By Jack Weinberg, AHAI High School Committee Chairman

As the end of the regular season approaches, we receive numerous questions regarding seeding for the State Tournament, as well as for the High School All-State and Showcase team selections. There are many misconceptions that exist regarding the above and AHAI’s role. The following is a synopsis of the process in place.

New Trier Green just keeps rolling along, defeating opponent after opponent after opponent. The Trevians suffered their lone loss to an Illinois high school team, Stevenson, 4-3 on Nov. 13. Since, they have won 18 in a row, with 7 shutouts during that stretch. Their last 5 wins were over Saint Ignatius, Glenbrook North, Glenbrook South, Loyola Gold and York. “Their depth is what separates them,” said Saint Viator head coach Tim Benz. “(It) doesn’t matter if it’s line one or line four, they keep coming and all have the ability to put the puck in the net. Plus, they have a very good transition game, which is clean and fast.”

Latin School of Chicago relies on its depth, but it is a relatively young team with nine freshmen and sophomores. “We have a really strong team overall this year – from goaltending all the way up; we have depth at every position,” said Latin head coach Anna Zorn. “We returned many of our key contributors from last year (and) also have a very talented freshman class that has made an immediate impact. Off the ice, this is a group that gets along really well and cares for each other which translates on the ice.

BG/H/W has struggled, to put it mildly, in the Champions League of the North-Central Division. The co-op club featuring players from Buffalo Grove, Hersey and Wheeling is 2-12-3, putting the Stampede in next-to-last place in the 12-team league, only ahead of Latin School of Chicago (1-16-2, 4 points). But BG/H/W hasn’t ruled out a run at state and a return trip to the United Center.

Hinsdale Central skates into 2020 on a roll, with 3 wins in 3 nights in mid-December. After a 6-1 win over Lyons Township, the Red Devils down Sandburg 5-0, then slipped past Wheaton West 2-1. “We started the season in Minocqua, Wisconsin, with Gary and Jake Suter for a long weekend of battle camp. Rather than do another tournament, we skated twice a day, did a zip line course and let the kids bond. We have a tight group of players and a great locker room this year,” said Hinsdale Central head coach Jim Swoyer.

The PREP Black #1 JV Team is within striking distance of first-place in the Champions League of the North-Central Division, with a 12-3-1 record and 25 points – only 2 behind league-leading Lake Forest (13-2-1). “So far, several organizations have had strong teams rather than just the top three or four teams dominating the division. Several teams have pulled off wins against ‘tougher opponents’ that they ‘should have lost to,’ but still put up a fight and come out as underdogs, which just makes the season a little more intense,” said David Gora, a senior at Elk Grove and left-handed shooting defenseman for co-op PREP, a mix of players from Prospect, Rolling Meadows and Elk Grove – all from District 214 in the northwest suburbs.

By Brian Meek - Illinois West has named its Varsity All Stars. The game will take place at Willowbrook Ice Arena on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 7:30PM. Each Illinois West team nominates their own All Stars who are then rostered to play in the Varsity All Star Game. The goalies are selected by the league. Goalies are chosen based on performance, year, games played and more. Coaches from the previous regular season’s Varsity winner and runner-up will coach the two teams. The 2020 Varsity All Star Game coaches are Coach Dombro from Waubonsie and Coach Mrofcza from Maine. A top skater from each team will be chosen by the opposing team’s coach and a single goalie from both teams will be chosen by the league as Stars of the Game. Click below to read the complete Illinois West December update and view the 2020 All Star rosters.

By Pam Flores - The tiering round in the Metro Girls league is complete and the divisions have been selected. The teams that will play in the Scholastic Cup include New Trier, Barrington, Loyola, Fenwick, Latin Varsity, Naper Valley and Upper Fox Valley. The teams that will make up the Founders Cup include Maine, D211-214 Rebels, Lake Forest High School, Latin Junior Varsity, Evanston, Glenbrook, Lake Forest Academy and Warren. The games in the first half of the season were not only super competitive, but very exciting as well. Many of the teams have added depth and strength despite adding a lot of youth to the teams. The future looks bright for the Metro League! Games in the second half of the season will begin being played just after the New Year! Click button below to read the complete Metro League update which includes the latest college commits and community service projects.