In the wake of BC's sweep of Maine, Maine coach Shawn Walsh told the
following to USCHO's Jim Leonard:
 
"You have to be honest with yourself, you analyze it and you get better. In
our sport, they remember what happens in late March, not late January."
 
Certainly Walsh is right and this statement certainly puts the weekend in
perspective.
 
However, I sense a certain complacent undertone, not necessarily with this
statement by Coach Walsh or not necessarily with Walsh or any player in
particular.  Just a feeling I got this weekend watching the games.  There
is that sense that they know how to peak at the right time, and as
evidenced in the Frozen Four last year, they do.  Or rather, that they feel
they can get away with not playing 60 minutes.  35 or 40 minutes is ok to
get the win.  It wasn't this weekend.
 
The problem is before you can win in late March, you have to get to the
tournament first.
 
Five teams are not going to go to the NCAAs from Hockey East.  A strong
case is being made for Niagara University this year as well, who beat
Colorado College last night 3-1 and sits ahead of Maine in the Pairwise
Rankings.
 
Maine sits in fifth-place in Hockey East, but after this weekend's debacle
we still sit pretty well in the Pairwise Rankings.  If the season ended
today Maine would be going to the tournament, probably as a #2 or #3
seed.  This despite the fact that Maine won only 3 games in the entire
month of January  (3-4-2 by my quick count).
 
Walsh is right, the season is not lost.  But the margin for error is also
closing very quickly.
 
Thankfully, January is over and February starts Sunday night at UNH.  A win
at the Win-no-more Center would quickly erase this disappointing weekend
for our memories and give us the important season-series win over the hated
Wildcats.
 
-dt