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The Northwest Hockey Conference was
established in 1977. The objective in establishing the new league
was to upgrade the caliber of high school hockey in Northwest Ohio
for member schools. The founding members of the league felt strongly
that the best way to improve players’ abilities was to face better
competition during regular season play. Four of the key founding
members of the league included: Joe Czernicki, Athletic Director St.
John’s High School; Marv Dunn, Teacher and faculty advisor for
Bowling Green High School’s hockey program; Mike Root, Coach Findlay
High School; Cosimo Figliomeni, Coach St. John’s High School.
Unlike the Toledo City League, where
four of the original schools’ programs began, the Northwest Hockey
Conference is managed jointly by the administrators of each member
school, rather than by the coaches. The responsibility of conference
president is rotated among each member school and a commissioner is
elected each year to coordinate all league administration and
promotional responsibilities. By having the league managed by the
member schools’ administrators and by improving the level of play,
hockey has been elevated in these schools from “club” status to
“varsity” status, the same as other sports, including basketball and
football.
The new league evolved in the years
following the original 1977-78 season. As of the 2005-2006
season, there are a total of 18 teams in 3 separate divisions as
follows:
|
RED DIVISION |
WHITE DIVISION |
BLUE DIVISION |
|
Bowling Green |
Bedford, MI |
Anthony Wayne |
|
Findlay |
Maumee |
Fremont Ross |
|
Sylvania Northview |
Oregon Clay |
Lake |
|
Sylvania Southview |
Perrysburg |
Ottawa Hills |
|
Toledo St. Francis DeSales |
Toledo Central Catholic |
Springfield |
|
Toledo St. John's Jesuit |
Toledo Whitmer |
Toledo Start |
Northwest Hockey Conference member
schools have earned a spot in the finals of the state playoffs 15 times in
the league’s 25-year history and have earned a total of 10 state titles.
Member teams’ state playoff performance is as follows:
The league continues to be an active
competitor in high school hockey in Ohio, with member teams
competing in non-league games with teams from other states as well.
For more information about the Northwest
Hockey Conference, contact
Dave Fielding, Commissioner, at
419-878-3266 or Ron Belanga,
Secretary, at 419-349-5960. |
