Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League (1960)

The Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League is a Midget U18 competition in the United States. It also has divisions ranging from U10 to U16, as well as girls leagues. The league dates all the way back to 1960.

History

from league website

The Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League (PAHL) began as an idea of a small group of men headed by Walter Brown, an Avalon businessman, and John Brosky, a judge in Allegheny County. Others credited with helping to get the league started include Jack Powell, Bill Siegried, Bob Klemz, Tony Magnelli, Mike Sutyak, Len Barcalow, and Joe Craig.

The group met with Allegheny County political leaders in December of 1960 to discuss the formation of a youth hockey league. The meeting took place at the North Park Skating Rink, which was set to open in just a few weeks. The county agreed to allow both the North Park and South Park skating venues to be used by the league on Saturday mornings before skating sessions. The county also agreed to pay for the cost of the ice time, allowing each player to register for just $5 to cover insurance costs.

And with that, the Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League was formed.

The first PAHL season was conducted in the spring of 1961, soon after the North Park Skating Rink had opened on February 18, 1961. The league had a grand total of 30 players. Games were organized on Saturday mornings among the participating players, and the PAHL was off to a modest but promising start.

The South Park Skating Rink opened on November 22, 1961, and with that, it was the 1961-62 season that first saw a formation of real teams: two at North Park and two at South Park. The teams were comprised of boys aged 10-14. The following season, an older "Midget" division was formed for players who were 14-16, and for the 1963-64 season, a “Juvenile” division was formed for ages 16-18.

Neither rink was ideal for hockey, as both were outdoors and only designed for skating sessions. The North Park rink, in particular, presented several challenges: it was much larger than a regulation-sized hockey rink, it had no markings for the red line or blue lines, and -- worst of all -- it had no dasher boards. But the league was intent on playing games and therefore adapted around the primitive setup. Cones were used to designate the red line and blue lines, and strict rules were put in place against checking, keeping players safe along the metal handrail and cyclone fencing along the perimeter of the ice surface. The first PAHL teams to play games in those conditions were truly trailblazers! Once the league proved it was here to stay, the county installed dasher boards around both rinks and painted lines under the ice surfaces.

But the original players of the PAHL got an early taste of upscale accommodations in March 1962, when a PAHL contest was held at the brand-new Civic Arena in downtown Pittsburgh. The game was played prior to a Dapper Dan exhibition game that pitted the Pittsburgh Hornets -- a minor league team in the AHL -- against the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, the parent club of the Hornets. The North Park team defeated the South Park team, 3-2, in the PAHL game, which propelled the young league to enduring success.

In 1964, the North Park group change its name to North Hills Amateur Hockey Association, or what would quickly and enduringly be known as “NHAHA.” Then in 1965, PAHL welcomed its first new association when Mon Valley joined, playing out of the new Rostraver Ice Garden near Belle Vernon.

The PAHL and its forefathers had quickly established itself as a legitimate youth sports league, setting itself up for more success when the Pittsburgh Penguins became the city's new professional hockey team as part of the NHL's expansion in 1967. The solid reputation of the PAHL and the widespread interest in the Penguins combined to bring about the construction of new hockey rinks in the region. And it did not take long for the PAHL grow again -- more than doubling in size, in fact -- with the addition of four associations in 1968: Armstrong, Cambria County, Eastern Pittsburgh, and Westmoreland. Armstrong was based out of the new Belmont Complex in Kittanning, Cambria County played out of the new War Memorial in Johnstown, Eastern Pittsburgh played out of the new Alpine Ice Chalet in Swissvale, and Westmoreland played out of the new Kirk Nevin Arena in Greensburg.

Four more organizations joined the PAHL in the 1970s: Beaver County was accepted in 1975, Mt Lebanon and Wheeling both joined in 1977, and Morgantown entered in 1979. The opening of new rinks again fed this growth into the promising league. Beaver County played out of the new Brady's Run Ice Rink after playing one unsanctioned season at the Sewickley Ice Arena. Mt Lebanon also christened its new rink in 1977, and the Wheeling Civic Center first opened its doors that same year. Morgantown played out of the new Morgantown Municipal Ice Arena, which was not fully enclosed at the time.

