Larry has this club on the right track!

Team Illinois has advanced to the playoffs at the 97', 95' and the '94 level in Canadian tournaments this weekend.

Couple that with the strength at MM and mm, Larry has this club poised to win alot of games this year...

TI is run by JM. Obviously above poster is not from TI.

Obviously YOU don't know anything. TI is run by ME! I just haven't told those other people yet. I also run CYA, FURY and Mission...and Joliet..you know just the important clubs.

Obviously YOU don't know anything guest at 7:12am. TI announced weeks ago that Larry is the new hockey director. So he obviously is in charge of the club!

What will be different from stints at Chill and Mission? What was financial status at Chill due to involvement?

Stop the crap. Stand up guy, teriffic hockey coach, great hockey resource. TI is fortunate to have him.

JM is the standup guy. He is helping out his former coach by keeping him employed. LP is not a business guy just a hockey coach. If he does what he was known to be good at he will be fine. When you mix in the business of the hockey world he hasn't found success. Sometimes you need to know what you are good at and do it and not try to do more. In the hockey world it is called a role-player. Knowing your role and doing it makes someone valuable rather than trying to do more than you are capable of and failing time and time again.

JM has helped many a coach and if they are good at coaching they will find success with him. May not get rich but can find coaching success.

LP did what many coaches could"nt. He cut kids who had many years in the program and replaced them with real AAA players from out of state. He will pass up the Fury and CYA this year and could pressure the Mission by state. Mission has let some very good players get away which LP has found a home for. The hiring LP by TI was the best thing for ILL AAA. The younger levels are all following in place. 95's,96's,97 & 98's all seem good. The Mm & MM teams could be the best in ILL.

LP has been long considered a good coach and a strong recruiter. When he had the Chill at Glacier he got some strong Wisconsin and MN kids to come and play for his MM team. His expertise is on the ice not in the board room. Great to see him doing what he is good at. He and Marchi were good together at Chill MM program. He is a good coach and needs to continue to coach, the business part of AAA hockey was his downfall. Great to see him having some success at coaching again.

As long as you step up to the plate and take a swing you have a chance of knocking one out of the park...I am sure LP will step up to the plate again and I think next time he may smack one deep.
None of our kids have stepped on the ice for the first time and won a tournament in the same week...success is built on mistakes, failure, hard work and oppertunity. Once an entrepreneur always an entrepreneur...LP's success is out there waiting for him to find the right combination.

Why are we talking about this any way??

Very well said

If you are speaking of the 94's, great weekend for the boys, but they took 9th place. Winning a consolution bracket is not winning a tournament. This is still a great task for this team, but please stay humble because it is going to be a long season.

I dont see anyone bragging. COnso bracket or whatever, TI was only one of two teams that finished the tournament undefeated. You play the games and let the chips fall where they may.

All the 94 ILL AAA Teams understand that the new Team ILL is the Team to beat this year. There last 4 players are the one's that just might cost them thou. Double shifting and playing the studs may promote very tired legs in March, this has always been LP weakness ( very weak 3rd line). The Mission,CYA and Fury must try to figure out how to stop the Toronto Con Champs.

I can guarantee that the last poster was not a T.I. 94 parent/player or coach. Please tell us what the 3rd line is, because I certainly don't know. Nice try though, you did get at least one response, hopefully the last.

You will know the third line when the team play's Comp,HB or Mission. Lets see who's skating if and when TI has a chance to win. YOU WILL THEN UNDERSTAND WHO IS ON THE THIRD LINE. Things can change but for now the third liners are RU,MM,JW up front, The D will see JL and DC being doubled shifted. There nothing wrong with this it's how real AAA teams work.The TI 94's are for real now and will follow a winning pattern.

So basically what you're saying is that nothing changed from last year right?

I love the knock on the coaches that don't play the third of fourth line as much as the first two. Here's an interesting little secret: THEY ARE ON THE THIRD OR FOURTH LINE! Show me one coach that plays his third or fourth line as much as his first line and I'll show you a loser nine time out of ten.

I would suspect that at the AAA level the parity between your 1st and 4th line should be very little. Paying $7,000 to ride the bench would be ridiculous. And if this is what a coach does then he shouldn't be coaching at this level. Pick the right players and there won't be an issue.

Who cares. What ever it takes to win BABY. You don't like it then don't tryout next year.

If you really think that there is "very little parity" between a AAA club's first and third and/or fourth line, you haven't been watching much Illinois AAA hockey! The talent differential is usually immense. Previous posters are entirely correct when they state that many (not all) skaters who remain on the third/fourth line wouldn't make their AA club's top team. There are many families who pay in excess of $7K to spend a lot of quality time on the pine, even more when some parents think that limitless privates with da coach will turn Johnny into Sidney. But they still get to say that Johnny plays AAA! My favorites are those who then complain after a game that lil Johnny isn't getting enough playing time after all those privates and wonder why the other parents on the team think they're nuts.

