Mid-States Club Hockey Association

The Mid-States Club Hockey Association, or MSCHA (and often referred to as Mid-States), is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of high school hockey. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, its primary duty is to run the league for high school club teams in the St. Louis area.

History

Originally known as the "Area High School Club Hockey League", the league was founded in 1972 with significant seed money and sponsorship from Union Electric, as well as support from the St. Louis Blues, including the donation of the Challenge Cup for the league's winner and free usage of The Arena for the grand final. At the time, organized youth hockey was experiencing a boom in the St. Louis area, mostly caused by the Blues' arrival and subsequent appearance in three Stanley Cup finals. Eight teams contested that first season, with DeSmet winning the first championship. Of the eight teams that played that first year, only four can claim to have been in every Mid-States season: SLUH, CBC, Kirkwood and DeSmet. The league grew quickly, achieving a high of over 50 teams in its second year (when it also changed its name to the current MSCHA), but it also experienced a high rate of attrition, as clubs were disbanded due to loss of players or the removal of school support. Nevertheless, throughout the '70s the league enjoyed great success. Plans were tabled for expansion to Kansas City and Columbia, but they were dropped following a dispute over travel costs and the loss of Columbia's ice rinks.

During the 1980s, the league went through several periods of change; a JV league was established for younger players, schools from new population centers such as West St. Louis County and St. Charles County joined, and the partnership with the Blues was extended to include cheerleading, as the team's "Blue Angels" sponsored a trophy for the best cheersquad. The playoff format was also changed (reportedly at the behest of CBC, angry at a shock loss to eventual league champion Hazelwood East) after the 1984 season into the current, highly idiosyncratic system. On the ice, the decade was dominated by a rivalry between DeSmet and CBC: for an eight-year period beginning in 1983, all grand finals (excluding the aforementioned Hazelwood East win) were contested between the two teams, with the Spartans winning four and CB taking three.

The '90s saw another boom in the league's popularity (triggered by a renewed Blues team and the presence of Brett Hull) and a shift in the balance of power from North County teams such as the Hazelwood schools to newer West County sides, as well as those in St. Charles. In addition to new schools quickly forming teams (resulting in a brief experiment in tiered competition), several former clubs rejoined, including charter member Whitfield. Off the ice, however, the league began to be marred by hooliganism, as the lack of school officials at most games meant that students could do things they would not normally do. Alcohol-fuelled brawls often occurred at games, chants and songs often swayed towards the vulgar, and some games were played in a haze of tobacco or cannabis smoke. In response, police presence at games was increased, alcohol was barred from the bleachers, and the league began to cooperate further with schools and encourage faculty/administrative presence at games to curb violence. Nonetheless, the league also experienced one of its most competitive periods at this time, as less traditional powers were able to succeed. Parkway South won two successive titles under coach Jack Behan, Vianney experienced a renaissance, and even SLUH, who despite their history had never been able to succeed in the playoffs, came within minutes of a title. The decade was closed out, though, by the re-emergence of DeSmet, who won three successive Challenge Cups from 1997-99.

The new millennium presented MSCHA with a large set of opportunities: the St. Louis hockey scene was booming, with players such as the Stastny brothers Paul and Yan, goaltender Ben Bishop and Cam Janssen honing their NHL-bound skills on high school teams. The league had signed a television contract with local cable provider Charter Communications (via its CCIN channel), allowing both league and playoff games, including Finals, to be seen in homes around the area. However, a series of ugly incidents cast a shadow on this success, including the paralyzing of a Priory skater during a game against Affton, further brawls among fans (most notably at Clayton-Ladue games, where the riot police has been called in several times), and a game where a Fort Zumwalt South player physically assaulted a referee, only to be hit back by the official. Two new post-season competitions were introduced, the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Cup and Founders Cup, both for teams that finished lower on the league ladder. But the biggest story had to be the utter dominance of one team: CBC. For four years (2002-06), the Cadets went undefeated, racking up an impressive 132 consecutive victories, including three Challenge Cups. The streak was broken, though, by a school that had traditionally been seen as a non-factor: Oakville, who developed a strong playing core and challenged the CB juggernaut twice in the Grand Final. The first one was a respectable CBC victory: the second, in 2006, was one for the ages, as the Tigers jumped out to an early lead only to see CBC score two goals. However, Oakville got a shorthanded goal late in the second period, and then got a third-period strike from the unheralded Michael Wirthlin to take a shock 3-2 lead. The Cadets pulled their goaltender (and mistakenly put out "two" extra attackers) in the dying seconds, but it was to no avail: Oakville had stopped the CBC juggernaut and ended a streak that stands as one of Missouri high school sports' greatest achievements. But despite this loss (and the further snapping of their regular-season and Metro division winning streaks by Francis Howell and Vianney, respectively), the Cadets came back to show that they were not down, winning the past two Challenge Cup Finals, both over Chaminade, by a combined score of 20-2.

External links

* [http://www.midstateshockey.org/ Official site]