But the league's growth stalled as quickly as it came. For the entire decade of the 1980s, there were no new associations added to the PAHL. The league remained strong as hockey took hold in the region, but with no new rinks being built, no new associations were formed as new league members. The PAHL functioned quite well with its 10 teams, solidifying its structure and operations as it passed its 25th year of existence.

The arrival of Mario Lemieux to the Penguins' lineup in 1984 kept hockey alive in Pittsburgh and resulted in moderate growth for the PAHL. Central Pittsburgh -- the first and, to date, only member association to reside within the City of Pittsburgh -- joined the PAHL in 1990, playing out of the Neville Ice Arena on the city's South Side. Indiana County entered the league the following year, starting play out of the Belmont rink in Kittanning before its local rink opened a few years later.

But the biggest impact Pittsburgh's youth hockey landscape happened when Lemieux led the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1991 and 1992. In the 10 years that following those championships -- from 1992 to 2001 -- a total of 15 new associations joined the PAHL, with 16 new rinks opening in the region during that time. The organizations that joined during this time were Allegheny (1992), Butler Valley (1993), Airport (1993), North Pittsburgh (1994), Southpointe (1995), State College (1995), Lawrence County (1995), Somerset (1995), Erie (1995), South Hills (1995), Fayette County (1995), Crawford County (1997), Altoona (2000), Greater Pittsburgh (2000), Cumberland (2000), and Pittsburgh Predators (2001).

Growth of that magnitude was beyond the imagination of anyone who had participated in the PAHL in its early years, but the work and dedication of the league's forefathers still had the league prepared to take on those changes and thrive. Hockey in Pittsburgh was at an all-time high entering the new century, fueled further by Penguins star Jaromir Jagr being widely considered the NHL's best player and the storybook return of Mario Lemieux in December 2000.

But the new decade and all its promises ultimately failed to produce another wave of growth for the league. The 2000s were overcast by the distinct possibility that the Pittsburgh Penguins would relocate to a new city as the team struggled to remain competitive in a home building that had become outdated and dilapidated. The mix of optimism and uncertainty in the local hockey community yielded a mix of changes for the PAHL.

On the positive front, the league expanded into two new states. The addition of the Cumberland Rink Rats program in 2000 stretched the PAHL -- albeit briefly -- into the state of Maryland. The league then reached west to Ohio when the Youngstown Phantoms became a new PAHL member for the 2006-07 season. Growth also occurred in the heart of the league's territory, highlighted by a new PAHL organization moving into the Airport Ice Arena in 2005 as the Pittsburgh Aviators.

But the addition during the decade were not able to offset the loss of the three other members during the decade. Central Pittsburgh was forced to disband when their home rink was padlocked. The league subtracted another team in 2005 when the Fayette Firebirds went dormant, largely due to poor conditions at their home rink. The Cumberland was short-lived, ending its tenue in 2006 when the only rink in its area was converted into a soccer facility.

Changes in the 2000s were not just limited to additions and subtractions to the PAHL. Eastern Hockey Association merged with the Pittsburgh Amateur Penguins in 2001, and in that same year, Airport Area Hockey rebranded itself as just the Arctic Foxes (dropping "Airport" from the start of its name) as it moved to the Island Sports Center. Somerset lost its home rink in 2008, but the team rebranded itself as the Johnstown Jets in conjunction with a move to a relatively new facility in Ebensburg.

Several key events in the 2000s paved the way for new horizons in the 2010s, namely the arrival of Sidney Crosby in 2005, another Stanley Cup championship for the Penguins in 2009, and a deal to keep the NHL club in Pittsburgh with a pristine new area. Hockey in the region had been rejuvenated again, but most of the growth was within the member associations, as participation numbers ballooned at the existing ice rinks in the tri-state area. A new association in Fayette County -- the Fayette Ice Miners -- was the last new member to join the PAHL, entering in 2011 as the 28th member of the league.

