It wouldn’t be an MIAA Ice Hockey Committee meeting if someone didn’t mention a return of the Division 1A tournament.
More than an hour went by in Tuesday’s meeting before Framingham athletic director Paul Spear took the opportunity to broach the subject during the coaches’ topic portion of the meeting. He said there is an interest among both boys and girls coaches to revisit the topic. Wellesley athletic director John Brown echoed similar sentiments and recently expressed that desire to MIAA executive director Bob Baldwin.
The meeting opened with some breaking news as MIAA statewide hockey tournament director Scott Paine announced he would be stepping away from his duties following the upcoming state tourney.
“I’ve been a tournament director for a long time with lacrosse, football and hockey and I’ve enjoyed it very much, so this was a very difficult decision,” said Paine, who serves as the athletic director at Scituate. “Scituate has given me an opportunity to be there for another five years and increase my role in the district.
“It’s time for new blood and I’m sure there are people would like to take this role. I’m not going to go anywhere and I’m willing to help whoever takes over. I’ll miss it, but it’s time to step away.”
MIAA associate executive director and hockey committee liaison Richard Pearson lauded Paine.
“I want to personally thank Scott for all he has done, he’s made a huge impact there,” Pearson said. “He’s a leader, he takes care of the person and makes things easier for everyone else.”
As for the upcoming tournament, the Sweet 16 will take on March 2-3, the Elite 8 games on March 6-7 with the Final Four contests schedule for March 9-10, allowing a full week before the state finals (March 17 at TD Garden). Paine said the seven-day break comes in handy in case weather issues pushes games back or forward a day or two.
With state quarterfinal games going to neutral sites (as opposed to state semifinals in the past), Paine said there is extra pressure to find suitable venues to accommodate those games. He’s reached out to the traditional sites such as the Tsongas Arena, Loring in Framingham, Stoneham, Gallo, Canton, Watertown, Chelmsford and Woburn.
“The big thing is picking places that can handle the games and actually want to host the games.” Paine said. “To me that is the biggest criteria.”
The committee agree to try out GameSheet, a device which allows schools to score the game via an IPad app (as opposed to the traditional scoresheets), starting with the Elite 8 contests. An added benefit is that it doesn’t require an internet connection, a bonus given some rinks either don’t provide or have limited internet availability.
The recent decision by US Hockey to require neck laceration protection for all junior hockey players and officials under the age of 18 starting Aug. 1 was a topic of discussion. MIAA Ice Hockey Chairman Dan Shine it has been discussed since the tragic death of Adam Johnson due to a skate cut to his neck on Oct. 28.
“There hasn’t been much data on the throat neck protector and how much of a difference it could make,” Shine said. “There has been a lot of back and forth among doctors and one concern is if a skate got caught under the protector and got pulled out, it could make things worse.”
The current Newton teachers strike has put to halt to all athletic events in the community. Brown, who is the president of the Bay State Conference, said there is a concern as what might happen if the strike lingers and teams continue to miss games.
“We’ve had discussions within the league,” Brown said. “I was speaking to the Newton North athletic director (Michael Jackson) just before the start of the meeting to figure out where we are at. Would they become forfeits or no contests?”