"Attempt to police" may be a better way to describe things on Friday night.
I am not one to criticize the officials much, I think that the are basically
a medicore lot in Hockey East. However I do have to point out that Lowell's
third goal was set up in large part by a blatant hold (interference,
whatever you want to call it) when a Lowell player (probably O'Brien) almost
tackled the UNH defender (not sure who it was), allowing Pandalfo to cruise
to the front of the net and score. Stuff like that should not happen and I
have to blame Jeff Bunyon. He should be embarrassed.

Greg Ambrose


> From: Thom Davis <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2004 15:43:18 -0500
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: UNH-Lowell Friday night
>
> In a message dated 2/14/2004 12:43:55 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
> The game was well
> officiated, with only three 2-minute penalties to each team.
>
> To which, John wrote:
> I would rather think of it as "the teams behaved themselves as there were
> only three 2-minute penalties to each team" - the officials don't control
> the
> behavior, they just police it.
>
>
> Point taken. But, by "well officiated," I meant that Jeff Bunyon and his
> two assistants stepped in when necessary (i.e., the three penalties
> resulting from the scuffle around one net in the second), but let the guys
> play otherwise. There were lots of plays that I have seen called penalties
> in other games but Bunyon and company let go, which I think was good
> because they were not serious infractions, did not affect the outcome of
> the game, and would have really slowed things down even more so in what
> was a defensive-style game, despite what the 3-3 score might otherwise
> indicate. I do miss this year the wide-open, long-passing, break-away game
> of recent past UNH teams.
>
> Also, I meant to write the Lowell "Lock Monsters AHL" team, rather the
> "Lochmeisters IHL" team; apologies to Lock Monsters fans. And, finally
> great sound system at Tsongas; I could hear all of the names and numbers
> for goals and penalties very clearly, although a seat 7 rows behind both
> team benches was a plus also.  : )
>
> Thom
> UNH72
> Go Cats! Go Falcons!