Hi -
 
On Wed, 24 Nov 1999, Edward N. Moller wrote:
> The last time I saw a coach ejected from a game was 4-5 years ago at
> Walter Brown Arena.  Wouldja believe it was the Wildcats' Dick Umile.
 
  In all honesty I don't remember this, and I've been to numerous UNH-BU
games at Walter Brown over the last several decades.  I wonder what Umile
did to get ejected ??  He's as vocal as any coach, so maybe it was some
crack about the referee's parentage that did it :-)
 
> The goal by Ficek should have been disallowed.  We were screaming at Jim
> Villandry for not blowing the whistle.  Shipulski's stick was clearly as
> high as an elephant's eye while he was standing in the slot.
 
  That was my thought too, that surely this goal would be disallowed (and
I was standing on the concourse right above the goal line, and had an un-
obstructed view of the play right in front of me), but no one on the BU
side complained all that vociferously (as they surely would have had it
been a violation), so that's when I began to think I had misinterpreted
the rule.  BTW, Ship was nowhere NEAR the slot when he batted down the
puck, but behind the goal-line to DiPietro's right ....
 
> Villandry was in the faceoff circle and was right on top of the play.
 
  Yes, in the circle to Dipietro's left, so he would've been looking
through the crease/net to see the play as it developed; I'm sure he had a
good look ....
 
> I did not see any BU player touch the puck, but I don't think that should
> make a difference.
 
  That's what I ASSUMED too, but that's evidently an incorrect assumption
(the old saw about making an ASS of U and ME comes to mind :-)  I ques-
tioned a few people later at the post-game festivities, and was told that
the puck hitting a BU player BEFORE Ficek batted it past DiPietro makes
all the difference in the world - can someone with an up-to-date rulebook
provide the appropriate chapter/verse ??
 
> Whenever a player that close to the goaltender highsticks the puck, I
> have always seen the ref blow the whistle immediately.
 
  So have I, but it's evidently not as cut 'n dried as I'd assumed.  As we
saw, there are other circumstances to consider ....
 
> That call cost BU the game.
 
  It was UNH's first goal in a 5-5 tie - I hardly think it was quite as
pivotal a play as that ....
 
  Cheers from Maryland - Jim
 
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