Well, it's over for the Chiefs. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand
grenades, so they're not going to the Final Four. But a few things stand out:
* Rollie's performance reminded me of a comment Cedric Maxwell made
before a seventh game that the Boston Celtics (um... that's a pro
basketball team) won due in large part to a great performance by
Maxwell. Before the game he said, "Climb on my back, boys, and I'll
carry you there." It was as if Rollie said that to the Chiefs and
he damned near pulled it off. I was glad that the too-many-men-on-
the-ice penalty did *not* decide it. (Boy, did that call bring back
bad memories.) There were no goats, no one who could torture
themselves all summer. It was just a 2-on-1 that Ed Campbell
(correctly) played the pass on. And a sniper put it past the small
hole that he had. But I can't remember the last time I felt for a
player any more than when Rollie flipped his stick in the air and
skated away. A standing O for Rollie and a best of luck in his
future endeavors.
* Hats off to the seniors who played their final game for UML. Rollie,
Kerry Angus, Travis Tucker, Shane (Don't Call Me Mike) Henry, Mike
Murray, Ian Hebert, Norm Bazin (and am I the only one that likes it
best the way the UML announcer pronounces it to rhyme with
*paisan*?). These are awfully big shoes to fill next year. UML
will need players to come out of nowhere like Bazin and Hebert did.
They'll need players who can add a new dimension to their game over
the summer like Kerry Angus did, making himself into a great point
man on a great power play. And they'll need another great freshman
class like this past one that produced Greg Bullock, Ed Campbell,
and Neil Donovan as immediate impact players along with others that
may well blossom next year.
* Thankfully the Minnesota player who absorbed the hit from behind in
OT was alright. It's a scary sight -- every hockey parent's worst
nightmare -- when the trainer is holding the neck steady while
checking to see if the extremities have any feeling. Conjures up
unwanted memories of Darryl Stingley lying on the football field,
they're testing for reflexes on the knees and getting nothing, and
you feel the goose flesh on your arms and you hope he'll be all
right, but a wheelchair becomes his sad birthright. It was a very
good moment indeed when he sat up and then got to his feet.
* I'm not sure if *all* of the Minnesota shot dominance in the third
period and then the overtimes was due to running out of gas. It
looked like there might have been a strategic choice to go into a
defensive shell and let it all ride on Rollie's shoulders. At least
until Minnesota tied the game. Although usually the Chiefs play very
exciting aggressive hockey, I have seen them play defensively in
third periods before.
I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here because of two reasons:
1) I got home after 3 ayem from Albany and, after sleeping,
only got to watch the first two periods of the UML-MSU
game on tape before I had to run off to my son's game. It
did indicate a third period shot disadvantage of 8-3 in that
game, so perhaps going into a shell worked in the MSU tilt
and was a reasonable choice for the third period against the
gofers (sorry, couldn't resist). I also recall that UML
successfully went defensive in the third period of their 4-2
win over BU earlier in the year. So it *is* a strategy
that has worked for them before.
However, I did notice that with a one-goal lead in the
second period of that MSU game, that they picked up their
fourth goal, the eventual gamewinner, on a 1-2-2 forecheck
with Mike Murray swinging over to pick up the winger as Ian
Hebert forechecked deep. When the goalie Bozek tried to
pass it to his LW, Murray was there to intercept the pass
and he worked a give and go with Hebert. Perhaps Crowder's
strategy is to wait until the third period to go into the
shell. Probably not your average fan's choice, but thank
goodness, Bruce Crowder knows more than your average fan.
2) I also didn't see the entire first period and most of the
second against Minnesota, because I wasn't aware WNDS was
tape delaying the broadcast and didn't know Sportschannel
was carrying it all. I was going ballistic, trying
to call WNDS (they have an answering machine that doesn't
take messages), sure that some moron has failed to flip a
switch and is torturing me with girls high school basketball
and then says, "At the conclusion of this game we will be
showing in its entirety... *Star Trek*." Star Bleeping
Trek???? I about went around the bend at this point. Channel
surfing for the next hour, the depression growing. Finally
giving up until surfing again miraculously produces the
Chiefs with a one goal lead in the second period.
Anyways, I still haven't seen most of those first 35 minutes
or so (although I have secured a tape), but the end of the
second period still seemed to show lots of offense for the
Chiefs. In fact, I believe that the Minnesota goalie saved
the game in those minutes. Sbrocca, as well as others, had
great opportunities and Callinan got the job done. Had it
gone to 2-0, I think it may have been Final Four time for
the Chiefs.
But come the third period and it was either the shell or
just plain no gas in the tank. Since Hockey East has a lot
of Friday night - Saturday night back-to-back games, I'd
be surprised if the 13-1 shot disparity at one point was
just due to fatigue, even against a rested opponent. I
think the shell *was* a factor at this point, although I'm
sure by the OTs, fatigue was the primary factor. It sure
would have been great if Daw had scored in the OT, a full
redemption for an individually disappointing year.
Oh well, I guess I have no more gas in *my* tank. Thanks to all the fans at
Albany, especially Tony, who were cheering "UML, UML" when the good news on
Friday was being announced. It made all three hairs on my chest stand up. :-)
***************************************************** ,-******-,
* Dave Hendrickson "Robo" [log in to unmask] * *' ## '*
* A Hockey Polygamist and Get-A-Lifer * *## ___##___ ##*
* GO BROONS!!! Go Red Wings!! Go LA Kings! * * ##| ___ \## *
* GO UMASS-LOWELL!!! Go Maine!! Go BU! * * | |___) | *
* --------------------------------------------------* *######| ___ <######*
* Although I can't remember ever having an original * * | |___) | *
* thought, and am certainly parroting someone who * * ##|________/## *
* actually has a brain, these opinions are mine, * *## ## ##*
* not Hewlett-Packard's. * *, ## ,*
***************************************************** '-*******-'
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