1) Greatest player ever out of Maine What about Eric Weinrich? I know he went to Yarmouth Academy; did he prep somewhere else before heading to U.Maine? Not according to the NHL Guide and Record Book (to answer my own question). As for Dan Bolduc (Harvard '76), he may have played 100 games in the NHL and 88 in the WHA, but he does not hold any Harvard records listed in the Crimson media guide. Nor is he in the top 20 career scrorers, although he could easily have left school early. He is credited with being in the class of '76, but his first season with the Whalers was 1975-76. Unless he played after his eligibility elapsed, he is probably the first Harvard player to leave school for the pros (since joined by Chris Biotti, Aaron Israel, and Ted Drury, to my knowledge). 2) David E. Kelley Highlights from his profile in the 1978-79 Princeton media guide: "A 'defensive' defenseman, Dave was lauded by coach Jim Higgins game after game for his leadership and outstanding play, including his spirited efforts to block shots ... steady performer at right defense for the Tigers ... and played in 71 consecutive games ... attended Belmont Hill School, where he captained the baseball and hockey teams ... Dave's nickname is 'Machine Gun' and is the lead of a popular singing group on the Princeton campus called "Machine Gun Kelley and the Heroes." Major: Politics. Career Goal: Law." As we know, Mr. Kelley pursued a legal career (BU Law School) before being hired as a consultant on L.A. Law. The rest, as they say, is history. 3) BU/NMU final, 1992 I'll never forget this game , if only because it was one of the worst video snafus of my life. I set the VCR for 3 hours on LP speed and didn't get the third overtime on tape. So as far as I'm concerned, it was a 7-7 tie. The game-winning goal was scored at 1:57 of the third Ot, by Darryl Palandowski, as mentioned by Laura Campbell. Sean McEachern nearly won it for BU in the first overtime when his shot went off one post, hit the other, and stopped on the goal line. Every now and then I'll ask Princeton coach Toot Cahoon (an assistant to Jack Parker at the time) "How could you lose a game with the greatest line in college hockey history?" I'm referring, of course, to McEachern, Tony Amonte and Keith Tzachuk. Boy does that steam Toot. Other prominent figures on BU included Scott LaChance, Peter Ahola and David Sacco. 4) The decline of college hockey/the ECAC I tend to agree with Steven Rockey. I think the average college hockey player has improved, creating greater depth, but that the number of top line players has been reduced (and probably is more evenly distributed). The inability of teams to bring in Europeans (Denver and Clarkson excepted) and the increasing number of Canadien players passing up U.S. colleges (if you believe The Hockey News) are two factors. Of course, there are increasing numbers of U.S. players from off-track states like PA and NJ ... 5) Western PA Ryan Smart is not the only D1 player to come out of Western Pa. Colorado College has a forward named Craig Mooney, I believe, from Pittsburgh - he held the national high school scoring record until surpassed by New Jersey's Casey Kutner (points) and Clukey (goals). Princeton's Joey Pelle, who is taking at least a semester off from school, is also from Western Pa. Adam Wodon will know if Tony Ranaldi, who used to live in Hershey, actually grew up there or was a transplant. Kevin Murphy (Clarkson) is from Harrisburg, although he prepped at Northwood. Does anybody know of others? Geoff Howell The Trenton Times Drop the Puck