The PAHL had reached its 50th season, and it was bigger and stronger than ever. It became evident that the league must evolve itself to keep up with its current state, and from that, the PAHL recognized the need to enlist a person dedicated to running league operations. In 2013, Darcee Purvis was put into that role, serving as the league's first Executive Director. Purvis has help found the Allegheny Badgers and had been serving as the league's president for many years. The full-time position was funded through the introduction of a "per-player fee," and while the PAHL remained a grassroots organization, having a person dedicated to the league's routine functions put the league and its members in a position for prolonged success.

The success of the Pittsburgh Penguins continued in the 2010s, too. The team was annually in the hunt for more championships throughout the decade, culminating with another set of back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017. The burgeoning attractiveness of a local pro team with star players and multiple championships made the sport -- once a niche activity with a limited audience -- wildly popular at all ages. The PAHL associations continued to bring in more players and field more teams, making each association bigger than it had ever been.

As those associations blossomed, many also evolved in the 2010s and 2020s. The Pittsburgh Amateur Penguins became the Steel City Ice Renegades in 2012 before changing again to the Pittsburgh Vengeance in 2024. The Pittsburgh Aviators became orphaned when the Airport Ice Arena closed in 2016, and the team became nomads for several season -- which included playing some home games in Erie -- before settling into the McKnight Hockey Center in 2024. Butler Valley became the Pittsburgh Yetis in 2020, and the Southpointe association rebranded itself as the South Pittsburgh Rebellion in 2021.

Unfortunately, the 2020s got off to a poor start worldwide with a global pandemic, and the subsequent impact on the PAHL resulted in the loss of three member associations: the Johnstown Jets, Fayette Ice Miners, and sadly, the founding North Hills Vipers. An inevitable downturn in the on-ice success of the Penguins prevented any immediate rebound from those league-level losses, but the number of teams and players within most associations held strong.

The mid-2020s brought about more change in the PAHL, as well. Darcee Purvis retired from the league in 2023, ending a tremendously successful run as the league's administrator. David L. Fryer, Jr. was brought in to fill that void, and the PAHL turned its focus away from growth and onto advancement. League operations were streamlined with the implementation of new technology, the league's playing rules were overhauled to improve the player experience, and the league added electronic scoresheets, live scoring, and public statistics.

The PAHL -- which humbly started with just 2 rinks and 30 players in Allegheny County -- now boasts 25 strong organizations of over 6,000 players and over 1,000 coaches participating in more than 30 rinks across 3 states.

Teams

Current

• Allegheny Badgers
• Altoona Trackers
• Arctic Foxes
• Armstrong Arrows
• Beaver County Badgers
• Crawford County Flames
• Erie Jr. Otters
• Indiana Chiefs
• Johnstown Warriors
• Lawrence County Lightning
• Mon Valley Thunder
• Morgantown Blades
• Mt. Lebanon Hornets
• North Pittsburgh Wildcats
• Pittsburgh Aviators
• Pittsburgh Huskies
• Pittsburgh Predators
• Pittsburgh Yetis
• South Hills Panthers
• South Pittsburgh Rebellion
• State College Icers
• Westmoreland Eagles
• Wheeling Nailers
• Youngstown Phantoms

Former

• Central Pittsburgh Cyclones
• Cumberland River Rats
• Eastern Tigers
• Fayette Firebirds
• Fayette Ice Miners
• Johnstown Jets
• North Hills Vipers
• Somerset Chill

Standings

2025-26

U18AA

Team	GP	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA
Armstrong Arrows	20	16	1	3	35	96	19
Arctic Foxes	20	14	2	4	32	81	25
Pittsburgh Vengeance	20	11	6	3	25	86	51
Allegheny Badgers	20	10	8	2	22	68	57
Mt Lebanon Hornets	20	9	9	2	20	46	40
Pittsburgh Yetis	20	3	17	0	6	21	89
North Pittsburgh Wildcats	20	0	20	0	0	16	133

U18 A1

TEAM	GP	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA
Beaver County Badgers	20	14	2	4	32	90	48
Indiana Chiefs	20	11	6	3	25	76	56
South Hills Panthers	20	10	7	3	23	73	67
Erie Junior Otters	20	10	7	3	23	92	63
Pittsburgh Predators	20	9	8	3	21	84	86
Arctic Foxes	20	9	9	2	20	81	72
Westmoreland Eagles	20	9	9	2	20	73	75
State College Icers	20	8	9	3	19	65	84
Johnstown Warriors	20	7	11	2	16	66	72
South Pittsburgh Rebellion 2	20	5	11	4	14	56	77
South Pittsburgh Rebellion 1	20	3	16	1	7	43	99

