SM14, Woody, Ritti, Cleary

Any words of wisdom for the coaches and managers that are going out West?

I'm not talking about on ice strategy, I'm talking about the nonsense that goes on before and after the games take place, ie: players and coaches eligibility, credentials, four man system, banquet speeches, trophies.

Like I said, I'm a homer next Saturday, so any coaches that have had the pleasure of the "Pittsburg Experience", please do your colleagues from the East a favor.....warn them!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Matt Sacks,

Johnstown Candy Store at 225 Market Street has a lot of great Chiefs items. Like a mini-museum.

The Dog that saved Johnstown isn't in the square like it is in Slap Shot. It's at the Flood Museum being repainted.

Speaking of dogs, Coney Island Lunch at 127 Market Street serves up a mean chilidog...just make sure you make it a post game meal (and be aware of the distance between rest stops on the turnpike headed East)

If you need to make any phone calls, do it before you head up Route 56. My phone service cuts out there.

MAKE SURE ALL YOUR PAPERWORK IS IN ORDER. GET J. GRAVES, C. WOOD AND A. DANISH TO HELP AND VERIFY IT FOR YOU. THIS IS THE FIRST THING THEY WILL DO TO TRY AND RATTLE YOU!!!

1. Call the War Memorial and see if you can get a practice slot Friday afternoon. It makes a difference if you're familiar with the arena (boards, bounces, etc.)

2. Power bars and sport drinks (Gatorade, Propel, etc) for between the 2nd and 3rd. The teams out there are used to the ice cut and will come out fast in the third.

3. Don't expect a break from the officials. Sometimes it's blatantly bad. Other times it's just very inconsistent. Make your players keep their mouths shut. Any mouth will result in an unsportsmanlike or a misconduct.

4. Ignore Ed Sam (PIHL Honcho) and his speech at the banquet on Friday. It will be some boring crap all about the West and have nothing to do with the celebration of two teams coming together at the end of great seasons.

5. Enjoy the experience. Go to the banquet, enjoy the camaraderie with your fellow Flyers Cup Champions. Play your best and leave nothing in the locker room. You'll love the War Memorial. It's an awesome old arena with tons of charm and a superb venue for these games.

6. Don't let all the gamesmanship affect you. Locker room stuff, paperwork issues, anything else that comes up to distract you. Keep your eyes on the prize.

7. If you can, look for the FSN Pittsburgh broadcast of the Penguins Cup Championships. Great way to scout your opponent. Stadium Grill (near Ice Line in WC) has FSN Pittsburgh. You can watch as a team if you want.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sm14,

quote:

Originally posted by DickyDunn:
Johnstown Candy Store at 225 Market Street has a lot of great Chiefs items. Like a mini-museum.

The Dog that saved Johnstown isn't in the square like it is in Slap Shot. It's at the Flood Museum being repainted.

Speaking of dogs, Coney Island Lunch at 127 Market Street serves up a mean chilidog...just make sure you make it a post game meal (and be aware of the distance between rest stops on the turnpike headed East)

If you need to make any phone calls, do it before you head up Route 56. My phone service cuts out there.

We liked Scotty's By Dam. Up the street form the War Memorial. Great Tacos. 327 Market St.

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Sacks:
SM14, Woody, Ritti, Cleary

Any words of wisdom for the coaches and managers that are going out West?

I'm not talking about on ice strategy, I'm talking about the nonsense that goes on before and after the games take place, ie: players and coaches eligibility, credentials, four man system, banquet speeches, trophies.

Like I said, I'm a homer next Saturday, so any coaches that have had the pleasure of the "Pittsburg Experience", please do your colleagues from the East a favor.....warn them!

sounds like slander against the West (the suggestion that they may try to cheat or slant things in their direction. Of course stuff like would never happen here. The East would never have players added late in the season with questionable eligbility or suspension hearings miracilously expedited, or referees that might be some how influenced to make calls for the home team.) The same crap happens here and there and the good old boys just keep it going. I guess it's not slander if Matt Sacks says you (the West) are somehow manipulating things in your favor. You should delete yourself. Slander is still slander. Even if you put your name on it. Nothing worse than being a hypocrite.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: richardhead,

thanks sm14 - will pass on to our coaching staff/board....good stuff...thank you thank you....

is there a banquet this year because i know we cant decide whether to head up sat morning or fri nite

I want to congratulate Wally, Gravy, and Drew - good wins yesterday. You guys all will represent the east well.

Everything that follows are problems that we experienced only in pittsburgh. The problems do not originate with the teams - they originate with the members of the PIHL board. I try and post this once a year - it is a shock to play states out there. Nothing like tournaments in Pitts, Boston, Toronto, or Montreal. I wish someone had told me this the first year we went out there.

Slander by definition is falsely spoken words that damage the reputation of others. Matt is not slandering anyone, b/c the accusations are true. Here's what to expect - I know it happened to us twice:
1. The group that gets paid great money to run the PIHL will have a printout of the icshl stats. Hopefully those stats are up to date and complete. They will question something, anything. Have all your scoresheets, USA hockey paperwork and anything else you can use to document that kids played a minimum amount of games. Hope that Kathy Santoro is not involved.

2. The day of the game be sure to get there early, there is a lot to do. Hopefully the refs will talk to you. The first year we were out there the reffing was consistently bad. Only retaliations were called - you could do ANYTHING - as long as you initiated. The 3rd year was much better - we initiated.

