it, the second team can call him and invite him to their team, if desired. The team knows the players clear-cut intentions, and he ends up getting signed to a team before the first practice. If he refuses to contact the team, doesn't show up for practice, or doesn't sign the contract by the deadline, cut him immediately.

PIHAGOALIE

11-06-2007, 02:32 PM

Thunder roster just posted.

hockeyman16

11-06-2007, 05:35 PM

Pihagoalie,
i was not basing the ranking from last year to this year, i just thought that it was funny that everyone had them at the top. Why is that? i have a few names that would come out like the two yoders, ying and ciolli would do that, but it made me think, all anyone knows from colorado is those guys cause there not really from here. Maybe its good that everyone is already crossing us off so than we can take advantage of that. Just trying to get some colorado talk in this thing.

PIHAGOALIE

11-07-2007, 12:00 PM

Hockeyman16, if I am right I think this is Justin Drapal if not my apologies. I understand completely where you are coming from. I try and look at it from an unbiased perspective. Many of the players and coaches that are on here are from the east coast and such. So of course they are going to go with the guys that they are familiar with. Also lets be honest CJ Yoder his brother Jamie, Brian Yinglig and Ciolli are all pretty much icons in this sport. So when they or anyone see that they are all on the same team of course they are going to be picked as favorites. Along with those 4 players you have Shane Hayden a pro piha all star and Shane Carroll former junior mudcat and mission militia team member. When these calliber of players are on the same team it makes an impact. I do understand your frustration and I do not think you alone share that opinion. I think all of us that are from Colorado are little unknown when it comes to the piha outside of Colorado regardless of the talent leval here. There are many awesome players in this state and they pretty much all play PIHA, Derek Thede, Mike Vickerman, Brian Rogers, Kyle Mikel, Matt Turner, Casey Dreux, Parker Harrison, Doug Fetz and the list can go on and on. I think in order for the players that reside here in Colorado to get the respect they deserve they have to win. That is how Parker Harrison and Eric Boggenrief and others on the Prowlers last year got their names out. It is simply because we won the Rocky Mountain division and people in the midwest and east coast saw all of us play on a pretty big Saint Louis. Many of the players in Colorado hasnt gone to the Western Conferance Championship to get that respect from the rest of the nation. All people see on the east coast is a name on the roster. The exception is Yingling and Yoder and Ciolli because they are from there and they are domintae players. I know the Blizzard are going to be tuff, no doubt about it as is all the teams in my opinion. All of the teams out here in the Rocky Mountain division has the ability to go a long way. I am just humbled to say that I have friends on all of them. Creating friendships and competing at the highest leval that the sport has to offer is something that I am not taking for granted. I know it wont last forever therefore I am going to make the most of it while I am here. No hard feelings Justin, I just wanted to give ya my opinion on the whole thing, who knows maybe I am way off base here hahaha. See ya on the rink!

Risenhoover #49 Thunder

GR8SK8r06

11-07-2007, 12:56 PM

Look, as for the Rocky Mountain division I would have to agree with both of you in certain aspects. Yes I believe that the Thunder have the best odds of winning the division. Yet you have to look at the Blizzard adding a few more talented guys on their team and bumping out some weaker players. Maybe doug, Thede, and Vickerman were great players in the 90's but they are no where near the top tier now-a-days. The Catz are going to be by far the least talented team in my opinion and who knows about the Prowlers. Just take into consideration that there are going to be a lot of new players in this division that many people havent seen yet. Look out for the Fire because of their superb goaltending, because he won all of the Catz games for them last year and the Prowlers have some talent. Let the playing talk for itself!

stksave27

11-07-2007, 01:51 PM

No disrespect to any one in Colorado or to any other new area of PIHA. As you get your names on here, we will speculate fairly about who will do what... trust me, roller hockey is like an office full of old woman, everyone has an opinion! This chatting about stuff before the season shows the passion and the pride we all share for the sport. A couple suggestions.

Colorado division. Use the website, alot, often, daily. Its the best source of information for those of us not in Colorado.

Everyone: Get on TV. Or put your games on your website. Youtube. Pay a homeless guy to wear a portable TV around his neck and chase down fans.

Everyone: Get Growl Girls... it has nothing to do with this post, just really proud of them ;-)

See you all out there.

growl89

11-07-2007, 02:20 PM

[quote=stksave27;39948]
Everyone: Get Growl Girls... it has nothing to do with this post, just really proud of them ;-)
quote]

Compliment # 137 for the growl girls: pride

see i knew the whole girl thing would catch peoples eye

seriously though, i know the Growl are going to have lots of games/footage put on the Growl TV part of the website. There is even a rumor of some of the games being televised this season. Not bad, 4 years ago the league had 8 teams, not bad at all...

Dave Garland

11-07-2007, 02:33 PM

We will also have a ton of footage on our new website coming out in about three weeks. PIHA Gateway TV will include:
-interviews
-game film
-promo film
-draft party film
...plus more

MajorTomFoolery

11-07-2007, 03:32 PM

Everyone: Get Growl Girls... it has nothing to do with this post, just really proud of them ;-)

The winchester Generals have cheerleaders, called th Starz.

Woot!

thepredictor

11-07-2007, 03:34 PM

To get this thread back on track I will now give my divisional through playoff picks up to the championship

Northeast Division

1. Swamp Rats over 4. Marple Gladiators in 2
2. Long Island 495'ers over 3. Conn Blaze in 3

1. Swamp Rats over 2. 495'ers in 3

Atlantic Division

1. Growl over 4. Grizzlies in 2
2. Stampede over 3. Demolition in 2

1. Growl over Stampede in 2

Mason Dixon

1. Bandits over 4. Generals in 2
2. Lunatics over 3. Mavericks

1. Bandits over 2. Lunatics in 2

Southeast

1. Assault over 4. Robins in 2
2. Pirates over 3. Stingers in 3

1. Assault over 2. Pirates in 3

Gateway

1. Snipers over 4. Cobras in 2
2. Tornadoes over 3. Untouchables in 3

1. Snipers over 2. Tornadoes in 3

Colorado

1. Thunder over 4. Catz in 2
2. Fire over 3. Prowlers in 3

1. Thunder over 2. Fire in 2

Pacific and Southwest don't know!

Conference Semis

Growl over Swamp Rats in 3 -- The growl will be untouched until the finals

Bandits over Assault 4 -- The bandits will give everybodies expected matchup from the conference finals last year

Thunder over Snipers 3 -- CJ and the studs roll through easy

Pacific and Southwest don't know!

Conference Finals

Growl over Bandits in 4 -- Growl finally loses a playoff game although it will be insignificant

Thunder over the winner of Pacific/Southwest in 3 -- CJ keeps his streak running

League Finals

Thunder over Growl in 7 -- CJ and boys do what they use to against the Growl and beat them although not as easy as the old days. Jami Yoder finally plays enough games in PIHA as well!

And thats the bottom line because the predictor said so!