John Haeussler writes:
>From some of the post-
>game comments that were posted, are we now to
>understand that the ECAC/HEA has interpreted the
>rules differently than the CCHA/WCHA ALL SEASON!
 
I seriously doubt it.  Comley's comments about the call being
"different than the WCHA has called since Oct. 26" made me laugh.  Did
he forget that as documented earlier this season on HOCKEY-L, the same
situation was also blown by WCHA officials, in a Michigan Tech game?
But that's typical...if a mistake is made, blame it on the fact that
the guys aren't from your league or region.
 
I also want to know how there could have been any kind of (correct)
interpretation that leads to a different result than what we have
understood the rule to be all along.  It still seems so simple, that I
cannot figure out why this is even a problem now.
 
I think that after having seen about 60-70 games involving HE teams
and HE officials, I only saw a mistake made regarding this rules
application twice - and the last time was a while ago.
 
>On a related topic, Paul Duffy (NCAA rules big wig, I believe) ...
 
That would be Paul Duffy, head coach of Geneseo (NY) State - DivIII.
He's on the rules committee.
 
>... was interviewed between periods of the "NCAA Productions"
>telecast (Mich-Wisc) and made it very clear that the
>NCAA will not tolerate the four division I conferences
>using different officiating systems.  OK.  Is everyone
>going back to the one referee/two linesmen system?
>I don't think so...which leads me to believe the NCAA
>is planning to force the CCHA to revert to the atrocious
>2-1 system.
 
I just wanted to offer the opposite point of view that many of us in
HE, at least, don't think the two-referee system is that bad.  For the
most part, it has worked well.  There are sometimes problems with
inconsistencies between the referees and the system is not perfect,
but I think it may be better than what we had before.  I still don't
know exactly what the problems were that led the CCHA to revert to
1-2, except that I got the impression there were not enough officials
in the league who were good enough to be referees.
 
I think that if the NC$$ wishes to not tolerate the different
officiating systems, i.e. have everyone use 2-1, then it should simply
write the 1-2 system out of the rule book.  As long as it exists
there, I don't see what measures can be taken to "force" the CCHA or
anyone else to use 2-1 other than what they have already done, banning
their officials from the postseason.  And if the CCHA is happy with
that, then fine.
 
>Lastly, the NCAA Productions telecast of the Mich-Wisc
>game wasn't all bad.  The announcers (never heard of
>either of them) ...
 
I was told that Dave Shea went out West and did the games as
play-by-play announcer.  Dave is a funny guy and, IMO, a very good PBP
man...he is one-third of the NESN announcing team for Boston Bruins'
home games.  Some have nicknamed him "Mobil One" for the Bruins' Mobil
One Instant Replays that they show on goals.  Anyway, he's been
filling in for Bob Kurtz on NESN's HE telecasts with Bob Norton the
last couple of years since Kurtz is also the Red Sox PBP guy and has
had to head down south in February.
 
No thanks to Dave for cursing Merrimack throughout the HE tourney this
year...first he said on air that he thought they were "the team to
watch", and then he said it again when I talked to him before the
Lowell-Northeastern quarterfinal.
 
Anyway, I can see how Dave would have gotten a kick out of Erik and
Paula's regalia. :-)  They don't have stuff like that out here.
 
We didn't see any of the ESPN2 telecasts since our local cable company
claims that our system is full and they can't add ESPN2.  Well, with
25% of the channels devoted to shopping or pay-per-view, it is no
wonder.  There's one incentive to move to another town.
 
Tom Mees apparently did the PBP on the East games along with Bob
Norton on color.  I wonder how many times Mees called BU "Boston U" on
Saturday.  Speaking of which, I noticed that AP is STILL referring to
them this way, from Lynn Burke's great wrapup posts...I guess the
papers around here correct whatever comes over AP because I never see
"Boston U" used here.  Now, this confuses me to no end.  I majored in
journalism for a year, long enough to have it drilled into me that you
MUST refer to people/things with the correct titles (ok, occasionally
I lapse, but I'm not getting paid for this).  AP even has their own
stylebook in which their writers are told to use All-America and not
All-American, for instance.  So why the heck do they insist on using
a designation for BU that is wrong?  Even BU does not call itself
"Boston U"...and in fact, BU people enjoy making fun of those who do
call them that.
 
But, the highlights I did see on the Boston tv stations this weekend
stations were superb, and I was impressed with the Deuce's camera
work.  My sympathies to UMass hoop fans, but the up side Sunday night
seemed to be that the Boston stations were giving BU hockey and the
Final Four a little more coverage as a result.  I hope it continues
this week, especially considering that Maine and BU are two of the
semifinalists.  Before the tourney got under way, locals were
seriously worried that the East would go o-fer like 1992.
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                                            [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                    *HMM* 11/13/93