One had to know that once I returned from Boston, I would have to add something
to this post.
 
>
> I made some strong comments much earlier this season regarding the tactics
> of the Ohio State team.  Most thought that these were too strong for
> Hockey-L.  I've toned down my posts since then, including my previous
> comments on this past weekend's Michigan-Ohio State series.  Now my blood
> is boiling again.  The topic - Brian Loney's blindsided cross-check to the
> back of the head of Michigan's David Oliver.  Oliver had to be helped from
> the ice and is suffering from a concussion.
>
> Michigan head coach Red Berenson, rarely one to speak out, had this to
> say -- "It was a classic cheap shot.  You don't want to see that kind of
> stuff.  There is no place for it in the game."
>
> Ohio State head coach Jerry Welsh responded with, "...sticks were flying
> and things like that happen."
>
> No, Jerry, things like that don't just happen.  Loney's hit was a pure,
> pre-meditated attempt to injure.  The only time THINGS LIKE THAT HAPPEN
> is when Ohio State is in town.  Referee Steve Piotrowski gave Loney a
> 5 minute major for high sticking and a 10 minute misconduct.  This is
> rediculous, but I imagine that's all that'll come of it.
>
 
 
I, of course, did not see the hit.  However, opposing coaches don't label just
any hard check or for that matter, they don't even label most illegal checks as
"chep shots" without a reason to do so.  I'll go with the label and make a few
comments.
 
First, a brief defense of the Bucks.  Something must happen to them at Yost.
I have been to 13 OSU home games this year and I was also present in Syracuse
for the victory over Clarkson.  I have seen virtually none of the cheap
shotting and after the whistle chopping that John has seen in Yost.  Yes, the
Bucks take a lot of penalties.  They are a clutch-and-grab team because that is
the only way they can slow down opposing forwards enough to keep up with them.
In the process of playing clutch and grab, you are going to get more penalties
whistled on you, and you are going to cause a lot of frustration to teams that
like to skate, especially if the clutching team is winning (eg OSU-Lake
Superior).  When frustration sets in, play gets chippy.  Good skating teams
especially resent being slowed down by poor clutching teams (as opposed to
teams that are at least mediocre and do a lot of grabbing).
 
The Bucks are a very physical team and they are not afraid to mix it up with
any team.  It's almost as if they feel it's the only way they will get respect
on the ice (since their overall skills probably won't).  This leads to some
unfortunate incidents of goon hockey that is not very pretty or very good for
the sport, but I still don't see them as being the worst offenders in Div I
history.  Essentially, I've seen teams much worse about this type of play than
OSU, and really, I don't believe them to a dirty team, just one with an
inferiority complex that manifests itself in chippiness.
 
 
Dirtiest team in the CCHA?  Maybe.  In the OSU-UM game I saw at the Ice Rink,
UM didn't do itslef proud either.  LSSU also looked pretty bad.  (I believe
LSSU's behavior an aberration.)  I am sill more inclined to believe that there
is something personal between UM and OSU that brings out the worst in both
teams.
 
None of this excuses Loney.  Anyone, however, is entitled to a momentary
horrendous lapse of judgement, especially a freshman in an undisciplined Jerry
Welsh environment.  Not to say that he doesn't deserve further league sanctions
if the hit was indeed as viscious as described, but let's not define his career
from here on out by this incident, and let's not allow it to erase what has
been a fantastic freshman performance this season.
 
 
> Loney should be suspended for at least 5-10 games if not more.  Welsh should
> be fired for condoning such "play".  Neither of these will happen.  But why
> stop there.  If one really wanted to bring some class back to college hockey,
> a good start would be to eliminate the Ohio State program until they have a
> hockey team and not a street gang on ice.  Ohio State has been the dirtiest
> team in the CCHA since I've been a fan and they've finally gone too far,
> IMHO.  I was impressed with Loney until this past weekend.  A deserving
> member of All-Rookie recognition, he looks to carry the Buckeye offense for
> the next three years.  However, he will forever be the target of criticism
> and worse in Ann Arbor.  If I were Mr. Loney, I'd think twice about coming
> back to Yost next season.
 
 
Welsh should be fired.  That would go a long way towards improving every aspect
of this program.  His post-game comment about Loney only proves how little he
knows or cares about the state of college hockey, as long as he still has a job
next year.  Despite my occaisional slams of this team's talent, it is not a bad
>hockey team.  It has forwards who can find the net and a goalie with good
skills.  Blown leads in the third period cost this team a .500 record.  There
is no discipline, and this is why they gave up 180+ goals in league play.  This
>is why they weren't over .500.  This is why they must fire Welsh.  The reason
the team takes penalties and gets into the chippy play is due to the lack of
coach-provided structure.  They can talk all they want to in players' meetings
about having to avoid bad penalties, until Welsh starts teaching them how to be
in the right place at the right time on the ice, it won't happen.  In fact,
with Welsh at the helm, it will probably never happen.  I was spoiled by
watching the highly disciplined McCutcheon-coached Cornell teams.  Even if they
do make bad passes in their own zone, they really are rarely out of position.
That discipline saved them from having a worse record than OSU, with a team
that, believe it or not, was not significantly more talented than the Bucks
(except for Parris in goal.).
 
 
 
> On a final note, I'd
> like to thank all of the Ohio State fans that rained
> coins on the ice.  We put them in a fund to IMPROVE our facility.
 
(last line paraphrased because I deleted it a while back without thinking about
it)
 
Firing Welsh might go a long way towards keeping those coins in Columbus.
>
 
 
--
Dave [log in to unmask]
Cornell '91 OSU Med '95
Let's Go Red!