Bottom line, the strongest players were not there to represent the region. Was the face off guy even ranked in the top 10 on LI??
NO.
Too bad your "top 10 on LI" son was afraid to compete. Good luck with that attitude on the next level.
I don't think the players are afraid to compete, it is the parents of the players. There are parents out there who can not take it when other players are recognized over their son. I have listened to some of them many times complain about other players receiving more recognition than their son, I have also listened to the parents complain about how tryouts are fixed, rigged, political act... and that is why they do not have their son tryout.
These parents think that their son is the best and it drives them crazy when other players receive more accolades and or recognition.
