-----Original Message-----
From: Joseph LaCour <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, February 04, 2000 9:46 AM
Subject: Re: (Fwd) 5 minute majors
 
 
>I saw the hit in the NoDak - UMinn game (courtesy of MSC).  That call was
>deserved.  My screen resolution does not give me a great view of the
>Commodore hit.  But hasn't Commodore been noticed before as a "chippy"
>player?  I think something about that hit the Clarkson board after the
NoDak
>series.
 
I thought the call in the Minn-NoDak game was deserved, but at the same
time, I don't think that there was any intent to injure.  To me, it looked
like more of a case of just not thinking about where they were.  This is why
checking from behind needs to be called all of the time, as a major, and not
just when someone gets hurt.  That's the only way you get players thinking
of it enough to make a difference.  Referees coming up with reasons not to
call it makes the problem worse.
 
Actually, there were two hits the next night, one each way, that I thought
also borderline deserved the 5 and a DQ.  These, of course, produced a total
of 2 minutes.  This was still not as bad as last week when the Gophers' Dan
Welch got a 5-minute major for butt-ending with three minutes to go in a tie
game.  I didn't see a replay, so for all I know it was entirely deserved.
But Mason had let a complete check from behind on John Pohl go uncalled a
couple of moments earlier, so it frosted me.
 
Again, you have to call this consistently and whenever it comes up, or you
won't solve the problem.  The NCAA tells us it's a point of emphasis, and
then never does anything about the officials that don't call it.  A "Do as I
say, not as I do" attitude is not sufficient on this issue.
 
J. Michael Neal
 
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