One of the many hats ECAC Hockey Commissioner Joe Bertagna likes to wear
is that of television commentator. To Brown hockey fans, his performance
in the 1993 ECAC playoffs is unforgettable.
 
Between the first and second periods of the semifinal game (Brown versus
Harvard), with the score tied at zero and Brown outplaying Harvard, Mr.
Bertagna said the following:
     "We always put the number one seed in the so-called feature game,
     the late game. Some people wonder what advantage that is because
     the first winner gets to watch its opponent and its team has an
     extra three hours of rest time. Even though the game will be late
     tomorrow, the Clarkson team [will have] a little more rest time
     than Harvard. Both will come back tomorrow night."
ECAC fans will remember that Harvard had even less rest time than
Mr. Bertagna had hoped for. After being defeated by Brown, Harvard had
to be ready to play in the consolation game against Rensselaer at 5:00pm.
 
During the final between Clarkson and Brown Mr. Bertagna sounded more
like a disgruntled Harvard fan than an even-handed tv commentator. He
kept reminding the viewers that Clarkson was much more skilled than
Brown and that Brown had virtually no chance to be picked for the NCAA
tournament. I won't argue that Clarkson was the better team. In fact,
from January on Clarkson was by far the best team in the league, and
it only finished third (tied with Brown) because of a poor early season
performance. Nevertheless, Clarkson beat Brown by the score of
3 to 1, with the last goal scored into an empty net with seconds
remaining in the contest. As far as the NCAA selections were concerned, Mr.
Bertagna obviously hand't done his homework. Subscribers to Hockey-L may
remember than going into the ECAC playoffs Brown's Rating Percentage
Index was among the top twelve, and that Brown was one of the very
few schools with a win over defending national champion Lake Superior
in the 1992-93 season. After the ECAC playoffs, Brown was ranked
eleventh in the country according to the RPI. Fortunately for Brown the
members of the NCAA selection committee HAD done their homework. They
made Brown the fifth seed in the East. (Brown eventually lost to a
strong Minnesota-Duluth team in the West Regionals.)
 
Luiz F. Valente