Mike Machnik writes: > Team Mass is now 4-0 with wins over Wisconsin, Team Southwest, Team > Pittsburgh, and Team North Dakota (3-1). Adams has scored in every > game except the Wisconsin game and is Mass's leading scorer, I believe, > with something like 12 points in four games. > > Merrimack people are wishing the season started tomorrow... With good reason to be sure, but there are smiles in Durham too - Jeff Lewis writes: > Team New Hampshire beat Massachusetts 4-3 in the finals of the Chicago > Showcase. NH dominated play in the first period as Eric Royal scored > the first of his three unassisted goals at 2:40. > The furious play continued in the third period. Eric Royal scored again > at 1:22 to pu NH ahead 3-1. Sean Perry pulled Mass to 3-2 at 3:18. Eric > Royal got his third goal on a power play at 9:49. A month ago I summarized UNH's 1990-91 campaign and included the following: > Against the eventual top-half of the league (BC/BU/PC/Maine) > UNH's offensive ineptitude was particularly acute, averaging less than > 2 goals/game overall, and only slightly better than a single goal/game > away from Snively Arena. This is hardly an encouraging thought for next > year, when the 'Cats must travel to Maine, BU and PC for two games, a > swing of three additional road "toughies" that were played in Durham during > the 90-91 campaign. Levy is a fine goalie - the key to their continuing > improvement in HE [and now a Second-Team All-American] - but there'll be > little chance for UNH to break into the top 3 if he has to post a Ken > Dryden-like GAA closer to 2 than 3 to win. > Without a proven sniper a two that forces opponents to adjust to *US* rather > than spending our time chasing next year's HEM lines around the ice, I fear > we're fated for 4th - 6th place finishes for the forseeable future. It's a lot of pressure to put on a freshman, but many of the UNH faithful are hoping that Eric Royal will eventually become the game-in/game-out offensive threat that hasn't skated for the 'Cats since the late 70's [Ralph Cox, Bob Miller, Bob Gould, et al.]. The top-to-bottom competitive balance in HE is so much greater than the days of the 16-team ECAC [UNH 90-91 season was fourth-best in 64-year history of New Hampshire hockey, yet we finished *fifth* in HE] that I'm not sure that highly-touted freshmen can make an impact as freshmen or sophomores - time will tell .... [of course, see Jeff Levy as Exhibit 1 to bash THAT theory all to hell ....] And finally, Mike writes: > I expect the big matchup will be between Mass & Minnesota .... Well, I see Mike's High School Tournament predictions are keeping up the torrid pace he set in the HE and NCAA tournaments ..... :-) Cheers from the Chesapeake, Jim Jim Love <[log in to unmask]> Univ. of Maryland System / Solomons, MD