MAHA Winter Meeting report: Atkinson re-elected as president

By @MichaelCaples and @StefanKubus –

SOUTHGATE – On Saturday morning at the Southgate Holiday Inn, the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association held their annual Winter Meeting to discuss rules that members will vote on this summer.

They also held important votes for positions within their ranks, including who will serve as president of MAHA starting this summer.

George Atkinson retained his position as president, after a vote was held between him and Larry Johnson.

Here are the positions that were up for election, and the results:

President – George Atkinson

Vice president of appeals – Rick Frescura

USA directors – Roger Mauritho, Larry Johnson

Vice president of officials – Judy Niemi

Vice president of adults – Ray Kraemer

The MAHA members also voted on whether proposed rule changes should be moved forward to the upcoming summer meeting. Here are some of the notable rule changes that will be officially decided on come July:

Rule II Paragraph K

Current rule reads: “Each youth division team may roster (20) players, including goaltenders. The maximum number of players, excluding goalkeepers, shall not exceed 19. Adult Division classification teams may register (25) players.

Revision: “Each youth classification Invitational Tournament, Pre/Post and Regular season type team may roster (20) players, including goaltenders. The maximum number of players, excluding goalkeepers, shall not exceed 18. Spring/Summer type teams formed to play between the end of the last USA Hockey Youth/Girls National Championship and August 31 have a limit of twenty-five (25) players on a roster and may dress (20) players per game. Adult classification teams may roster (25) players during any season.”

Reason for change: “To bring us in line with the USA Hockey rule”

Rule VI. K. 5

“Division 1 teams may not have more than three (3) six (6) players who reside outside the MAHA District in which the team is registered. If the player is out of district, but is within the school district from which the majority of the team’s players come from, that player is not considered out of district. Division 2 has no out-of-district restriction.”

Reason for change: “To match this rule with the MAHA rule for the Midget divisions”

Rule VI. Division Classifications: Definitions & Rules

Proposed revision: Table P-1 – MAHA Game Count Allowances

Reason for change: “Reducing game maximums to allow for better practice-game ratios. Excessive competition does not benefit player development, while lack of rest and recovery hurt long-term development. Youth schedules are almost as demanding as professional schedules, which is ridiculous, and even college hockey limits competitions to fewer than most of MAHA’s limits, recognizing that hockey players need to be students also and have a life outside of hockey. The limits proposed here should actually be lowered in many cases.”

Rule VI. L. (All Girls Classifications & Categories)

“Any association or club team with a head coach, assistant coach or manager that formerly coaches or managed in another association or club shall not have a team with more than 50% of its players who played on a team coached or managed by one or more of these individuals during the preceding or regular season.”

Reason for change: “This is similar to the current rule in Youth House/Rec Category B and BB divisions and the intent is to allow girls associations the opportunity to grow. History has shown that when a coach and group of players changes associations in mass, the team at the previous association folds, which means less places for girls to play. Coaches moving whole teams or the majority of a team or players from association to association does not serve to grow the game.”

The MAHA Summer Meeting will take place at Shanty Creek from July 7-10.