>Posted on 12 Apr 1995 at 22:39:52 by Tony Buffa
>
>Shriner AllStar game comments
 
>  It was great to see some of the people we here
>on the west coast almost never see, like Holzinger.  Also the DII and DIII
>people gave an excellent account of themselves.  One commentator made the
>point that those players may have been "just maturing" out of HS and after
>four years of DIII play, may be just as good as "the big boys" and
>possibly even get a shot at the NHL.
 
I'm not surprised that the Division II-III players did so well. Every
season I watch a few Division III games involving my undergraduate
Alma Mater (Bowdoin College) and am always impressed by the caliber of
the play. Many Division III players would perform more than adequately
in Division I. A good example is Bowdoin's Charlie Gaffney (the 1995
Division III Player of the Year). He's small, but he's also tough, and
with his quickness, he would still be able to execute his magic passes,
free himself for shots on net, and be deadly as a penalty killer.
Paul Croteau, a two-time All-America defenseman at Bowdoin, might not
have the speed of a Brian Mueller (Clarkson), but he would probably be
as effective in Division I as a Mike Traggio (Brown). There are many
other examples of highly skilled players who were either overlooked by
Division I coaches, or chose to play at the Division III level.
 
The bottom line is, watch some Division III hockey if you have the
chance. You won't be disappointed, and you may be surprised.
 
Luiz F. Valente