Mike Machnik writes:
 
>    Team Mass is now 4-0 with wins over Wisconsin, Team Southwest, Team
>    Pittsburgh, and Team North Dakota (3-1).  Adams has scored in every
>    game except the Wisconsin game and is Mass's leading scorer, I believe,
>    with something like 12 points in four games.
>
>    Merrimack people are wishing the season started tomorrow...
 
  With good reason to be sure, but there are smiles in Durham too -
 
     Jeff Lewis writes:
 
>    Team New Hampshire beat Massachusetts 4-3 in the finals of the Chicago
>    Showcase.  NH dominated play in the first period as Eric Royal scored
>    the first of his three unassisted goals at 2:40.
 
>    The furious play continued in the third period. Eric Royal scored again
>    at 1:22 to pu NH ahead 3-1.  Sean Perry pulled Mass to 3-2 at 3:18. Eric
>    Royal got his third goal on a power play at 9:49.
 
  A month ago I summarized UNH's 1990-91 campaign and included the following:
 
>     Against the eventual top-half of the league (BC/BU/PC/Maine)
> UNH's offensive ineptitude was particularly acute, averaging less than
> 2 goals/game overall, and only slightly better than a single goal/game
> away from Snively Arena.  This is hardly an encouraging thought for next
> year, when the 'Cats must travel to Maine, BU and PC for two games, a
> swing of three additional road "toughies" that were played in Durham during
> the 90-91 campaign.  Levy is a fine goalie - the key to their continuing
> improvement in HE [and now a Second-Team All-American] - but there'll be
> little chance for UNH to break into the top 3 if he has to post a Ken
> Dryden-like GAA closer to 2 than 3 to win.
 
> Without a proven sniper a two that forces opponents to adjust to *US* rather
> than spending our time chasing next year's HEM lines around the ice, I fear
> we're fated for 4th - 6th place finishes for the forseeable future.
 
  It's a lot of pressure to put on a freshman, but many of the UNH faithful
are hoping that Eric Royal will eventually become the game-in/game-out
offensive threat that hasn't skated for the 'Cats since the late 70's [Ralph
Cox, Bob Miller, Bob Gould, et al.].  The top-to-bottom competitive balance
in HE is so much greater than the days of the 16-team ECAC [UNH 90-91 season
was fourth-best in 64-year history of New Hampshire hockey, yet we finished
*fifth* in HE] that I'm not sure that highly-touted freshmen can make an
impact as freshmen or sophomores - time will tell ....  [of course, see
Jeff Levy as Exhibit 1 to bash THAT theory all to hell ....]
 
And finally, Mike writes:
 
>    I expect the big matchup will be between Mass & Minnesota ....
 
  Well, I see Mike's High School Tournament predictions are keeping up the
torrid pace he set in the HE and NCAA tournaments ..... :-)
 
					Cheers from the Chesapeake, Jim
 
Jim Love  <[log in to unmask]>  Univ. of Maryland System / Solomons, MD