D2 or D3???

[DannyG]

Hey guys!

(and especially Capt. Anthony, who probably has a good perspective on this...)

What criteria to PIHA and MLRH groups use to enter your contingents into the D3, "Recreation" divisions at national tourneys?

What criteria would you consider in making a jump at least into a D2 situation, let alone a D1 Pro division...we know that the NARCh Pro division is inhabited by ice/inline guys in the big/strong/fast & ugly 25-32 year old set, and they have usually played ahl, echl, ncaa or other ice environments in their career.

My perception of you slightly younger guys, and Johnny Pinheiro has certainly been an example over the past three years, is that you guys are the real up-and-comers, are setting the stage for a new level of play that will surpass the older guys, and most of you play primarily inline, rather than primarily ice...

I'm kinda thinkin' that you guys are generally ready to move it up competitively, and I wonder what your thoughts are???

<font color=purple>DannyG</font color=purple>

[nikehockey17]

What the hell is this guy saying

[DannyG]

...in adult competitions such as TORHS, NARCh, and USAHIL Cup, the distinctions between divisions, or levels of play, is becoming awlfully blurry, the game is changing because younger players are moving into higher levels, and we seem to still see PIHA and MLRH teams playing in the third divisions of these events...teams that might well be able to hold their own in higher levels of play...

<font color=purple>DannyG</font color=purple>

[hockeynut]

I know at TORHS the last 2 years mostly all the players I recognize from PIHA or MLRH are playing in the pro division

[NLane]

And doesn't TORHS put ALL adult teams together if not enough Pro and adult teams sign up. Happened in Williamsburg. So unless you actually attend these tournaments and find out the facts just reading the stats for roster names doesn't cut it.

[SpeedDemon]

Well, as everyone knows, committment is everything when trying to build a competitive team at any level. You don't want to show up to tournaments and get smoked because half your squad decided they had better things to do that weekend. You also need to find that right combination that turns you from pretender to contender. Especially at the pro level, you can't even think about entering NARCh and TORHS without first ensuring you're going to bring everything possible to the table (at least that's my opinion).

In terms of the Growl, we'd been struggling to find that combination that yields the best results for much of last season and the beginning of this one. Johnny P was a great addition and the coaches tightened up the roster. It seems to be working.

If that piece of the puzzle is indeed solved, then perhaps we can turn our attention to fielding a quality tournament team at a higher level.

[dareferee25]

Those teams in the pro division seem to be made of the elite players in PIHA and MLRH on one team....Why would a team like the Shockwave or Sting enter those tournaments if they know they are going to get their clocks cleaned

The Whistle Blower

[MDE3]

The tournament pro teams are generally more elite than the individual League teams from PIHA or MLRH. The tournament Pro teams are usually constructed from a nucleus of good players who have played together at a competitive ice or Pro inline level, combined with a few other select players whom they can pick up...depending on availability.

Most of the pure MLRH or PIHA League teams would get smoked at the Narch or Tours Pro levels.

[DannyG]

Fellahs, that was exactly the collection of facts and situations that I was wondering about.

As a group, you have done a capable job of giving me, and any other outsider to the pro-level scene, a good idea of what the state-of-the-art is...

Thanks!

<font color=purple>DannyG</font color=purple>

[GROWL]

Danny,

Last season when entering USA Hockey Inline Cup we struggled with whether to enter d2 or d3. The big factor orignally was that historically d2 was never very popular. The season before there was only 5 teams. I can play in a local tournament with more then that. Inevitably it was our roster which determined where we were going to play. Our roster was atleast half made up of minor leaguers from our organization, so we decided to play D3. If we decide to go to the event again this year, I beleive all of the same factors will still figure into our decision making process. Our team or any team in PIHA or MLRH is not stacked up to play any of the major tournament teams (Mudcats, Cyclones, Rink Rat). In fact the primary reason that PIHA has been so successful is because the top level tournament players are spread around so well through out the league. This enables players like ourselves to become better players as we learn and compete against the best. If we could get our entire "pro" roster to nationals, we would have definetely entered into D2 and possibly considered entering D1, knowing we would struggle.

[hockeynut]

I did attend TORHS nationals last 2 years
sorry I was not able to attend every regional tournament
yes I know they group the pro and adult together if they dont have enough teams
I think thats a good idea,if you lose at the pro level you automatically qualify for nationals at the adult level