This is one of the few times that I can take a break from one course and not have work to do for the other! (?) :-) Anyway, I have been itching to get this off my chest, so now's the time. I though Union put up an incredible effort Saturday night against RPI. Sorry, Brian, but I have to disagree with the idea that RPI dominated the first 38 minutes. Union did a great job of keeping the play in the RPI zone for most of the game and (as Jayson Moy said in preview) clogged the neutral zone like they had to. This took away the speed advantage that RPI had. It also threw them off stride just enough so passes went awry and Union took control of the puck. One of the few bright spots for RPI during their "dull" play was Mike Tamburro. It could have been 2-1 or even 3-1 after the first, but Tamburro kept it at 1-0. IMHO, it probably SHOULD have been at least 1-1 if (everybody's best friend) Pierre had swallowed his whistle about 3 minutes into the game. He stopped play (most likely because he lost sight of the puck) during a mad scramble in front of Tamburro just as Chris Ford put the puck in the net. Just bad luck for Union, good luck for RPI. One thing I do agree with about RPI. Somebody earlier today that RPI had a lot of heart. They sure didn't quit when Union scored three unanswered in a span of 5-6 minutes. They stepped up the play and decided to make a game out of it. Victories like this are what make champions -- when you win without your best effort. On the other side of the ice, it was a great night for Troy Stevens. He was a big part of that defense that wouldn't let RPI set up or even bring the puck into the Union zone. The Dutchmen were out-physicalling (if that is a word) RPI. RPI was landing some big hits, but Union kept up the tough play all around. Other than a few goals he should have stopped, Mike Gallant came up with another big effort. His stuff of Chris Maye's breakaway late in the second period gave Union even more energy. Gallant is slowly proving to me that he's one of the better ECAC goalies (maybe even top 5!). Bruce Delventhal had to be pleased with Union's effort. They came out and played like a playoff team should. However, a couple of bad breaks here and there and you end up losing two valuable points. I think Union's start this year is disappointing many of their faithful. But, I wouldn't count them out of anything yet. The efforts they have come up with against RPI, Clarkson, and SLU show that they are a playoff caliber team. However, the efforts they have come up with against harvard and Brown prove otherwise. I'm not saying that they'll win the ECAC, but they have an awfully good chance of going to Lake Placid. This is a team that matured a lot last season with their great finish. Just imagine what could happen by the time these guys are seniors in two years! =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Andy Weise [log in to unmask] SUNY Potsdam '93 Let's Go Tech!! [log in to unmask] Union College '95? Let's Go U!! +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+