Again, in mostly in chronological order:
 
Anaheim - What a dump.  Only one overpriced bar/restaurant anywhere near
the arena, with waiters who will suggest that you try the amber ale
instead of the stout that they're out of since it's the next darkest in
color.  Very few restaurants in the vicinity of all of the hotels right
around Disneyland; they must figure that the Mouse is going to get the
rest of your money anyways, so why bother?  Nothing within walking
distance of anything else.  More road construction than I get here at
home.  Hopefully, the NCAA will spare us from any more of its clever
ideas.  If I never see another menu with a Turkey and Avocado Sandwich
or Artichoke Salsa, I'll be slightly happier than I am now.
 
That BC/Maine game was pretty good.  The Eagles showed that they had
another good defensive effort in them after throttling North Dakota.
The Black Bears, on the other hand, looked a bit ragged at times.  They
had trouble with their breakous all weekend.  More interestingly, they
look like a better team when Steve Kariya isn't on the ice.  When he's
out there, his teammates are determined to force the puck to him whether
or not he's open.  The line of Guite, Dimitrakos and Kerluke really
impressed me.  Both Maine goals in this one looked very similar.  Both
were right in front of us, and I knew BC was in trouble as soon as the
guy going behind the net lost his man, then passed it to someone cutting
through the slot, though Dimitrakos waited a long time to make the pass
in overtime.
 
Maybe next year, Michigan State should just decline the invitation to
the tourney.  They were very lucky to beat Colorado College last week,
relying on a marginal penalty call with under two minutes to go.  Then
they arrive in Anaheim, and their defense looks even worse.  I kept
hearing that stat that Mike York had only been on the ice for two even
strength goals against all season; well, he was saving them up since he
tallied four more against UNH.  Jeff Kozakowski should have had an
assist on the Wildcats third goal; his pass was right onto Souza's tape
in the slot.  Joe Blackburn looked good but not great, and he got zero
help from anyone but Mike Weaver; I doubt that the Spartans produced a
1.44 goals against record by giving up odd-man rushes every couple of
minutes, like it seemed happened here.  The Wolverines fan I was with
was in agony that Michigan couldn't put one more in the net last week,
because this was a pretty easy road to the final.  The 5-3 final was a
bit deceptive; except for one stretch in the second period where Ty
Conklin had to make some good saves, UNH clearly looked like the better
team.  Jason Krog finally looked good in a game I've seen.  To put it in
perspective, that puts him one ahead of Mike Grier.
 
There actually is a good brew pub in Orange County.  This place called
the Newport Beach Brewing Company had really good beer, okay food, and
it even looked like a bar.  It did have the infamous Turkey and Avocado
Sandwich, and stay away from the oh so frou-frou Buffalo Wings, but that
porter they serve made up for a lot.  We caught the Red Wings pasting of
the Blackhawks there on Friday., which was another deceiving 5-3 score.
 
I thought the final was close and exciting, but not that well played a
game.  UNH again completely throttled Maine's breakout, producing
scoring chances that Michaud swallowed up voraciously; the Wildcats are
going to be haunted by him just like Michigan was by Blair Allison in
1995.  Is there any particular reason that Maine always goes so bloody
wide when they bring the puck into the offensive zone?  To me, it just
looked like they were taking themselves out of the play by not attacking
the net.  New Hampshire was really fortunate that Vittorino went through
the crease, wiping off the third goal for Maine; it didn't affect the
play, and if it had counted, I don't think that the Wildcats would ever
have climbed back into the game.  Jason Krog went back to merely being a
very good player; his buddies Mike Souza and Darren Haydar, on the other
hand, make my all-tournament team easily.  If Haydar had taken anything
less than a perfect roof shot on that breakaway, Michaud was set to rob
him again, and UNH still wouldn't have gotten back into it.  Souza was
the only high-quailty power forward I saw all weekend outside of Bryan
Adams for MSU.  And, of course, we had Mike Noeth.  He made that penalty
call forty seconds into the game, and then watched as Barrett Heisten
was cross-checked three times, tripped and held in front of the net only
to call Heisten for a trip moments later.  That largely sums up his
Magical Mystery Tour of officiating this game; I think Sparky the
Seawolf hit him one too many times during that lame pre-game
extravaganza.  I will, however, haul out my trusty soapbox for one of my
pet issues.  If that wasn't five minutes worth of checking from behind
that Christian Bragnalo delivered, exactly when does Noeth plan to make
that call?  I think it was Bobby Stewart on the receiving end, and I was
actually afraid that he wasn't going to get up; he was bent over when
Bragnalo ran him, and hit the boards with the crown of his head.  This
was a textbook case of what is supposedly an NCAA point of emphasis.
 
Something I had noticed before was true again this weekend: Maine fans
are consistently the friendliest, most pleasant and most enjoyable fans
of any team in the country, including a couple that I root for
regularly.  If the rest of Hockey East remains determined to ostracize
the Black Bears, I'd be more than happy to consider them honorary
Westerners when I put together my cheering priority list.
 
J. Michael Neal
 
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