Mark's comments reflect my opinions for the most parts.  I'll amplify
however.
 
People out on the list hate to hear fans whine about officiating.  So do
I.  But it's really a strange relationship between Harry Emmian and RPI:
I have begun to think that Harry really dislikes the Engineers.  Of course
the constant harassment from the RPI fans gives him more than enough
reason, but it's a pretty serious charge that one official is biased
against a specific team.  This year's antics though do appear to back up
the indictment.
 
Emmian did the game at the Pepsi Arena between Union and RPI, which RPI
won.  Union's goaltender did a superhuman job, and get Union in it until
the end, but Emmian's quixotic non-calls had me seething by the third
period.  I did mention it in a post because it seemed to be a sour grapes
thing to me.
 
Last night was even worse.  It's hard to convey the feeling in an
Emmian-reffed game at the Fieldhouse, but I'll give some examples.  Harry
started out by making a couple of ticky-tacky calls on the Engineers in
the first period, a strange interference penalty down low, a hooking in
the center zone, etc.  While I don't think I would have made those calls,
if the official makes them he is setting a tone for the game.  Well and
good.  In the second period however Emmian shies away from calling the
game tightly and allows lots of stickwork and slashes to go unimpeded.
The Engineers like to play physically, and I don't think there are many
teams in the ECAC who can match up muscle-wise.  Most teams, like Colgate,
respond with sticks to the chest, hooks and stick holding--all part of the
game.  However Emmian chose to ignore these in the second period, despite
the pattern he had exhibited in the first.
 
By the third period events became farcical.  Emmian would use his whistle,
but only to call matchings regardless of the instigator.  At one point
Matt Garver got a nasty elbow from Colgate's goalie Brenzavich which left
him prone inside the goal.  Emmian saw fit to call matching roughings,
with the observor to believe that Garver had somehow dished out punishment
while lying on his back.  Later Brad Tapper gets flattened by a slash from
a Colgate skater as he leaves the RPI zone.  Emmian again calls matchings,
which underlines the absurdity of the events.  These are only the two most
memorable calls of the night.  They were all part of a pattern which
strongly suggest that Emmian doesn't relish the idea of officiating in
Houston Fieldhouse.
 
I don't understand what is going on.  I don't think Harry is the worst
official in the ECAC.  But something snaps in his mind when he steps foot
on the Houston sheet.
 
And while I agree with Mark's assessment that Harry's reffing did not hand
Colgate a victory, they earned it with their play, his calls did seriously
disrupt the tempo.  Colgate adapted, the Engineers did not.
 
And now, my assessment of the Engineers.  Bad things.  The team has
absolutely no confidence. The lines are lifeless.  The defense is not
standing up the forwards at the blue lines.  The offensive patterns are
devoid of any creativity.  Last night the Engineers excelled with one
particular maladaptive play: the dump and no chase.  The kind of spectacle
of a team that is so nervous about its defense, that offensive pressure is
abandoned to ensure nothing bad happens on the other end.  Very sad.
 
One single bright note: I though Laing played an excellent game.  He had
several very major point blank saves, including an absolutely picture
perfect kick save in the third period.  All three goals by Colgate were
nearly unstoppable, highlighted by the second period rocket on the setplay
called by Don Vaughn after the face-off.  The Red Raiders sagged all their
forwards to the right side of the ice, drawing the Engineer defense to
them.  Colgate's McDonald lost himself on the opposite boards and drifted
down to the goal to receive the pass from Wildfong, with an ensuing
one-time rocket into the goal.
 
Fridge needs to make some dramatic shake-ups to clear the clouds out of
the Engineer's heads.  I'd start with the first line.  The first line
seems to be Healy and St. Hilaire, and Matt Garver.  If Garver is involved
in the play, he usually is by himself.  If St. Hilaire is handling the
puck, the play goes to Healy.  On the second line Brad Tapper, a skater of
apparently vast offensive skills, needs a winger next to him he is
comfortable with.  I'd put Garver there, and move another winger, maybe
Dan Riva, up to the #1.  Or maybe put Garver next to Pete Gardiner, who is
in as deep a sophomore slump as I've witnessed.  It is truly a shame to
see someone with his talent just disappearing from the line-up.  Steve
Caley is another skater who could play with Tapper, gasp, put Eric Healy
next to Tapper on the #1, which might bring some real creativity to the
first line, and pick up a non-existent second line anchored by St.
Hilaire.  In short, Fridge needs to do something to get the Engineer's
skill players back in the games. That IMO is the first step to get RPI
back in the winning column.
 
A little rambling, with apologies.  But I look forward to an ugly game
tonight at the Fieldhouse, probably a redux of last year's ugly Big Red
win at the Fieldhouse.  Cornell must be licking its chops.
**************************************************************************
Brian Morris                RPI Engineers--
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