Just thought I owed the list some comments after a two-game visit to
Amherst,and seeing Mass. A & M, and a nice time on Monday evening courtesy
of 1510 the Zone, sports radio in Boston, where you can hear former UMaine
ice hockey captain Ray Jacques on the Eddie and Jag show every Thursday
during the noon to 3 PM slot (and they are on the Internet too at
www.1510thezone.com ).

As to the Amherst games:

Controlled aggression is part of winning hockey at every level.  Failure to
take the man only gets a win in the NHL All Star Game...

Kudos for Coach in recognizing that having Prestin Ryan and Paul Lynch back
in the lineup could take the battle back to the opponent after the
disappointing Friday performance, and result in better things.  High marks
to both players for physical play, but not taking cheap shots or
retailiation, even after certain provocations.  Referee Hansen could easily
have been looking for major-league makeup calls by the final period
Saturday, especially after the spearing  major call.

You could literally see ZooMass players flinching by sometime in the second
period Saturday when certain Maine lines were on the ice !

Defense led to several transition opportunities in Game Two as the shot
total of  38-18 in Maine's favor showed compared to 31-30 on the negative
side the previous evening.

What concerns me this late in the season is, however, the same juggling of
lines.  Time has come to get solid combinations on the ice consistently so
that the players become used to the tendencies of their linemates, on both
ends of the ice.  I think other than due to injury, we have to now set four
lines and three defensive pairings that we will live (or die) with through
to the Round of 4 x 4 and possibly....

With some help from Lindsay, here are my thoughts after a visit to the
Mullins Center:

Dan's Top Ten Reasons why the University of Massachusetts - Amherst is
still a second-tier program:

Considering a three BILLION dollar deficit in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, one has to wonder why:

10.  The arena remains named for a long-deceased Mass. legislator who
lobbied for taxpayers to build the place
      instead of shopping around lucrative naming rights

9.  Doing naming / ad placement deals could start small with their ice
resurfacer...

8.  The student meal plan is a major stadium ad sponsor, then their large
ads are placed BEHIND the student seats. !!

and then, to support their lowly status, think of this...

7.   Low behind-goal glass leads to lots of extra stoppages in play when
puck hits net instead of glass....

6.  Their (sponsorless) ice resurfacer is NOT Zamboni brand...

5.   Horrible ice conditions by Saturday night of the two game series...

4.   No band at games (certainly can't be because they need their seats to
sell)...

3.   Vulgar student cheers: surely must drive away families who might
otherwise attend good college hockey games

2.  Local TV station chooses to send out a video crew to local HS swimming
meet instead of hockey game
      their State University plays against a nationally ranked team...

1.  Students turned out Friday night in T-shirts for FoxNE TV:  must have
got "Wear White" Night confused
      with "Where's Whitey ?" Night.. (reference to Ten Most Wanted
fugitive brother of school president)

GO BLUE !!  at the sold-out Alfond Arena (which probably should call it the
Shawn Walsh Rink at Alfond Arena)

Dan Doucette

















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