A couple of observations on Saturday night's Maine event. 1. In terms of sheer effort, LSSU should have won it. They got out-talented by a guy named Kariya, and his equally adept foil named Montgomery. Montgomery's third still amazes me. Kariya threw the puck across the crease on to Montgomery's stick conveniently parked just left of the goaltender. Why didn't LSSU shadow Montgomery when he started getting it going in the third? 2. It's about time someone recognized LSSU's Jim Jackson (I think that's the right name) for his brilliance. His teams chew through the NC$$ playoffs like it's their divine right. What a terrific game plan. I wonder if Jackson supplied Shawn Walsh with a couple of hints in winning the national championship. Saturday's T-U mentioned that Walsh changed Maine's warm-up routine as a result of Jackson and Walsh's off-season sessions. 3. Snow's reaching save on the top shelfer early in the third was a momentum saver. In fact Snow played about as good a third period as you could. 4. It seemed like LSSU was pinching down their defensemen in their dominant second period. But they did it to keep the puck in the Maine end, rather than generate a scoring burst. I have never seen a team so patient in its scoring chances. LSSU was content to stuff the puck up against the boards until it was jarred free. If it made it to the front of the Maine net, fine. Otherwise jam it up against the boards again. 5. I think Harry might have called a delay of game penalty against LSSU. But then he didn't call much of anything--to call something like that would have probably started a riot. 6. I cannot imagine Kariya playing four year's at Maine. Maybe he'll rejoin the team after the Olympics--especially if Canada doesn't win the gold. But his market value is now peaking. Oates grabbed that big $500,000 signing bonus as a result of a bidding war following the '85 championship. For Kariya to stay for his junior and senior season just to re-write the record books would be dumb. And Kariya said in the interview on Saturday that he looked forward to playing in the NHL. Kariya can always satisfy his parent's laudable desire for him to get his degree by returning for summer sessions-that's what Oates did. _ "NYS // Hockey" Go 'Gate // Brian Morris Go RPI // Albany, NY ______// [log in to unmask] (______/ ********The CHHA was the best conference. But Maine was the best team. ******