----------
> From: Scott Quakkelaar~ <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: physical acha games
>
> i like a close, clean physical game as much as the next fan, but there
> seems to be an awful lot of fighting and cheap-shotting going around
> the acha these days.  recent incidents with umd, penn state, and ohio,
> as well as incidents with uarizona and rhode island, colorado, and
> stanford come to mind.
>
> i've seen a number of roughing penalties called where the gloves were
> dropped, helmets were off and punches thrown that easily could have been
> called fighting and received game dq's.
>
> call me a purist, but it seems that all this detracts from the game
> itself.  does the ref's reluctance to call the fighting penalty in a
> sense condone it, and propagate it further?
>
> there seems to be a lot more of it going around the acha than in ncaa
> division 1, and there's a lot more than i remember seeing up at umichigan
> when i was up there.
>
> anybody have any comments on this?
>
> scott quakkelaar
> michigan 1993
> ucla 1995
>
> :
> : by Michael W. Johnson
> : THE POST
> :
>
> snip, snip...
>
> :
> : Emotions flared up on Friday night. Connestoga defenseman Jeff White
checked Ohio's Chad
> : Fournier - elbowing him in the throat. Fournier laid on the ice for two
minutes
> : recovering from the injury. White was sent to the penalty box for the
elbow, and Ohio's
> : Seth Kilzer went after him, not with his fists, with words. The
officials gave Kilzer a
> : game misconduct penalty for his efforts.
> :
> : White became a marked man for the rest of the game, Derek Partlo soon
found the mark,
> : and retaliated by spearing Connestoga's defenseman Conal Vaughn, and
fighting with both
> : Vaughn and White. Partlo was ejected from the game after some words
with the officials.
> :
> : "I wasn't trying to fire up our team, I was trying to get some revenge
for what he
> : (White) did to Fournier," Partlo said. "I was angry with the officials
because I didn't
> : deserve to get kicked for what I did. Compared to what they did to
Chad, I don't feel it
> : was that bad - obviously they did."
 
        Scott, though your concern is well-placed, the game you cite above, WAS
NOT a sanctioned ACHA or CSCHL contest. It was an exhibition between an
ACHA/CSCHL team, Ohio, and a Canadian college team(a rather brutal bunch of
overagers, BTW). Even so, the officials did try to keep control early and
called some soft penalties early in Friday's game. It didn't work. As for
throwing guys out for fighting, the penalties incurred would not have
counted in league games for OU, so the point was moot.
        People have come to expect a certain level of brutality from ACHA level
games, and the fans here at Ohio are no exception. Especially with the
incidents in recent years with EMU and UMD, fans come to Bird Arena
expecting a degree of violence they don't get in D-1 or even the pros(not
counting the ECHL which is about on par with the silliness of club hockey).
        As for players being thrown out, remember, the rules for DQ's in D-1 are
far more severe than in club, ACHA, or other similar variations. Until
these low level leagues get tough, fighting will go on, and the fans will
keep coming, expecting to see fights. Fans will rise or fall to the level
of the product on ice. If there were no fights, they'd pay more attention
to the hockey.
        BTW, if anyone has any further questions or comments on Ohio University
club hockey and our two-time defending National Championship squad, feel
free to ask. I broadcast the intermission shows and will occasionally do
color for the team on 1340AM-WOUB this season.
 
Rob Cornelius
Ohio University
WOUB-Radio
[log in to unmask]
"When the cat's away, there's a lot less shedding."
 
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