U18 A2

Team	GP	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA
Allegheny Badgers	20	15	2	3	33	139	55
Pittsburgh Vengeance	20	14	3	3	31	104	36
Johnstown Warriors	20	12	4	4	28	94	57
Lawrence County Lightning	20	12	6	2	26	100	62
Morgantown Blades	20	5	11	4	14	60	94
Arctic Foxes	20	6	13	1	13	61	99
South Hills Panthers	20	5	13	2	12	71	126
Mon Valley Thunder	20	1	18	1	3	43	143

2024-25

U18AA

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Armstrong Arrows	28	20	12	4	4	70	46
Mt Lebanon Hornets	27	20	12	5	3	69	36
Pittsburgh Vengeance	26	20	10	4	6	78	62
Allegheny Badgers	25	20	11	6	3	77	49
Arctic Foxes	21	20	9	8	3	74	63
Pittsburgh Vengeance 2	20	20	8	8	4	53	52
North Pittsburgh Wildcats	11	20	4	13	3	50	99
SouthPittsburgh Rebellion	2	20	0	18	2	32	96

U18 A Major

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Allegheny Badgers 2	38	20	19	1	0	99	26
Mt Lebanon Hornets 2	24	20	11	7	2	60	49
Pittsburgh Yetis	21	20	9	8	3	73	70
South Hills Panthers	21	20	9	8	3	62	73
Indiana Chiefs	20	20	9	9	2	56	43
Westmoreland Eagles	18	20	9	11	0	58	70
Pittsburgh Aviators	13	20	6	13	1	54	86
Arctic Foxes 2	5	20	2	17	1	37	82

U18 A Minor

Team	PTS	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Beaver County Badgers	31	20	14	3	3	100	46
Johnstown Warriors	29	20	13	4	3	68	32
State College Icers	29	20	12	3	5	88	45
Allegheny Badgers 3	25	20	10	5	5	79	57
Lawrence County Lightning	24	20	10	6	4	86	55
Pittsburgh Vengeance 3	23	20	10	7	3	74	58
Wheeling Nailers	15	20	6	11	3	66	75
South Hills Panthers 2	4	20	2	18	0	62	147
Arctic Foxes 3	0	20	0	20	0	30	138

2023-24

U18AA

Team	PTS	FPP	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Armstrong Arrows	49	16	20	15	2	3	90	27
Pittsburgh Predators	46	16	20	14	4	2	90	47
Mt Lebanon Hornets	46	18	20	11	3	6	74	42
North Pittsburgh Wildcats	39	17	20	9	7	4	80	63
Steel City Ice Renegades	38	14	20	9	5	6	71	46
North Hills Vipers	25	16	20	4	15	1	49	87
Allegheny Badgers	23	14	20	4	15	1	37	105
South Hills Panthers	21	16	20	1	16	3	42	116

U18 A Major

Team	PTS	FPP	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Westmoreland Eagles	49	20	20	12	3	5	80	40
Indiana Chiefs	48	15	20	15	2	3	86	39
Beaver County Badgers	45	15	20	13	3	4	111	66
Pittsburgh Arctic Foxes	43	16	20	11	4	5	86	46
Mt Lebanon Hornets	38	18	20	9	9	2	52	58
South Hills Panthers	37	19	20	8	10	2	69	72
Pittsburgh Yetis	36	16	20	9	9	2	83	81
Johnstown Warriors	25	17	20	3	15	2	56	99
Wheeling Nailers	20	9	20	5	14	1	70	118
Lawrence County Lightning	13	9	20	1	17	2	37	111

