>       On 30 Dec 1995, Walter W Olson wrote:
>
>Where do they find these guys they call "referees?"  They totally
>dominated the game between two fine teams. I am wondering how to write
>this commentary without sounding like sour grapes -- it was not the
>decision of either team that determined the outcome of this game. The refs
>saw things that were not there on video replay and then missed blatant and
>obvious calls that were inexcusable on both teams. Then after not calling
>a single incident (and there were multiple calls that should have been
>called in OT) they make a marginal call halfway through the OT that
>decides the game!
>
>  <snip>
>
>Sotiroff, who got tired of watching hockey, pulled his whistle out of his
>#$%^ and decided that MTU's Savage was holding an MSU player in the middle
>of the slot.  Both players were moving close together to the MTU net in
>traffic without the puck. Savage probably did slow the MSU player but
>certainly nothing that was serious enough to be called at that critical
>point of the game and probably wouldn't have been called earlier.
>Regardless, Tuzzolino after jockeying the puck to (I believe) Carter
>received the return pass and slapped home a shot that deflected off a
>player past Caravaggio for the game winner.  The refs were the game, not
>the teams or their play.
>
>Walt Olson MTU
 
Let's take off the silver, gold, and black colored glasses for a second!
Both teams, especially MTU, played undisciplined hockey and took many
STUPID penalties.  In fact, I mentioned to my sister (who is an MTU alum)
that if Tech took this many bad penalties against Michigan that they would
get killed.  She agreed.  I was AT the game, not watching it on television.
 Let me assure you that there were no phantom calls.  In many instances,
PASS (which was shown on the scoreboard) showed a replay that did not show
the infraction.  This does not mean that the infraction did not occur
elsewhere in the play.  As for the refs being the game, not the teams of
their play, this IS sour grapes.
 
Also, in reference to the comments about "calling things that were not
there" and then missing "blatant and obvious calls," this sounds like a
ranting parent who is never pleased with the officiating.  In one breath
you want the referees to "let them play" and then in the next you want them
to "call this" or "call that."
 
Being a referee myself I take offense to the question "where do they find
these guys they call referees?"  I know the backgrounds of all three of the
officials involved in this particular game and know that both their
officiating and non-officiating backgrounds are, to say the least,
impressive.  This crew of officials has experience not only in college
hockey, but at the international, professional, and junior levels.  All
three officials are also college graduates with successful careers off the
ice.  The implication that referees are guys with no life that come from
who knows where is classless at best. Officials at the Div. 1 level have
worked hard for many (thankless) years to get there while still making a
living outside of hockey.  Maybe you should try it sometime if you think it
is that easy, Walt.
 
As for the penalty in overtime, I will say this.  Savage DID grab the stick
of the MSU player preventing him from shooting the puck, which was laying
in the slot about 15 feet in front of the net.  Whether or not it should
have been called in light of the standard that had been set in the first 10
minutes of OT, well... that's a judgment call.
 
Patrick Bracco
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