Question to Kenny Zalewski, and anyone else who isn't yet convinced that for
the most part the Div 1 refs often stink.
 
Did you see the Harvard-RPI game Friday??
 
2 things to go over (apologies in advance for missing some names/numbers)
 
The power play that led to Harvard's go ahead goal came on a call by referess
MacConeghy (sp??). The call was on number 4 of RPI for a hooking call. The
play occurred at center ice, pretty much directly in front of where I was
sitting. MacConeghy was in front of the Harvard bench and both players
involved had their backs to him. From my vantage point what I (and those
around me) saw was RPI #4 deliver a vicous shoulder check to the Harvard
player who reached out and grabbed the RPI players stick on his way to the
ice. What MacConeghy called was a hook on the RPI player. How he could have
seen this to call it when both players backs were to him and their sticks in
front of them is a mystery to me??
 
This was a case where a bad call by a referee changed the course of the game
substantially.
 
The other indcident is even more egregious and inexcusable. Mid way through
the 3rd period the play was down in RPI's end. An RPI player (sorry again
missed the number) delivered a vicious but legal check into the boards on
Ciavaglia (Harvard #17) behind the RPI goal. the puck squirted loose and play
proceeded up ice, with the exception of Ciavaglia, the RPI player and
MacConeghy. Ciavaglia then hit the RPI player in retaliation away from the
play, and to the left of Little the RPI goalie. This occurred 5 feet in front
of MacConeghy who was FACING the altercation and watching with the whistle
in hand. The RPI player started to get up and Ciavaglia hovered over him and
pushed him back down onto the ice. By this time the play was out of the RPI
zone and up to the center line. MacConeghy was standing his ground, whistle in
hand raised to his lips. Everyone around me thought for sure he was calling an
interference against Ciavaglia. Instead he simply waited for Ciavaglia to
skate away, and the RPI player to get up, and then skated away to catch up
with the play, making no call at all on what was a BLATANT Interference
penalty which occurred 5 feet in front of him.
 
 
Now in all fairness I was impressed with the way MacConeghy called the first
40 minutes of the game. I thought the officiating during the first 2 periods
was as good as I had ever seen in the ECAC. This included a call on a blatant
hook that an RPI player commited against a Harvard player who had a 2 step
breakaway, a call the fans booed, but I thought was a deserved penalty.
The problem I had was that for the last 20 minutes of the game MacConeghy
trailed the play constantly, and made several lousy calls. His officiating of
the 3rd period was completely incosistent with that of the other 2, and had a
large part in changing the flow of the game. While it can't be argued that RPI
this year has been a bunch of angels (they lead the ECAC in penalty minutes),
they (and all the other ECAC and NCAA teams) deserve officials capable of
officiating a game in a consistent manner, and capable of keeping with the
play for a full 60 minutes.
 
So I'm wondering what you're perception of this game was, and anyone else who
might have been there?? And to the net in general has anyone else seen this
particular ref?? Has he shown this type of Jekyll & Hyde behavior before??
Is this phenomena isolated or are their other refs in Div 1 that show similar
inconcsistencies during the course of a single game??
 
- Jay H
 
Wondering if the unoffical theme song of NCAA referess is Talking Heads
"Crosseyed & Painless" ??
 
 
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