U18 A Minor

Team	PTS	FPP	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
Allegheny Badgers	48	16	20	16	4	0	103	35
Pittsburgh Arctic Foxes 2	45	13	20	15	3	2	102	45
South Hills Panthers	32	14	20	8	10	2	52	70
Beaver County Badgers	31	11	20	8	8	4	62	66
Steel City Ice Renegades	27	12	20	7	12	1	64	73
Pittsburgh Arctic Foxes 3	18	15	20	1	18	1	37	131

2022-23

U18AA

Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts(FPP)
Mt. Lebanon Hornets	20	16	0	4	84	31	36(20)
Pittsburgh Arctic Foxes	20	14	4	2	76	42	30(18)
Steel City Ice Renegades	20	13	3	4	93	38	30(16)
Armstrong Arrows	20	10	6	4	76	58	24(18)
Westmoreland Eagles	20	11	7	2	72	57	24(17)
Pittsburgh Predators	20	6	12	2	74	65	14(17)
South Hills Panthers	20	5	14	1	49	109	11(12)
Lawrence County Lightning	20	2	17	1	40	112	5(17)
North Pittsburgh Wildcats	20	3	17	0	39	91	6(11)

U18A Major

Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts(FPP)
Beaver County Badgers	20	14	4	2	76	51	30(19)
Johnstown Warriors	20	14	4	2	108	62	30(17)
Allegheny Badgers	20	10	8	2	74	63	22(13)
Steel City Ice Renegades	20	11	8	1	97	88	23(11)
Mt Lebanon Hornets	20	8	10	2	61	65	18(14)
Pittsburgh Aviators	20	6	14	0	75	97	12(15)
South Hills Panthers	20	2	17	1	52	117	5(17)

U18A Minor

Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts(FPP)
Wheeling Nailers	20	18	1	1	100	30	37(16)
Mon Valley Thunder	20	13	4	3	83	63	29(15)
North Hills Vipers	20	12	6	2	72	48	26(17)
Pittsburgh Arctic Foxes	20	9	7	4	82	59	22(16)
Altoona Trackers	20	9	11	0	61	63	18(14)
South Hills Panthers	20	8	11	1	80	86	17(15)
Lawrence County Lightning	20	3	15	2	63	102	8(16)
Johnstown Warriors	20	1	18	1	38	126	3(14)

2021-22

U18AA

Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts(FPP)
Pittsburgh Arctic Foxes	20	17	0	3	91	30	37(17)
Allegheny Badgers	20	12	6	2	78	44	26(15)
Armstrong Arrows	20	9	7	4	73	56	22(11)
Pittsburgh Predators (#304)	20	10	7	3	59	64	23(8)
Steel City Ice Renegades	20	7	10	3	54	77	17(12)
Pittsburgh Predators (#305)	20	3	12	5	45	69	11(18)
South Hills Panthers	20	1	17	2	42	102	4(15)

U18A Major

Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts(FPP)
Lawrence County Lightning	20	18	1	1	129	38	37(16)
North Hills Vipers	20	14	3	3	85	43	31(17)
North Pittsburgh Wildcats	20	11	5	4	72	54	26(18)
Johnstown Jets	20	13	6	1	79	45	27(15)
South Hills Panthers (#270)	20	12	5	3	67	45	27(12)
Pittsburgh Aviators	20	9	8	3	79	67	21(14)
Allegheny Badgers	20	9	9	2	68	60	20(14)
Steel City Ice Renegades	20	8	9	3	69	80	19(15)
Pittsburgh Arctic Foxes	20	6	12	2	42	68	14(14)
Wheeling Jr. Nailers	20	3	13	4	42	75	10(15)
South Hills Panthers (#271)	20	3	16	1	55	125	10(15)
Morgantown Blades	20	0	19	1	34	121	1(19)

U18A Minor

Team	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts(FPP)
Armstrong Arrows	20	16	2	2	132	54	34(14)
Lawrence County Lightning	20	14	4	2	109	54	30(18)
South Hills Panthers	20	12	6	2	96	61	26(15)
Mon Valley Thunder	20	11	5	4	97	60	26(10)
Altoona Trackers	20	8	11	1	76	88	17(19)
Pittsburgh Arctic Foxes	20	3	17	0	47	96	6(17)
Connellsville Ice Miners	20	0	19	1	34	178	1(12)

External links

• Official website