I tried to copy this to Hockey-L and (I think) failed. I
apologize if you already received it.
 
Martin Small writes
 
>... Princeton really likes to clutch, grab, and
>hold. As Gaudet said after the game,"The first half of that game [three]
>was not hockey. I don't know what it was - but it was the furthest thing
>away from hockey that it could possibly be." He's right. You can't get to
>the puck when a team plays like that. If the refs don't call that kind of
>stuff, it acts as an equalizer. Brown is faster and more skilled than
>Princeton, but doesn't match the Tiger intensity of physical play. I'm not
>saying Mike Traggio and cohorts are angels, but compared to Smith and
>others, they can have their hallows now. Stewart and Taylor let Princeton
>have the checking equalizer, and that's just crap. It slowed the game down
>- the first period went on forever, and I had a midterm the next day.
>If referees continue to allow clutch, grab, and hold defense, then we are
>really going to see the game slow down a lot.
>But as Gaudet also noted,"I give them credit for coming down here witha
>game plan." I'm not as understanding or fair- they played dirty and got
>away with it because Taylor and Stewart are afraid to give a team the
>man-advantage.
 
Well, Martin ... I'm afraid you're in over your head on this one. Through
30 games prior to the Brown series, Princeton had 533 minutes in penalties
compared to its opponents total of 534, for an average of 35.6 minutes
per Princeton game (17.8 for Princeton). The Tigers had 20 more power
plays in the 30 games than their opponents. Brown, on the other hand,
had 648 minutes in 29 games compared to 596 for its opponents, for an
average of 42.9 per game (22.3 for Brown) and had nine more power plays
than its opponent. Of the 96 minutes in first period penalties, a grand
total of eight were restraining fouls - four minutes to each team. I
hardly think that Gaudet's comment referred to the clutching and grabbing.
I noticed that Brown won the most physical game (game 2, 74 PIM), while
Princeton prevailed in the least physical (game 1, 16 PIM). In the three
games, Princeton was called for six restraining fouls and Brown five. The
statistics don't seem to bear out your theory that Princeton is an overtly
physical team or particularly guilty of clutching and grabbing.
 
I won't argue that Princeton did its share ... as did Brown. The
defenseman or forward who doesn't hold or impede an opposing player
in the course of playing defense is not only
stupid, but unlikely to make it out of peewee hockey. Maybe you
ought to discuss the matter with Mike Traggio, who is as resourceful
a defenseman as the ECAC has seen in many years - and that means he
holds, hooks, and interferes whenever he can. That's exactly why
every coach in the league would kill to have him. Brown used to be
a soft, unemotional team - until Bob Gaudet arrived, lit a fire under
everybody, taught the players to scrap and claw and recruited
guys like Eric Trach and Ryan Mulhern who combine skill and toughness.
I've been praising Gaudet, and Brown, since they first whipped Princeton
at Meehan in 1991. Feel free to ask Bob Gaudet what I've written about
your program, or former SID Maria McClellan.
 
One consequence of Brown's competitiveness is that the Bears have earned
a reputation for being one of the dirtiest teams in the league. Personally,
I have no problem with that. Again, if the referees will give it to you,
I say take it. I'm just telling you what I hear from the coaches and players
around the league. I'd love to hear what other Hockey-L posters at other
schools think of Brown's sportsmanship. I do know that Ryan Mulhern has
over 100 minutes in penalties and Mike Traggio is the school's all-time
leader in that category. Coincidence? Conspiracy? I don't think so. Like
Gavin Colquhoun and Jason Smith, Traggio and Mulhern are competitors who
will do anything to win. That's what turned Brown from doormats into
contenders and it's helped  Princeton as well. At the same time, both
teams mixed in skilled players who can skate and make plays. You can't
possibly tell me that you didn't notice Casson Masters, Mervin Kopeck,
Barrington Miller, etc., skating with as much grace and speed as Trach or
Jardine. I thought Princeton and Brown were very evenly matched in all
areas of the game.
 
Lastly, I will repeat what I've posted before and what I've privately
said in some very civil discussions with a group of very thoughtful,
articulate Brown fans. The first period was long and tedious because
both teams felt a need to establish themselves physically. Taylor
and Stewart were in a no-win situation; let them play and see someone
get killed or call every cheap shot they saw until the penalty boxes
were full and the message would sink through some thick skulls. They
chose the later - wisely. As everyone at Meehan will agree, the next
62 minutes of hockey was exciting and well-played. I'll take that trade
every time.
 
Congratulations, Martin. You've managed to tick me off for the first
time since I joined Hockey-L.
 
Geoff Howell
The Trenton Times
Drop the Puck