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Monday, October 4, 2022 | Youth Hockey Info

ICE HOCKEY

SHSHL brings back 2 division alignment for 2022 season


By: Youth Hockey Info
STAFF WRITER

LANSDALE, PA. - Let's rewind the clock twenty-five years and teleport back in time to 1997. John Ioia and his Germantown Academy Patriots are destroying the SHSHL. Paul Gilligan's Council Rock Indians are their perennial nemesis, and William Tennent is seeing legendary coach, Joe Paul make a return behind the bench after a three-year hiatus.

The SHSHL re-aligned to a two-division league in 1996-97 and at that time the American division was the strongest featuring the Germantown Academy Patriots, Council Rock Indians, Archbishop Wood Vikings, William Tennent Panthers, and Central Bucks East Blazers. The National division consisted of the North Penn Knights, Hatboro-Horsham Hatters, Cheltenham Panthers, Pennridge Rams, and Central Bucks West Bucks.

That was the last time the Suburban High School Hockey League ran a two-division system before breaking up into "class" designated brackets in 2001. The league would see many different transformations over the next couple of decades with various iterations of Class AAA, Class AA, and Class A divisions, but by 2004-05 Class AAA became its own competitive bracket exclusive to private schools such as Catholic, and preparatory designating schools which recruit their own competitive class.

Fast forward to the 2022-23 season. For over sixteen years the league has been a three-division alignment consisting of National, Continental, and American Divion's which it's maintained until this season. In customary fashion both of the National, and Continental divisions are designated as Class AA, and the American division, Class A. Past league history has commonly based the team's divisional matrix on male student enrollment within each participating team's school district. The National division is the strongest featuring yearly league leaders Pennridge, Council Rock South Golden Hawks, Central Bucks South Titans, Pennsbury Falcons, Central Bucks East Patriots, Neshaminy Redskins, North Penn Knights, Central Bucks West Bucks, Souderton Indians, Council Rock North Indians, and Bensalem Owls. The American division features the Wissahickon Trojans, Plymouth/Whitemarsh Colonials, Quakertown Panthers, Abington Ghosts, and newly added Springfield Cougars


The newly aligned SHSHL National, and American Divisions

The 2022-2023 Suburban High School Hockey League season begins Wednesday, November 2, 2022


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