Penticton Minor Hockey tournaments--Don't go!!!

[ververgaert]

I have just returned from a midget house tournament in Penticton and have to say that I would never go to another as long as I have boys in Hockey. If your association is thinking of going I would highly recomend that you vote against it.

I Packed my family in the van and risked all our lives on the Hope- Princeton to get to Penticton,dropped close to a thousand bucks on hotels, meals,gas and amusments only to have my Son and his teamates treated like garbage by Penticton minor hockey officals and the Referees who did their dirty work.

As an association they should be embarrased by the tournament they put on. Every other tournament including one in Penticton had drinks for the players after the game, game M.P.V. medals or certificates and comemorative shirts or hats for all the kids . For some reason, probably financal, this association had absolutely nothing. I guess the money was more importaNT than treating the players well.

If this wasn't bad enough the way the boys were treated on the ice by the officals was nothing short of disgusting. Both the officals and the Penticton minor hockey executive should be extremely embarrased and ashamed of themselves. As parents of hockey
plyers we count on them to help teach our kids the game we love and they let us down in a big way.

The two referees our sons had the mispleasure of having work their games were nothing short of disgracefull and should have there jerseys taken away for the good of kids every were. One was in his late teens and was probably intimidated by the Penticton minor hockey officals into acting the way he did but the other was a grown man who had no reason to behave the way he did.

What should have been a great time with good hockey was delberatly ruined by Penticton minor hockey officals and there blatantly biased ref's. If they don't wan't teams from the coast to come up and be competitive then they should not invite them. To tear one group of kids down for the betterment of others is really sick. Penticton parents should really re-think who they have running there association.

To other parents with kids in hockey Iwould seriosly think about going elswhere. To penticton minor hockey officals I say smarten up!!

[tuzzi44]

sorry to hear about your bad experience!! what kind of calls were the refs making??

[ververgaert]

As this was a no contact tournament and North Delta were the only team that played full contact hockey in there regular games it was obvious that the Penticton minor hockey association executive had spoken to the referees and warned them that our boys might be playing the body more than there boys were used to. Fair enough, I wouldn't expect anything less. Infact not talking to the officals would have been rresponsible. But what should have been said and what was said were obviously two different things.

The first couple of shifts the boys were called for body checking right away. Pretty tame stuff, nothing open ice or anything. So the boys figured they had to stick check only. Then the hooking the stick and slashing the stick penalties started. Not hooking or slashing the player but the stick. When the Delta Captian and assistants questioned thew call the ref snapped " I,m not talking to I don't care about the "A" .

As soon as the boys started complaining about the things they were bieg called for and not the other team he started handing out misconducts after every call. Soon we had no bench left and spent most of the game killing penalties. My son had to play five minutes of Midget hockey without a break. A dangerous situation to put a kid in because of extremely thin skin.

It was obvious that they were way to keyed up to let the Delta players know they wern't going to take any "shit" and as a result went way overboard.

This and rediculous time keeping, not starting the clock when Delta was penalty killing and running after the whistle late in games they were trying to come back in. Like were not going to notice that. But the ref's refused to listen to the Delta players with letters or talk it over with the coaches. Just complete assholes.

They actually blatantly tried to cheat!! And when called on it the shoved there heads up there ass's and pretended not to notice our challanges to there crap.

But my 15 yr old son summed it up the best on the way home when I was still complaining about the middle aged ref that worked North Delta's l;ast game, " Don't let it bug you Dad, the guy is a failure at life"

[ververgaert]

In fairness to the young referee that worked the North Delta's teams forth game against Penticton . I have to say that he obviously had enough proffesionalism to make his own mind up about the players from the coast and not be bullied by the Penticton minor hockey executive.

In that game The team from Penticton took a ton of penalties to the few that Delta took and as a result Delta won quite handily. That young man did a good job so the future of refereeing in Penticton is not all bad. Although the linesman in that fourth game who was the ref in the third game was a completely biased idiot who was joking with the Penticton players all game and treating tthe Delta boys like crap. He was a total waste of skin.

I hope that one Ref that did things right is not in trouble with the Penticton minor hockey association for not towing the association line and cheating.