> I would certainly not have the audacity to second-guess Bob Gaudet,
who I think
> should win ECAC coach of the year, but I had a thought regarding the
team's goaltending situation.
> Granted, Parsons lost Game 1 of the series against Princeton and then
the
> backup (his name eludes me) won the second game to force Game 3.
Granted, the
> backup bailed out the team, but still....Parsons was nothing short of
brilliant
> for a good part of the regular season and was "the man" through thick
and thin.
> Might Gaudet have erred by not going back to him for Game 3?
>
> Of course, this may sound weak, given they only came one goal away
from
> advancing, but I can't help but think Parsons would've given them a
better shot
> against Princeton.
No Way! Sorry, you welcomed flames, so I've got one.
Mike Parsons played spectacurlarly for the first 9/10th of the season,
and was a major reason Brown was able to finish in second place with an
over-acheiving team. But, as a result of his performances at RPI, vs.
Clarkson, and in game 1 against Princeton, it was clear that Brian
Audette had to be the man. Parsons was struggling, he had lost his
confidence, and I might even venture to say that (especially after game
2) his teammates' confidence lay with Audette. He was rattled and
giving up fluke goals and failing to make simple saves.
**This is NOT to say that Mike Parsons should be blamed for any of
Brown's late-season failures**
However, the simple fact is that Audette gave Brown their best chance to
win. He showed in the final regular-season game against SLU and in the
previous game against Princeton that he could handle to pressures and
responsiblities that go with being the starting goalie in the play-offs,
while Parsons failed to show that he could handle the tight,
pressure-ridden play-off situations. In fact, if I were to question any
of gaudet's goaltending decisions, it would be starting Parsons in game
1. But, I give him that, as he needed to give Parsons a chance to
redeem himself.
David Blackburn
Brown Univesity '98
|
