How can a college team be allowed to use High School players? Augie coach is using his Quad City high school players he also coaches.
What if these players are injured?
MACHA should do something about this.

He used high school players in games with Purdue

thats not right what should the league do about this i wonder

Still can't be done.

that is absolutely not true. he usses hs players for practices only.

He cant use them in high school either because they are not covered under Augustana USA Hockey insurance. Youth and College USA Hockey insurance are two seperate things and the players would not be covered if something happend. I guarentee those HS players are also playing in games. All they got to do is throw a jersey on them and say its someone else.

NIU got caught with with a highschool player dressed as a backup goalie, not playing but because their other goalies were injured and they had no one else to dress and you have to have 2 goalies dressed by rule. This was about 4 yrs ago and their coach was suspended for the remainder of the season by the acha. Theis is definitly something that needs to be looked into if it is true.

I am on the team, and we have not used a high school player once. The past two weekends we have had less than ten guys on the bench and have been smoked but we still go out and play regardless. If we were dressing high schoolers dont you think we would have more players than we have had the last four games? We are trying to get this program off the ground and being a small school and getting a late start on recruiting have been having a rough time but it is coming along and we are looking forward to building a successful program in the coming years, everything must start somewhere. Also five or so guys on our team play other fall sports at our school (football, soccer, golf) and since these are NCAA D3 sports they have a commitment to these teams over hockey and their coaches have been unwilling to work with us. This is the reason for our short bench the past two series and this will probably be the case until the fall sports seasons are over at the end of October. The only thing I can think of that would make someone wonder about high school players is the fact that we sometimes skate with the Quad City Blues high school team once a week just to get a third practice in. Also on occasion when we know we will have low numbers at our own practices we may invite a few high school players out just so we have the numbers to run an actual practice and not waste $280 on ice time. I am not sure where this rumor started but it is just that. If anyone has any questions or concerns im sure our coach or club president would be glad to alleviate them. All contact information can be found on our website.

I was at both games vs. Purdue and graduated last year from Augustana. I knew every player on their bench and they are all current full time Augie students. I can't believe this would even come up. These players are working hard and are excited to continue to play hockey. It is going to be a rough season and hard to get a team started from nothing but they have a lot of school support and wanted to get something off the ground to build upon. Don't be so quick to write them off, give it a few seasons.

Well the coach who represented Augustana at the league meeting was asure that you would have a full team and there wouldn't be an issue. That was the big question the league had at the meeting. The coach said he had all these people committed and thought that Augustana could be competive this year at the Gold level and maybe even field a second team. He can't go on saying all these things and then not make them happen. Then any team that plays Augustana just blows them out and its a waste of a weekend for them. Some teams spend thousands of dollars to come travel and would much rather play a competitive team then blow them out and pad their stats.

Is any research done when a team is considered to join the MACHA or does everyone just stare at the representative talking and raise their hand when a vote is taken. There are some teams that could be in their place playing competitive games. This high school player rumor doesn't sound true but, final scores don't lie. I'm not saying the silver division is the most competitive in the nation but, it is better than the talent level Augustana is producing.

Leave these guys alone. Everyone stumbles in there first few years. Take a look at SIUE back in 97. They got a chance and look at them now. Or maybe MSU back in 01. God, who could have predicted what would happen there. You don't become a powerhouse or even a competitive team overnight. It takes YEARS of hard work.

Point being, give them time, get off their butts. Let them work it out.

1:02 a.m. poster..

Please enlighten us with this list of teams that could be in their place. I am sure others would be interested as well.

This happens with a new program quite often. The league knows this. They are still willing to let these teams in. Plus they are fulfilling their committment with what..less than two full lines?

In the past six years there has beens teams that have had this same number of players and backed out of games with the same number of players.

By complaing about the number of players you put them in a lose lose situation. They lose because they are short on the bench or they lose by not showing up to play the past two weekends. If you get them early it sounds like you should be thankful. Easier game because they run out of gas. You get a good fight to start and then as they tire you can work on things. They will be just fine. They have a great coach, great school support and a great school.

This team had a short bench to begin with and then with one kid blowing out a knee in practice the week before the Purdue games, and 4-6 guys stuck in other sports until winter their bench has been slimmed down to virtually nothing. But as was said, at least they are showing up to games, not forfitting/canceling. Props to having the balls to go out and play with 8 guys against a team with 20 and 5 or more scratches.

Iowa's D3 team just two years ago only had 12 players to start the season as well. They went like 3-24 that season. Then, last year, they had a full roster and they won 11 or 12 games (almost .500) and this year they have already split with MSU D3 and ISU D3, two teams they hadn't beat in the previous two years. It takes some time so give Auggie a break.

Also, who else would have joined? Those teams that "would have joined" didn't come to the league meeting and thus couldn't have joined anyways. Eastern didn't even come to the meeting, at least Auggie did.

Eastern did not come just to not go for the sake of it. The team reps. car broke down on the way there and made contact with the league the next day to explain their situation but they were already voted out.

why did eastren get voted out

During the meeting they took a vote to boot them out after the second roll call i believe.

Owed League Dues, instability during the season (games played while uninsured), Missing the League meeting didn't help to boot.

The car broke down. Right.

Eastern better get their act together.

Eastern plays MSU next weekend. Hope they show up! Do they even have a website?

Augustana is no different than other teams entering the league except for one exception... Coach O'Dacre. If this program has a chance of making it, it is because of him. He's been around hockey for a long time, and I'd say to the doubter's... just wait and see...

Good luck to Augustana, and to you Paul.

Why are people bashing these teams. Augustana is getting their organization going and Eastern isn't a part of the conference anymore. No one has anything better to do than talk shit about other teams?