Pittsburgh, PA - The Pittsburgh Stars AAA Hockey Program, proud members of the Tier I Hockey Federation (T1HF) and the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAT1HL), turn the calendar to December and return to the ice this upcoming weekend, Dec 6 - 9, for exciting  AAA hockey action as they continue to celebrate the Star's 40th season.

Two Pittsburgh Stars teams, U12 AAA Pee Wee Major and the U13 Red AAA Bantam Minor Pittsburgh Stars will be in the greater Detroit area to participate in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL) Youth Championships.

The U12 AAA Pee Wee Major Pittsburgh Stars squad will open the T1EHL Championships on Saturday, Dec 7, against Victory Honda at 8:00 a.m. at the Dearborn Ice Skating Center in Dearborn, MI. Then later on Saturday they will face-off with the Carolina Jr Hurricanes at 5:15 p.m. at the Taylor Sports Center in Taylor, MI. On Sunday, the Pee Wee Stars will close round-robin play with a 5:15 p.m. opening face-off against the San Jose Jr Sharks back at the Dearborn Ice Skating Center. Seeding for semi-final and consolation games, scheduled for Monday, Dec 9 will occur after round-robin play concludes. The bracket championship game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. back at the Taylor Sports Complex on Monday, Dec 9.

The U13 AAA Red Bantam Minor Pittsburgh Stars squad will open the T1EHL Championships on Friday, Dec 6, against Belle Tire at 2:00 p.m. Then later on Friday, they will face-off with the Anaheim Jr Ducks at 8:15 p.m. Both games will be played at the Taylor Sports Center in Taylor, MI. On Saturday, the Bantam Minor Stars will close round-robin play with a 12:45 p.m. opening face-off against the Nashville Jr Predators at the Dearborn Ice Skating Center in Dearborn, MI. Seeding for semi-final and consolation games, scheduled for Sunday, Dec 8 will occur after round-robin play concludes. The bracket championship game is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. back at the Taylor Sports Complex on Sunday, Dec 8.

The U13 White Bantam Minor Pittsburgh Stars will be in Lockport, NY for The Cup Tournament this weekend. They open play on Friday, Dec 6, 8:30 a.m., against the Southtowns Stars. Game two will face-off later on Friday, 1:30 p.m., as the Stars take on the Texas Tigers. On Saturday, Dec 7, the Bantam Minor Stars will square-off with the West Senenca Wings at 10:30 a.m. The Stars conclude round-robin play with a 3:30 p.m. game on Saturday against the Mississauga Beast. Seeding for semi-final play on Sunday, Dec 8, will take place after the conclusion of round-robin play on Saturday. The Tournament's Championship game is set for 11:15 a.m. on Sunday. All Star's games will occur at the Cornerstone CFCU Arena in Lockport.

The U14 AAA Bantam Major Pittsburgh Stars will be in Pittsburgh for a pair of weekend games. First up will be a showdown with their cross-town rival the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite U14 Bantam Major squad on Friday, 6:50 p.m., at the UPMC Lemieux Facility in Cranberry Township, PA. Then on Saturday, the Bantam Major Stars will host an early morning showdown with the Florida Alliance U14 Bantam Major squad, 8:00 a.m., at the Pittsburgh Ice Arena in New Kensington, PA.

The U16 Midget Minor Pittsburgh Stars will return to the friendly confines of Pittsburgh Ice Arena in New Kensington, PA, for a three-game weekend. On Friday, Dec 6, the Stars Midget Minor squad will welcome the Chicago Mission to town for a 6:00 p.m. opening face-off. Then on Saturday and Sunday, the Stars will welcome the Palmyra Black Knights to the 'burgh for a pair of weekend T1HF league games. The Stars and Knights take to the ice on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6:00 p.m., and on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 9:00 a.m. 

The Saturday game, will serve as the U16 Stars Community Initiative Game with CJ's Choice being the selected charity to be honored that evening. Proceeds from that evening's game will be donated in benefit of CJ's Choice non-profit.

CJ's Choice is a non-profit organization dedicated to mental health awareness. Named for CJ Selfridge, a 22 years-old local hockey player from the Johnstown area who lost his life to mental illness last year, the nonprofit was started by Karter Cuppett, to honor CJ's memory and legacy.

CJ was an avid hockey player who loved helping people, especially young kids. The designated mission of the non-profit in his name is to give underprivileged kids the chance to play hockey. As such, CJ's Choice is dedicated to mental health awareness and helps buy equipment and pay for hockey lessons in CJ's name for those who can't afford it.

The U18 AAA Midget Major Pittsburgh Stars will likewise return to the friendly confines of Pittsburgh Ice Arena and play host to the Palmyra Black Knights for a pair of weekend games. The two Midget Major U18 AAA squads will face-off at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec 7, and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, Dec 8.

The U15 AAA Midget Minor Pittsburgh Stars will enjoy a scheduled weekend off.

Celebrating their 40th season during the 2024-25 season, the Pittsburgh Stars program is the oldest Tier I program in the Mid-American District of USA Hockey and one of the oldest Tier I programs under the USA Hockey umbrella.

Game schedules for the '24-'25 season, as well as team rosters, have all been posted to the various Pittsburgh Stars team pages on the Stars website (www.pittsburghstarshockey.com).