I can tell you with certainty that there was no duble shifting, 1st line, 3rd line this past weekend for the TI 94s. Lp rolled his lines and D, from start to finish of the tournament.

Don't try to tarnish the weekend accomplishments and create resentment within this team. it won't work. This is the most fun my player has had playing this game in a long time.

Not sure where this team will be in March but I am looking forward to the ride.

What does make me laugh is how everyone ripped LP when he took this over saying he had no chance with this group. The TI 94s are for real and they are very different from any of the teams they have had in the past.

Where are all those posters who in the spring said LP was going to double shift his own, the out-of-staters weren't coming, or were just coming for games, and on and on. The scare tactics didn't work and all of these kids are having a great time playing together. I guess the proff is in the results.

TI has a core group now and can play with the best. TI took a team that could'nt compete and made them into a fast contender. The Fury and Mission still have a few players that are on the team because of $$$$. TI was able to pick up some nice ILL players because of this. He is already working on new studs from out ot town who will improve the group at Mm. Nobody to answer to = best players make the club= changing of the guard.

Believe it when I actually see it. Remember, actions speak volumes compared to words that come out of your mouth.

I believe this team is for real. If more out of towners come next year and they are equal to or better than this year's out of towners then yes, the tide has definitely turned.

How did the Mission let him leave?

The tide always turns towards TI when you get to mm & MM. The only difference is that it wasn't supposed to happen with the Mission 93's & 94's.

This was supposed to be the birth years that would bring the Mission to the Holy Grail. You saw the 93 Mission team begin to break apart this year. With LP putting together a very respectable team in such a short period of time, I wont be surprised to see it happen with the 94's.

how many will want to jump. It probably depends on how the season plays out for both teams.

It will be interesting for sure.

Let's let LP win a few more games before we talk about kids leaving the Mission. It is the beginning of September and they have played only one tournament

The 93s who "left" Mission were actually shown the door by CL. Part of the reason he was given the 93s was to "clean house." Too many 93s with a long time at Mission but no future in hockey. Its tough to cut the lifers but hey baby this is AAA hockey and only the strong survive! CL and Mission have exactly the 93s and 92s they want on this squad. Same with the 94s. AS knows exactly what he is doing. He's already thinking midget majors with this squad in a couple years. Minors is a stronger team than last year and it will do very well. CL is likely to finish the job at Nationals and AS is likely to do the same with the 94s. Next year Mission minors and majors could be flooded with the top players from across the country.

YEAH CL showed the door to jarosz, fortman and curran. They didn't want to be at mission anymore, they begged them to stay.

who was in the nets for what games this past weekend?

You thunk CL is a good coach? Wait until you get the same practice for 7 months. Wait until you see all the battle drills that use 10% of the ice, over and over and over. Wait until one of the parents tries to talk to him. You will get belittled, humiliated and told that he is the hockey know it all and who are you to question him.

The guy is a moron! Why do you thunk his 95 team fell apart.

Clueless = 95 that was cut from Mission who is now at TI

The guy who needs to get a clue is the parent knocking CL for battle drills. Obviously your son didn't like to battle or was getting beat consistently and you were embarrassed for him. Maybe your son was hurt battling. Quit telling lies about CL and take up your personal vendetta's somewhere else. CL is long gone from your 95 boy so let it go. You really look like a coward coming back at every chance and ripping CL. Put your money/clout where your typing fingers are and get a coaching card. Send in your resume to all the AAA teams and let's see how you do. If not I have a challenge for you. Walk up to CL and have a conversation and get it off your chest. It's called BALLS. Do you have any?

Spoken from a true ref wantabee...lean how to skate!

everybdy repeat after me CL SUCKS AS A PERSON AND COACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This past weekend Mission played 2 against S2, the goalies each got a game...if out scoring an opponent 28-0 in 2 games can actually be called games. The weekend before they also rotated games with the new goalie finishing the weekend off. Why?

Looks like the players need to spend a little more time practicing and less time on CH.
Take care of it on the ice not the internet boys!

7B you are not correct. Nobody was shown the door. In fact they all were offered spots and declined for various reasons. They moved on and we moved on. There is no reason to break it down anymore.

This trend went from good positive posting about LP 94 team to Mm, CL, 93's. Move on nobody is interested. But what the hell I might as well jump in some. Mm coaches ? JH from TI, ever talk to this guy, clueless. He's sitting in a very fast car ( Ti Mm ) and hopefully he can figure out how to push the gas and enter cruise control. PL put him over the top last season. CL has the very best 93's, thats right the very best. TD going to the National Devp Team, Wisc kid gets ride to UW, JD from Fury best finisher,TW best D-man. Enough with the 93 that exited, they were very good but not in the above class. CL's downside is that he will go to the well over and over in the tough games, look for rubber legs in March when it counts. MK out south ? Maybe a rematch with CYA, this time they may start the 96 tender since the 94 kid stoned him the first time.

Getting a letter of interest is not an invitation to the national team. 100 kids from the select 15's got them. Let the boys play out this year and then see who goes.

