Lindsay and I continue the "time and resources to travel with and watch"
Maine hockey tour,  this afternoon visiting Durham, New Hampshire.  Some
comments about today's action:
 
Anyone who puts any responsibility on Yeats for the loss did not watch
carefully.  He turned aside every first shot, and the lone goal came
without defensive assistance on a rebound off a breakaway shot.    He made
one outstanding save in the second which certainly was red light had he not
slid across the crease on a second chance shot.   An Alfie-like performance
which should silence those who doubted Maine's strength in goal this season
in big games.
 
Maine was scored upon when caught flat-footed on a line change, clumped
around the bench when Nuevo Hampshire found the puck at center ice without
any defence pressure.  The extra man penalty called in the first period may
have made Maine more cautious when making a line change.
 
Fitzy's quick whistles on Yeats' tieing up the puck in the first period
really help set a tone and may have given him some added confidence.
 
What concerns me is that for most of the game it seems Maine's first
decision when crossing into the offensive zone was passing, almost
exclusively.   Open lanes were available on goaltender Conklin on several
occasions, but several times a pass was made instead of a shot-on.
 
I think back to the Bruins game against Toronto the other night when Kyle
McLaren scored from 70 feet out on all-star Cujo.  It was so enjoyable to
see da Broons put it on rather than look for a pass first.  There's an old
saying in hockey...put it on net and good things will happen.
 
Finally, we found a sheet which attempted to prompt the home fans to start
some scripted cheers.  They only got to five of the twelve on the list,
which appear to be the same cheers as past years.
 
Oh, yeah, the "s*ck" cheer was missing from the list, but was not missing
from the lips of the troglodytes passing as New Hampshire students.  It was
an afternoon game with lots of children present, shameful.
 
I wonder if our visiting fans were treated better than past years.  We had
no problems sitting one section over from the visitor's customary corner
position.
 
Since the regular season championship is out of the question, Maine now
needs to peak, and VERY quickly, to try for the post-season HE title.  Any
more losses, especially now the rest is against teams in the lower
rankings, will not bode well for making Maine a possible fifth-in to the
Tournament.   Look at what Merrimack did against New Hampshire in the game
before today's...
 
DISCLAIMER:  I was not present in the locker room this game either.  What I
said is what I saw, and my opinion thereupon.
 
GO MAINE !!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dan Doucette
 
Maine - National Champions 1993 and 1999 -
first in the new Millennium ?
 
Bill Gates should be sentenced to using a Macintosh
for the rest of his natural life.