I have to believe the finalists from Hockey East will come from the
following group:
 
F Chris O'Sullivan, BU
G Blair Allison, Maine
D Chris Imes, Maine
F Greg Bullock, UMass-Lowell
F Eric Flinton, UNH
F Eric Royal, UNH
F Jordon Shields, Northeastern
F Chad Quenneville, PC
 
O'Sullivan is the most talented forward out of HE.  I think there has
been a perception as the season has gone along that O'Sullivan has had
a lot to do with Grier's success, both from BU and non-BU people.  So,
while Grier could still make the list of ten, I certainly don't think
it would be at the expense of O'Sullivan.
 
Bullock is a question mark.  Again, people who follow HE are troubled
by his inconsistency and other things.  But his numbers are
impressive, and like O'Sullivan, he is still one of the better players
in the league.
 
Allison is the only goalie who I think has a realistic shot at making
it.  He's been a true iron man and been very consistent in his play.
Brian mentioned Merrimack's Marty Legault, which I will take as a sign
that my relentless plugging of him here is working :-) - still, he has
been ignored by the media.  But even I would not name him over Allison
right now - nor over the other players I mentioned.  He has become a
legitimate All-HE candidate, however.
 
Imes is a likely HE First Team defenseman, and he has had an immensely
positive effect on Maine's success.  You can't find many better
two-way Ds in the country...although his teammate, Jeff Tory, is
another.
 
The latter four (Flinton, Royal, Shields, Quenneville) haven't seemed
to have received too much recognition outside the league.  Flinton and
Royal have had great seasons for UNH, which has had a truly great
year.  Shields is perhaps the least-known of the four, but he has been
the best player for a talented yet underachieving NU squad.  And
Quenneville does not play for a very good team, but he always stands
out and perhaps belongs on a par with O'Sullivan and Bullock as the
most talented forwards in HE.
 
And of course, other factors involved in the voting may affect this,
too.
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                                            [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                    *HMM* 11/13/93