"CHARLES F. O'BRIEN" <[log in to unmask]>
***
Last Saturday many of us thought that we had seen history made
when Clarkson's goalie, Jason Currie, was credited with a
short-handed goal into a DEFENDED NET, i.e. the Princeton
goalie was in the crease and attempted to stop the puck. Currie
had nudged the puck away from his crease from which point it bounced
back to the point.  The puck eluded the Princeton player at the point
and started rolling towards the Princeton end.  The Princeton player,
skating backwards, failed to gain control of the puck, all the while
being harassed by fine checking from a Clarkson forward, Kevin Murphy.
Murphy, however, seems never to have touched the puck.  The puck kept
rolling and the goalie missed it.  On this basis, the officials
awarded the goal to Currie, after originally giving it to Murphy.
Murphy's proximity to the puck was disregarded because Princeton
never got control.  It appeared to be a piece of history.  However, today
we learn that the goal has been awarded to Murphy.  More details
to follow.
***
 
I unfortunatly must report to all of the delighted Clarkson fans who thought
that Currie had scored the goal because he was the last one (on the Clarkson
team) to touch the puck before it went into the net. Watching the replay,
as anyone who gets WCKN-TV can do at 6:00 pm on Friday, February 25th, the
play began on a faceoff from an offsides call. Steve Palmer and Sharp took
the faceoff whick Sharp won and the puck was passed to O'Brien who dumped
it along the boards. Jason Currie moved around to the back of the net and
stopped it dead. Mueller was there first and moved it a little before bieng
tied up by Bois. Palmer pulls the puck out of the group and clearly in
control, moves over to the corner. He tries to circle back around the back of
the net, but Bois takes it away and passes by Mueller, who does not
acutually come in contact with the puck to O'Conner who sends it
out to Kopeck who misses the hopping pass. It then moves down the ice toward
the Princeton net. Kopeck chaces it down. He tries to bring it back by
going in front of his own net, but does not have full control. By the time
he does, he is even with the goalie, but he still tries to go in front of
the net. The puck amazingly takes the oddest possible angle to get
around the goalies stick and still make it between his legs. Murphy was indeed
pressuring, but Kopeck was out of control when it happened. Konte did a
very good job of reacting to the strange situation.
        So, in short, the goal should be, if you are going by the last
Clarkon player to tough it, Palmer from Mueller and possibly Currie.
There was no nudging by Currie, no backwards skating by the Princeton player,
and even though Murphy was there, no checking.....
        Interesting note about crediting the goal to Currie after Murphy;
Jon Theroux, who was director in the press box for WXKN-TV was asked
to look at the tape and tell who touched the puck last because
he was told that Currie thought he did. He told the scorer near
the end of the intermission that Palmer had it last and on the
first stoppage of play the credit to Currie was announced... Very
interesting.
 
--> Fri February 25th at 6:00pm watch the game and see....
 
        Steve