Point is Mission 94s are head and shoulders ahead of TI and anyone else in state. And next year when AS has the minor team it will be more of the same.

Of course there is the small detail that Lp doesnt wear a jockstrap. It' more of a chiffon lace pink thong

to the above poster, that is a really intelligent post. did you stay up all night thinking of that one?

Why are the lifers falling behind? Are coaches just looking elsewhere for talent developed by others and paying them to come here?

Retention and improvement are hallmarks of hockey coach.

who won today afton or ti94s
and score.

TI-5

Affton-1

Great point. Look at MK at Fury. He preaches loyalty blah blah blah, where did his roster come from? I don't see a bright future when you cannot develop your own here.

What was the score in the second affton-ti game this morning?

TI-6
Afton-1

Cya 5 Afton 1

too many bad penalties by CYA, cant do that when they start facing good teams. although afton played well.

cya was in the box for at least half the game

How were the shots in the games against Affton? There is talk about them being a tier I team but I think they are better served at tier II. What do you guys thinK?

Tier II. Does St Louis have the players for 2 1/2 AAA teams? (Jr Blues, Afton and the Cavalini's)

Afton needs to work on the pp if cya was in the box for half the game and score one goal how well could they have played they lost 5-1 they are big

how did they do vs TI

Affton is not a AAA team. They are a Tier II club but do have open districts and draw from kids all over the area. Cavallini only has one AAA team and the Jr Blues (technically the AAA Blues but everyone calls them the Jr. Blues) are midget level Tier III Jr A team.

Many people feel there is enough talent for two AAA organizations. Many do not.

What happened to one of the 94s on TI from Minnesota. Heard there was some trouble brewing? I could be wrong. Anyone know the story?

It's none of your business

i would say if you checked into it you would find that every team who brought more than one import in from out of state had a "deal" that did not work out. At this age the chances are high that its not going to work. its tough for kids 18yrs old to leave home and play hockey. Kids are now doing it at 14, its a long shot at best!

Billets work all the time all over the country, not just in hockey. Of course there are issues but its not "the great unnatural act."

Billeting can work and moving away from home is a part of this sport. If you don't like it you're in the wrong sport. The problem isn't moving away, the problem in IL and MI is that the priorities are all backwards. When school takes second position to Hockey at age 14, something isn't adding up. Sure you can tell me that all these families did their homework on schools before they sent their kids away, but we all know that once they get here, Hockey is first on their minds by a long shot.

Shame on all you coaches for helping to feed into it. Education needs to take first position.

You ever wonder why all the Ex players who didn't make it are your local Hockey Directors. Priorities are backwards and it seems to be getting worse in IL.

Exactly. How many of these players are threats to play for the eastern top schools? Many coaches failed at the college levels where performance is required.

Probably none. But a good way to squeeze a few thousand out of the Chicago market to develop Detroit and other cities' players over local talent--That's the MWEHL way!

TI in it win it!

Team Illinois Leads The Way In Illinois

In this week’s rankings from My Hockey Rankings, dated Oct. 8, 2008, the Team Illinois AAA Hockey Club has an unprecedented 5 of its 7 boys team ranked in the top 5 teams in the country in their respective age divisions! This is a tremendous accomplishment for Team Illinois and is certainly proof that Team Illinois is one of the premier AAA clubs in North America.

This early season success across the board for Team Illinois is a testament to the talent both on the ice and behind the bench. The combination of elite hockey talent and the premier coaching staff in Illinois is evident from top to bottom throughout the club. Many clubs strive to achieve a top 5 national ranking at just one age level , while Team Illinois is making its impact felt from Squirt major through Midget major.

In addition to the national recognition for Team Illinois at multiple age levels, Team Illinois has already won tournament championships at the midget major, midget minor and bantam major levels.

Although the season is young, Team Illinois has asserted itself as the top club in Illinois and one of the top clubs in North America.

Please view the rankings from www.myhockeyrankings.com.

lets get 25-30 games under your belt than put up the fan fair.

Winning a consulation bracket (94's) puts you at 9th place in the Red Wing Early Bird. Not close to winning a tournament.

I'm pretty sure they are referring to the Fury tournament which the 94's won

When stating a team has won a AAA tournament there should be at least 4 AAA teams entered. The Fury Tournament featured AA teams that AA were very bad. This weekend will be part 1 of the story.

but remember, it was the Fury who let the garbage in, not TI.

All TI did was show up, play, and win. Don't blame TI for the weak field.

TI will find out this weekend if they are for real.

Fury,CYA,T.I.,Jr. Admirals, S2 I think that equals five AAA teams. Grant it, not all great, but I am pretty sure they are not AA.

S2 a AAA are you joking? WOW. They came to town and played are local AAA teams and lost by a combined score of somewhere around 50-1.
CYA crushed them and they won't win a game over the weekend. W#ill TI go 500% this weekend ?

The answer to your question is.......................................Yes.

a good hummer