Fielding 2 A Teams
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Shinbone_News
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Shinbone_News
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According to what I've heard from my MNH District Rep, it's a starting point that should track fairly well with the affiliated high schools. Associations will be able to decide for themselves where to land. As always, associations self-determine -- and therein lies the perennial arguments on this board, with the anti-association people typically monopolizing the summer conversation.observer wrote:Yes.Shouldn't the size of the association, not the school dictate the A/AA or the 2A
Most associations will want to be where they have a fighting chance. Major AA's will want to compete for the right to claim "Best of the Best" (the Edinas, Eden Prairies, Rochesters, Duluths). Big associations with weak A programs will want to be single A. (Minneapolis Storm comes immediately to mind -- five major city high-schools, AA HS team, big association, not a dominating one.)
Tradition-rich small associations like Roseau or Hermantown have the choice to play with the Big Boys if they want.
How the process works out remains to be seen, but presumably if someone like Mankato or Farmington starts to dominate at A, they may be under internal and external pressure to move up. Conversely, a Minneapolis or a Rochester that gets crushed at AA may have the same pressures to move down.
Actually, it doesn't become an issue at all until post-season. Until then, everyone is an A.
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frederick61
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Shinbone Press wrote
"Actually, it doesn't become an issue at all until post-season. Until then, everyone is an A'
It becomes an issue from day 1. I believe that there are many problems that have been overlooked by the AA/A supporters.
First does this apply to Bantam A and Peewee A levels only. What about U14 and U12? How will the Bantam B and Peewee B levels be impacted.
Second, look at the District formats. D11 had only 5 Peewee A teams last year. Three of them (Duluth East, Duluth Lakers, and Cloquet) could move up leaving Hermantown and Proctor as the only A level teams unless Two Harbors or Silver Bay move up. A two team D11 playoff does not make sense. In D12, Grand Rapids would be a move up candidate, leaving Hibbing, Virginia, Eveleth, Mesabi East and Greenway in D12 playoffs. That works, but then D11 is scheduled to send three D11 teams to the regional joining two D12 teams and three D16 teams.
D16 had 7 A level peewee A teams last year. Roseau, East Grand Forks, and Bemidji could or should all move up leaving Thief River Falls, Crookston, Warroad and Red Lake Falls. Hallock and LOW could move up.
So a potential north AA regional would have Duluth East, Duluth Lakers, Cloquet, Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, Roseau, East Grand Forks, and Bemidji. A potential A regional would have Hermantown, Proctor, Hibbing, Virginia, Mesabi East, Thief River Falls, Crookston, and Warroad.
There would be no need for AA District Playoffs in the North. To get to eight AA teams, Moorhead could be forced to move to make 8 teams. There would be no need to have A District Playoffs since it would only eliminate two or three teams in all three districts. Now how tolerant will be the districts/associations/parents/players to such changes?
If you don't think there is grumbling at the high school level when a school is seeded higher to make the participation numbers right at a higher level, where have you been for the past 10 years (the High School League is now planning to add a 6A level to football-thats AAAAAA's).
Meanwhile, I know some mite kids who have been subjected to the ADM model for the past two years who don't want to play hockey because they want to play the games. They have parents who have to be conscious of money. That is a formula for disaster. And nobody is listening.
What a potential mess.
"Actually, it doesn't become an issue at all until post-season. Until then, everyone is an A'
It becomes an issue from day 1. I believe that there are many problems that have been overlooked by the AA/A supporters.
First does this apply to Bantam A and Peewee A levels only. What about U14 and U12? How will the Bantam B and Peewee B levels be impacted.
Second, look at the District formats. D11 had only 5 Peewee A teams last year. Three of them (Duluth East, Duluth Lakers, and Cloquet) could move up leaving Hermantown and Proctor as the only A level teams unless Two Harbors or Silver Bay move up. A two team D11 playoff does not make sense. In D12, Grand Rapids would be a move up candidate, leaving Hibbing, Virginia, Eveleth, Mesabi East and Greenway in D12 playoffs. That works, but then D11 is scheduled to send three D11 teams to the regional joining two D12 teams and three D16 teams.
D16 had 7 A level peewee A teams last year. Roseau, East Grand Forks, and Bemidji could or should all move up leaving Thief River Falls, Crookston, Warroad and Red Lake Falls. Hallock and LOW could move up.
So a potential north AA regional would have Duluth East, Duluth Lakers, Cloquet, Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, Roseau, East Grand Forks, and Bemidji. A potential A regional would have Hermantown, Proctor, Hibbing, Virginia, Mesabi East, Thief River Falls, Crookston, and Warroad.
There would be no need for AA District Playoffs in the North. To get to eight AA teams, Moorhead could be forced to move to make 8 teams. There would be no need to have A District Playoffs since it would only eliminate two or three teams in all three districts. Now how tolerant will be the districts/associations/parents/players to such changes?
If you don't think there is grumbling at the high school level when a school is seeded higher to make the participation numbers right at a higher level, where have you been for the past 10 years (the High School League is now planning to add a 6A level to football-thats AAAAAA's).
Meanwhile, I know some mite kids who have been subjected to the ADM model for the past two years who don't want to play hockey because they want to play the games. They have parents who have to be conscious of money. That is a formula for disaster. And nobody is listening.
What a potential mess.