At 2:11 PM 9/22/95, Geoff Howell wrote:
>The Sporting News 1995-96 Hockey Yearbook is out and I though
>Hockey-Lers might be interested in TSN's various college hockey 'lists.'
 
Geoff, thanks very much for posting this.  I haven't been able to find a
copy of the yearbook yet.
 
I always take TSN's college section in the yearbook with a very large grain
of salt because I don't know who writes it and because they do not even
cover the college game throughout the year, last I checked.
 
>Preseason Top 20
 
Their selections here are quite a bit mystifying.  From HE, Lowell and
Providence are surprising top 20 picks, as I would have chosen Northeastern
and Merrimack ahead of both of those two at least.  I noticed that Drop the
Puck, which covers college hockey regularly, had Lowell 8th and PC 7th (in
HE).  Did TSN choose Lowell and PC just because they went to the HE final
four last year?
 
Outside of HE, the most obviously staggering selection is Clarkson way down
at #20.  And like Geoff, I also have a higher regard for MSU and Wisconsin.
 
>1995-96 All-America Checklist
>Forwards
 
Looking at this from an HE point of view, unexplainable omissions are
Maine's Tim Lovell (23-25--48), BC's David Hymovitz (21-19--40), and
Northeastern's Jordon Shields (21-25--46 and an All-HE choice).  I cannot
understand leaving out any of these three players, especially Shields, in
favor of BU's Mike Sylvia, who may deserve such a pre-season recognition in
a year or two but is not as good as teammate Chris Drury, who also didn't
make the list.
 
>Defensemen
 
I would have included BU's Jon Coleman, one of the top returning Ds in HE,
but then again he was not even mentioned in Drop the Puck's BU preview
while five other BU Ds were!
 
Also worthy of mention is UNH's Todd Hall.
 
>Goalies
 
I'm not sure how they can leave out BU's Tom Noble (15-2-0, 2.75) after he
backstopped the Terriers to the national championship as a freshman.  He
looks to be one of the top netminders in the league for the next few years.
Don't forget Mike Veisor of Northeastern either as long as we're listing
this many players.  Veisor may or may not gain an All-HE selection, but
he's been consistent and strong.
 
I expect close followers of the other conferences can find odd selections
and omissions here regarding the teams they follow most closely.  I guess
the point is that as I said, TSN's selections should be looked at with a
discerning eye.
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                   [log in to unmask]            *HMM* 11/13/93
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