Funny, one of the best teams I saw play Notre Dame all year was Bowling Green.
They appear well coached, talented and disclipined. I didn't get a chance to
see Miami of Ohio this year. Are there really any true have-nots in the CCHA?
Notre Dame, I suppose, was until now. They certainly didn't have good coaching
with Schaefer. The players were good, but always underacheiving. There was no
team speed. Fans came to the games, but left feeling cheated. The ice is
horrible. (I know. I skate on it.) The JACC is a lousy hockey facility, with
the rink placed directly below heating ducts, an ancient compressor that blows
up at least once a year, and Zamboni drivers from hell. Okay, that was then.
The rink and Zam drivers haven't changed. But the overall outlook of the team
has. Matt Eisler is a tremendous goalie. This kid can be a wall when the
defense is on. The incoming Freshmen were all highly recruited by so-called
"Haves". Tyson Fraser and USA-17 Select Team member, Ben Simon, are both
considered future NHL prospects. The team with "Taco DalGrande" on defense,
and Jamie "I'm Stuck in First Gear" Ling on offense, is gone. The new athletic
Director, Michel Wadsworth, is a Canadian sympathetic to hockey. Rosenthal,
the former AD, wouldn't know a puck from a baseball bat. (But he did know
dollar signs.) Finally, the piece of the puzzle that really helps ND's program
is Dave Poulin. Each one of this year's recruits chose ND over the "Haves"
because of what he brings to the team. He's young enough to be their older
brother, yet experienced enough to teach them a lot. He knows Notre Dame and
he knows hockey. (Remember his handling of Mario Lemieux a few years ago in
the playoffs? Think what it's like to be an 18 year old kid talking to the
guy who stuffed Super Mario on a consistent basis, or would ride Messier into
the boards to free up the puck.) Frankly, Notre Dame might be on the bottom
of the CCHA again this year, but they certainly aren't "Have Nots". And that
brings me to my original point. There are no true "Have Nots" in this
conference. Each team is competitive or improving. A team on the bottom
doesn't necessarily have a bad program, weaker recruits or whatever.
And financially? Well, ND is certainly not hurting for cash. If athletic
programs were based on finances, ND would be near the top every year.
So what does a "Have" have that a "Have Not" doesn't have? Prestige?
A consistently winning program? Good coaching? Fan support? What?
 
Perhaps it's time to give each program its deserved respect. These players
play hard under some pretty lousy conditions sometimes. Home ice for ND
isn't all that great, considering the lousy crowds and bad ice.
 
Anyway, that's my two cents worth. . .
 
John-Andrew Murphy
Fredonia State, 1993
SUNYAC Champions: 1994, 1995
Best Record in College Hockey: 29-1-4, 1993-94
NCAA DIII Hockey Tournament:
3rd Place - 1994
2nd Place - 1995
Couldn't find the net if it bit them - 1996
 
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