Scott Monaghan asked me whether the referee was in position to make the
call.  I thought this was a great question, so I went to the tape again.
BTW, it was Frank Cole who was there and called the goal.  This is clear
from the reverse angle replay.
 
As the play was breaking into the Vermont zone, Cole skated up the right
side towards the net.  Cole is not in the picture for the entire replay,
but you see him coming up the right side with the play and then later as
the goal is scored, he is right at the post to Thomas's left and
immediately signals goal.
 
But at the instant that McNeill bats the puck with his hand, there are at
least three players who seem to be in a direct line between Cole and
McNeill's left hand: two CC players, including McNeill (most of him), who
were crashing the net; a Vermont player (#18, Eric Lavoie); and possibly
even Thomas since McNeill batted the puck when it was in the air to
Thomas's right.
 
I think it is very likely that Cole never saw the hand pass because of all
the bodies in the way.  It's not clear where Drew Taylor was, but it's
possible that he was not able to see it either, being further up the ice
and trailing the play from where it left the CC end.  However, Cole was in
perfect position to see Remackel tap the puck towards Thomas, where it went
off Thomas and in.
 
Again, one of those things.  Maybe Cole would have seen it if he was on the
opposite side of the ice, but given the side of the ice he was on, he was
still in good position to make the call except for not seeing the hand
pass.
 
My guess is that the conferring of the officials following the goal was
meant to see if either Taylor or Bill Jones had a good enough view to see
something (i.e. hand pass) to overturn the goal.  Since none of them did,
the call stood.
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                   [log in to unmask]            *HMM* 11/13/93
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