Four associations approved for girls’ hockey Tier 1 status in 2017-18

January 27, 2017 MiHockey Staff

By @MichaelCaples –

Big changes are coming to girls’ hockey next season.

The Michigan Amateur Hockey Association, in keeping with a proposed rule change by USA Hockey to restrict the amount of Tier 1 participation to 20 percent of girls’ hockey participation in the state, has limited the amount of girls’ Tier 1 organizations moving forward.

Honeybaked, Little Caesars, Belle Tire and West Michigan Elite/Meijer AAA were the four organizations chosen by a MAHA sub-committee to represent the state at the Tier I level for the 2017-18 season.

Using the USA Hockey proposed 20-percent rule, the state of Michigan’s participation numbers allowed for four Tier 1 teams at the 14U and 16U levels, and three teams at the 19U level. A fourth team at the 19U level was added with a ‘grandfather clause.’

“USA Hockey has been working on defining Tier I hockey for two years,” said Jean Laxton, MAHA vice president for girls’/women’s hockey, via a release. “The final girls’ Tier 1 standards and criteria were amended at the USA Hockey winter meeting Jan. 20-22. MAHA passed our Tier 1 rule for girls in July of 2016 to align with the USA Hockey rule, which will go into effect for the 2017-18 season. The legislation in place to limit Tier 1 associations will help us maintain a high standard of play at Tier 1 and prevent the dilution of Tier 1 hockey. We also hope that it will increase the growth and competition of Tier 2 teams and offer more opportunities for girls to have age appropriate training where they can develop by playing at the right competitive level.”

The sub-committee stated in its report that after reviewing the geography and districts of state-wide participation, it was determined that three teams should be from the Metro Detroit area, and one team from the west side of the state.

“MAHA’s decision to limit the number of Tier 1 programs is a positive step towards improving the landscape of girls’ hockey in Michigan,” Laxton said.

Associations were required to apply for Tier 1 girls’ status, with the sub-committee making a decision on behalf of the MAHA State Playoff Committee.

The application asked for criteria including:

Organizational governance and good-standing
Coaching, player development and player advancement
Organization’s ability to field teams at all levels
State of a feeder program
Growth initiatives
League participation

The sub-committee, led by Joe Provenzano, stressed the fact that the application process will take place annually, so if numbers at the girls’ level continue to grow, there will be more room for Tier 1-approved programs in the future.

“As this decision and process was difficult, I am confident that our sub-committee provided a recommendation that followed the defined criteria for designation, and specifically aligned with the intention of the USA Hockey 20-percent rule,” Provenzano said. “It is important to remember that this is an annual application process, and the growth of our sport determines the number of Tier 1 teams that we can support. It is my sincerest hope that our focus on growing the game at the youngest levels will allow us to expand the number of Tier 1 teams in the future.”

The Tier 1 level for boys underwent similar changes in 2014, when the Tier 1 level was limited to eight associations; an action for both genders that is thought to create a proper ‘hockey pyramid’ in terms of skill level and competition.