><< he and Jack are birds of a feather... >>
 
I got a great kick out of a game a week or so ago when WZON color
analyst Marsh was talking up how Shawn could gripe to a ref ...  right
up to the edge without getting a penalty.  Not 30 seconds later ...
TWEET!  ...  2 minute bench minor.  Blair back-tracked a bit :-)
 
>This weekend - Any ideas about Merrimack?  I haven't looked to see what
>they've done the last couple weeks...
 
Until MikeM gives us the real poop, ...
 
MC Coach Chris Serino will bring a tougher team to Alfond Arena this
year.  Expect a tough series and maybe not as many points from the
weekend as you might think.
 
MC is 6-10-5 in HEA.  Their 17 points puts them in 6th place, a point
*ahead* of PC.  They *SWEPT* NU last weekend 1-0 and 3-2 (ot) in a
home-and-home series.  Lest anyone forget, they tied us last November
12th, 3-3.
 
Please note that MC's last 8 games have been decided by one goal or
less, with 7 of the 8 ending in OT.  Their 6 consecutive OT games is a
D-I NCAA record.
 
MC features good goaltending from Cris Classen (Welby may get a start,
but I don't know why) and very good team speed.  They are led by senior
Sandy Cohen, with Anthony Aquino and Greg Classen as excellent
underclassmen.  John Pyliotis is another excellent forward.  Tony White
leads the MC D, with Drew Hale and Tim Foster out or just back.
 
Yet MC is next to last in HEA scoring at about 2.5 gpg (Maine at about
3.7);  MC is next to last in HEA goals allowed at over 3.1 gpg (Maine is
at about 2.7).  We might worry a bit over our penalty kill (about 85%),
but that's more than 5 percentage points better than MC's.
 
Expect (IMHO, of course ...  and I'm always wrong!): Maine to hold MC's
top line to a point a game, and pressure and trick the not totally
healthy MC defense into a pair of 3-1 wins (6-2 if Welby plays).
 
Go blue!
 
Wayne T. Smith
[log in to unmask]                          Old Town Landing
Co-owner of the College Hockey lists - Hockey-L and Hockey3