>According to the Harvard announcers, Riva ran Presifillippo from several
>feet out, intentionally turning around and skating into him backwards.
>Adams then grabbed Riva while Riva was upright, and they tumbled together.
>Neither got the better of the scuffle.  When Riva pointed back towards the
>Harvard bench, the announcers exchanged thusly:  A1:  "Riva is apparently
>attempting to claim that a Harvard player hit him from behind."  A2:  "That
>is simply a lie."  The announcers made various references throughout the
>rest of the period to this play (i.e., they never changed their stance),
>and opined that Riva should have been kicked out of the game, the
>building... possibly off the continent.
>
>Two eye witness accounts, and no reason to doubt either witness' sight or
>veracity.  I don't suppose there was  also a Harvard fan at the game, and a
>listener to the RPI boradcast, to make this an even foursome?
>
 
I can count for two of the four as I was listening to WRPI's broadcast
while at the game. I use the WRPI broadcasters account of the game to augment
my notes.
The announcers' vantage point is on the catwalk high above center ice,
about 6 feet from where the Harvard announcers were. They too, must have
been watching Tapper in the corner and the attempted pass richocheting
off the defenseman. The RPI announcers saw Riva slam into (yes, that was slam,
not bump) Prestifilippo but they admit to not seeing what happened prior.
Riva was spinning all right. He was on his way down from the cross check,
hit the goalie on his way down, knocking Prestifilippo in one direction
and then taking the net off the mooring as he bounced off the goalie.
He was on the ground when Adams and then Mark Moore went after him.
Then everyone joined in.
 
Aside from what I saw, look at it logically.  RPI was up 7-4 at the time.
Prestifillipo had let in quite a few soft goals. This wasn't a particularly
physical game so RPI tempers were not running high. Riva already had 5 points
on the night so its not as if he was having a bad night personally. And,
on top of all that, RPI goes up against the 1st place team on the road for
their
next game.  Everyone knows that the easiest way to get a game dq is to run
the goalie. Even discounting what I know I saw, it logically would make
no sense to take a run at Prestifilippo under those circumstances. Riva
had nothing to gain and everything to lose.  Plus my knowledge of the RPI team
suggests that, while, in the heat of the battle, there are a few RPI players
who "might" run a goalie, Riva is certainly not one of those people. And
frankly, as far as hockey games go, this was hardly the "heat of the battle".
 
 
As you say, put 4 people at a hockey game and you'll get at least
six different opinions of what took place..
 
 
 
(By the way, my seats are at the top of the face-off circle in the RPI
end of the ice in the 4th row. I wasn't more than 50 feet from the
play and I had a totally unobstructed view.)
Mark Lewin
RPI '69
 
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