ASSISTS
It is NOT required that two assists be given out on each play if there are
two players on the scoring team who touched the puck before the goalscorer.
 
For several years now in Hockey East, the referee has only called the goal-
scorer.  It is the responsibility of the home sports information director to
award assists; he/she usually has a better view of the play from up high and
can make the correct call.  In fact, the SID can also change the goal if he
thinks the referee made a mistake - this will especially happen if a replay
is available and shows a deflection, for instance.
 
Some SIDs do not award two assists on every goal.  If Player A leaves the
puck behind the net for B, and B carries up and passes to C who scores, he
would call the goal C from B.  It is the SID's own philosophy that dictates
how many assists to give out.  Other SIDs *would* give A an assist.  To me,
the assist rule is too vague and that's what allows for this difference in
philosophy.  I don't think it should happen, but it does.
 
It is also important to note that there is an unwritten rule that if the
visiting SID wants to add or change assists/goalscorer on a goal scored by
his team, you go along with it unless you are absolutely sure of yourself (and
maybe even have evidence, like a replay).  One hand washes the other, and you
want to be treated the same way when you travel to his rink.  Also, SIDs tend
to know their own team & players better, so it's better to defer to the other
guy's judgment.
 
Unfortunately, not everyone is like this.  I was at a rink a few years ago
where the home SID was not as cooperative.  As soon as the goal was scored,
I wrote down the scoring.  Then I heard it announced with two different
defensemen getting the assists - the home SID had clearly missed the assists
but knew two defensemen were in on it, and he gave the assists to the two Ds
who had just come on the ice (not seeing the others go off).  Even though I
was 100% sure he was wrong, I couldn't convince him to make the change.  That
was frustrating because I hate when players get robbed of points that I know
they deserve.
 
RIT-RPI
Folks should remember the 1985 RPI Invitational, when both RIT and RPI had
good teams and RPI barely beat the Tigers.  RIT has given DivI teams a battle
and even knocked some of them off when they had their better teams; compared
to recent years, this is apparently not nearly as good of an RIT team - but
as several people have mentioned, you don't know how good some of the teams
you schedule are going to be that far ahead of time.  The Buddy-RIT connection
was undoubtedly the main reason for the scheduling of the game, just as the
Terry Meagher-Jack Parker-BU connection resulted in this year's Bowdoin-BU
game.  Yes, it's too bad that the game was such a blowout, but that doesn't
mean it will be that way every year.
 
 
- mike