3. Prepare your team for a pregame that lasts 20 minutes.

4. The 2nd period break is really difficult - most of the east players are not used to it. The last 5 minutes of the second and the first 5 minutes of the third are really important. The pittsburgh teams know that they can turn it up then.

5. Be prepared to get frustrated/astounded by something that occurs.

6. When you do win - do not leave without the trophy and don't believe them when they say they need a $1000 deposit.

7. Don't let Matt on your bench to take pictures - he's considered a coach.

8. Have fun - its a memorable experience.

I would try and limit fans behind the bench. I am not famaliar with the War Memorial setup - but if there is seating behind the bench - get your parents in there. The first year at the rink we had soda,coins, trash etc.. thrown at us from the stands. It took two periods for the rink/refs to do anything about it.

If you need game tape talk to Heck Productions - he tapes a lot of games out there.

So its a well known fact (to you) that they cheat which doesn't make it slander (if it's true). I am sure they will take to this kindly when they read it. I am sure Matt and his buds would do the same here. (Is that slander?)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: richardhead,

Watch out for that first step onto the War Memorial ice, it's like a 2 foot doozy of a drop (at least it used to be). Can Jeff Mauro confirm or deny this?

The War Memorial is a cool old building. It always kind of reminded me of playing in a Maple Leaf Garden or Boston Garden. Old pictures of guys with brown leather gloves up to like their elbows, no helmets and really skinny legs on the walls (at least it did when I played/coached there in the old days 80s).

Make sure your hotel and transportation arrangements are in very good order. You definately don't want to have to have problems with check-ins and room assignments and you don't want to have to rush around, but you don't want to be getting there too early either.

Fortunately, Johnstown shouldn't be too hard to get in and out of since there's not much around. It should be easier to get to than say Rostraver, which is in the middle of nowhere.

Richard head: I will give you a list of people from the west, that could give you a better history than I can, of the antics of the PIHL officials. Start with Jeff Mauro - he has a well documented history of their shady dealings. If you would like other names, email me and I will give them their contacts. This is not a secret in the west. I hope it has changed in the past 3 years, but I highly doubt it.

If you notice I also post under my true name - i have nothing to hide. I would be happy to give you my full background with the states/pittsburgh high school hockey officials. What do I know about your credentials to speak of this matter besides you are a richard-head? I will be happy to email this to all the officials in the PIHL, in fact after our second state title i sent them a letter explaining the way I felt they have mishandled the states over the last 3 years that I was involved. They know exactly how I feel. I will check my records, but I doubt that I saved that one.

If this could not be corroborated then its slander. However, I can find at least 5 people who were not part of the organization that i was with that can verify these stories.

Do you have any other questions? Please, let me know.

Richardhead, Are you an adult?

Where did I ever use the word cheat or incinuate cheat.

I used the word 'nonsense' you decided to draw your own conclusion on what that meant.

You find me a lawyer that confirms my post as slanderous and I will eat a puck at
center ice of the rink of your choice. When you finally realize how wrong you are, you however must do the same.

I have gone to states for eight years and every year they go above and beyond to try to prove player inelgibilty. It is a distraction to the teams, so I am warning them to have their paper work in order. It is far from slander, it is fact. Ask Ed Ritti, Brian Cleary, Steve Mescanti, John Graves, Bill Swahl. Are they doing anything wrong, no, but if your paper work is not in order, your team and a player might suffer from it. Jim Britt....any comments based on 2003? Is this slander or is this fact?

They also don't let you take the trophy with you after you've won it. This is not slander, this is fact. Ask Ritti, Cleary, Graves, Hammond, and the Henderson group of last season.

They also use a four man reffing system. nowhere in USA hockey rules is their approval for a four man system....the East fights it, the West wins....another distraction. Is this slander? No, it is fact.

Coaches, make sure your coaching cards are up to date and in your pocket.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Matt Sacks,

quote:

Originally posted by ritti:
Richard head: I will give you a list of people from the west, that could give you a better history than I can, of the antics of the PIHL officials. Start with Jeff Mauro - he has a well documented history of their shady dealings. If you would like other names, email me and I will give them their contacts. This is not a secret in the west. I hope it has changed in the past 3 years, but I highly doubt it.

If you notice I also post under my true name - i have nothing to hide. I would be happy to give you my full background with the states/pittsburgh high school hockey officials. What do I know about your credentials to speak of this matter besides you are a richard-head? I will be happy to email this to all the officials in the PIHL, in fact after our second state title i sent them a letter explaining the way I felt they have mishandled the states over the last 3 years that I was involved. They know exactly how I feel. I will check my records, but I doubt that I saved that one.

If this could not be corroborated then its slander. However, I can find at least 5 people who were not part of the organization that i was with that can verify these stories.

Do you have any other questions? Please, let me know.

Just so I get this clear Mr. Ritti (this is your real name correct?) You and Matt Sacks are willing to stand up and say that the officals of the PHIL will basically lie steal and cheat to make sure that an East team is as at much of a disadvantage as possible at states? You are also willing to say that is not slander? You are also willing to state that the upstanding citizens in the East would never do that should the situation be reversed?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: richardhead,

Ritti: Ignore RichardHead. He has an axe to grind with someone but he doesn't have the courage to address it like a grown up. Your input regarding what teams should expect when heading west is a service and a good thing.

I know they pulled their crap last year against Ghost, not allowing Ryan Tocicki on the bench to coach the game and trying a bunch of other things as well. I remember they did it all with like 10 minutes before face off too, which was typical. The coaching staff was a little distracted. I wouldn't be surprised if it's worse when you travel.