Boys' ice hockey is a popular and growing sport in the state of New York. Culturally, ice hockey is a fairly well known sport throughout the state, especially Upstate New York - due in part to its cultural connections with Canada and Southern Ontario.

New York State Public High School Athletic Association

151 high schools field sanctioned varsity teams competing in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association. The sanctioned teams compete from end of November till mid-March with a maximum number of practices and games. These teams are divided into two divisions, I and II. Each based on strength of program and considered "rolling" divisions allowing teams to switch divisions each year. The sanctioned Varsity teams are divided into sections used by every sport under NYSPHSAA; Sections I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, IX, and X. Each section has different sets of rules for eligibility of Catholic teams to participate in the State Tournament. Sections I and VI do not allow Catholic schools to compete for the Public State Tournament.

New York State Amateur Hockey Association

76 club and non-sanctioned New York High School Hockey teams compete in New York State Amateur Hockey Association. NYSAHA is the New York state affiliate of USA Hockey. The "club" teams are divided into two divisions, large school and small school. Each section is divided into four regions East, West, Central, and North who all follow the NYSAHA Guidebook for state bound eligibility. The majority of the teams come from Long Island, Broome County, Hudson Valley, and Western New York. The non-sanctioned Club teams are divided into sections used by all amateur hockey teams under the NYSAHA umbrella. NYSAHA has set guidelines on the state bound teams and depending on the number of teams' from each section that are state bound determine how many teams' from each section will attend the three-day state tournament for large and small school tournament. Eight teams participate in three-day state tournament at host-city in a point system to determine the top four teams to compete in semi-finals and then eventually the State championship. The non-sanctioned teams have no official start and stop date and no limit on the minimum and maximum of games. West Section begins league play around the end of November and end the season in March. East, Central, and North sections compete from September till the end of March. NYSAHA club teams retain their "club" label, though many are branded as high school hockey similar to a traditional varsity team. Due to this, the skill level varies from club to club despite all being "high school hockey". NYSAHA clubs vary a lot, with some being more advanced or higher level, while others are played more on the basis of having fun or winning a local championship instead of a state championship.

State tournament

NYSPHSAA, each section has different sets of rules for eligibility of Catholic teams to participate in the State Tournament. Section I and VI do not allow Catholic schools to compete for the Public State Tournament. The Catholic schools from Section I and VI meet in Catholic High School State Athletic Association one game championship. NYSPHSAA has pre-determined state tournament brackets with each section sending one team per section and at-large teams in one-game elimination. The Final Four for Divisions I, and II were played in Utica, New York's Memorial Auditorium for many years until recently when they have been held at the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York.

History

Though high school hockey in New York can be dated back to the mid-1940s, the first league—called the Northern New York Scholastic Hockey League—was formed in 1948 and comprised teams from Massena, Norfolk, Potsdam and Saranac Lake. One of the League's founders, Don Spotswood, was a 1934 Clarkson College graduate who taught high school mathematics in the then Norfolk School District (today Norwood-Norfolk). Clarkson College, along with St. Lawrence University, were significant influences in the birth of high school hockey in this region. Buffalo Explorer High School Club Hockey League was the first club hockey league in Western New York, starting in 1972. Southtowns High School Club Hockey League began in 1974 and Western New York High School Club Hockey League in 1976. NYSPHSAA recognized high school hockey starting in 1980 with official state tournament being held. Not every section started at the same time and not every team that was sanctioned was allowed to participate in the sanctioned State tournament. Section VI (Western New York) did not allow its champion to participate until 2001. NYSAHA recognized high school hockey in 1982 but league championship were being held as early as 1972 in Buffalo. NYSAHA divided into two divisions in 2002 as prior to that year, only one championship was awarded. In 2008-09, there was no club state championship. For the 2009-10 season, WNYHSCHL will join AAU.

Notable alumni

Historical timeline

NYSPHSAA Boys' Teams (former teams = No Longer Exists/Merged)

^ Two championships were when Aquinas was a Division II team § Monroe, and Webster as a unified district, did not play under a NYSPHSAA classification. Rush Henrietta competed as two high schools (Sperry and Roth) starting in 1979 and then merged back into a single entity in 1983. Pittsford Mendon and Pittsford Sutherland high schools competed as separate entities until their merger in 1986-87 season.

NYSAHA Club teams

NYSPHSAA Championship Games

CHSAA Championships

NYSAHA Championships

Sources