Revisit the Results of VT 10U Tier 3 Playdowns
The Issue
Rutland Amateur Hockey Association recently played in a U10 T3 Playdown event in Montpelier, Vermont this past weekend. Their team tied for first with two other teams, which triggered a tie breaker. Parents have significant concerns about the way the tie breaker was handled and our association and the state are not doing anything to rectify the situation.
The three teams tied on the first three tie breaker scenarios, bringing them to the fourth rule. The VSAHA is arguing that “highest goal differential” means the number of goals for divided by the number of goals against. Differential, by definition, including on the USA Hockey site is defined as number of goals for minus number of goals against. VSAHA argues that they didn’t mean subtraction when using the word differential, which seems uncomfortable and inappropriate. Since we have brought this situation to light, VSAHA has gone in and changed the tournament rules, crossing out the word "differential." Changing rules after the fact is very clearly a form of cheating and of rigging the system to get desirable outcomes.
Nobody in the state or the association is listening or taking action. We have a team of 10 year old boys who we now have to explain to that they’re not going to move forward in the bracket because the people in power have a poorly written rule.
We are urging somebody from USA Hockey to reach out to VSAHA and help to fix and rectify this situation. Their rationale of “well that’s just not what we meant” isn’t cutting it for many of our players and their families. We owe it to our children to demonstrate that vocabulary is important and being specific in word choice is a lifelong skill.
We are requesting that the scores be revisited and calculated in the way they were initially specified they would be (i.e. using a differential). If not, our teams should be granted the opportunity to play again under the quotient rule.
Original rules that our team played under.
New rules that were changed after this discrepancy was brought to the attention of VSAHA and RAHA. (and after the playdowns were completed)
Petition Closed
The Issue
Rutland Amateur Hockey Association recently played in a U10 T3 Playdown event in Montpelier, Vermont this past weekend. Their team tied for first with two other teams, which triggered a tie breaker. Parents have significant concerns about the way the tie breaker was handled and our association and the state are not doing anything to rectify the situation.
The three teams tied on the first three tie breaker scenarios, bringing them to the fourth rule. The VSAHA is arguing that “highest goal differential” means the number of goals for divided by the number of goals against. Differential, by definition, including on the USA Hockey site is defined as number of goals for minus number of goals against. VSAHA argues that they didn’t mean subtraction when using the word differential, which seems uncomfortable and inappropriate. Since we have brought this situation to light, VSAHA has gone in and changed the tournament rules, crossing out the word "differential." Changing rules after the fact is very clearly a form of cheating and of rigging the system to get desirable outcomes.
Nobody in the state or the association is listening or taking action. We have a team of 10 year old boys who we now have to explain to that they’re not going to move forward in the bracket because the people in power have a poorly written rule.
We are urging somebody from USA Hockey to reach out to VSAHA and help to fix and rectify this situation. Their rationale of “well that’s just not what we meant” isn’t cutting it for many of our players and their families. We owe it to our children to demonstrate that vocabulary is important and being specific in word choice is a lifelong skill.
We are requesting that the scores be revisited and calculated in the way they were initially specified they would be (i.e. using a differential). If not, our teams should be granted the opportunity to play again under the quotient rule.
Original rules that our team played under.
New rules that were changed after this discrepancy was brought to the attention of VSAHA and RAHA. (and after the playdowns were completed)
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on February 15, 2022