Well, Dave, you beat me to it.  I was also wondering where Campbell
was on the All-Rookie Team.  I believed that Jakopin was a candidate
for the team but I certainly did not expect him to be named; maybe it
was a token award for Merrimack like last year's naming of Mark Goble
at forward over one of the Ferraros seemed to be (although Goble did
have a strong rookie season).  However, Jakopin was, IMO, the most steady
Warrior blueliner defensively on a unit dominated by upperclassmen.
His size (6-5 225) is the first thing you notice about him, but if you
watch him for a while, you realize that the guy just does not make a
mistake.  He could be the most fundamentally sound defenseman ever
to play at Merrimack, and that puts him in pretty good company since
alums Chris Kiene, Bobby Jay, and Bobby Fowler, among others, went on
to pro careers and occasional stints in the NHL.  He was very
tentative at the start of the season, but he became more willing to
step up into the play and take chances defensively that paid off.  I
think he might be an All-HE choice before he graduates.
 
But when I thought about him in comparison to Campbell and O'Sullivan,
I could not justify ranking Jakopin over either one.  I thought he
deserved recognition, but I'm not sure he had as outstanding a season
as either of those two.
 
O'Sullivan should have been a unanimous choice.  I can only guess that
perhaps he was not eligible for the Rookie Team because he is actually
in his second season, having started at mid-season last year as a
freshman and then suffering a season-ending injury a few games later.
But since he is technically still only a freshman eligibility-wise, I
don't see why that should have prevented him from receiving an award
another rookie would get.  He sure wasn't able to earn it last season
from the stands.
 
FYI...among Merrimack's freshman class of 11 in 1993-94, perhaps the
three best players - goaltender Marty Legault, Jakopin, and wing Claudio
Peca - were all recruited by Scott McPherson (yes, the guy from
"Youngblood").  Scott moved on to become an asst. at Mass Amherst
before the start of this season.  Do not be surprised if he works the
same magic in Amherst and plays a major role in getting the Minutemen
up to speed faster than anyone expects.
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Mike Machnik                                          [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                  *HMM* 11/13/93