On rivalries...
 
I think BU/BC and Clarkson/SLU are the best rivalries in the East, both
having all the key elements of a great rivalry: both pairs have a history of
competing at the top level (thus, stakes are often high), proximal
geography forces local fans to pick one or the other (leading to good
inter-family arguments, I suspect) and the players always treat it like
"THE" game. Harvard/Yale is a great rivalry, but I suspect that the Harvard
players haven't always viewed it so. Others have commented on the one-way
aspects of Cornell/Harvard, RPI/Union, etc. Maine/BU is my Hockey East
runner-up. Although a young rivalry, it should be a good one as long
as Walsh and Parker remain the respective coaches.
 
On freshmen goalies...
 
Greg Berge was right - you run a great risk starting a new cycle every
four years. I suspect that most great four year goaltending tandems are
the product of a coaching staff underestimating one recruit or hedging
their bets (sometimes with duplicity -- Tripp Tracy didn't know anything
about Aaron Israel's going to Harvard until it was too late to do much
about it).
 
And add to the list of four year tandems Princeton's Ron High and Mark
Salsbury (class of '91) and Dave Shea and Dave Marotta (class of '87).
All four players had their best years as underclassmen, probably a
function of prolonged mental duress under a coach who made Mike Keenan
look decisive when it came to handling goalies.
 
Geoff Howell
 
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