HE coffers take another financial blow as Maine is knocked out of the finals.
Having already lost UNH, this left only BU with a mega-fan contingent.  Had
UML beaten BU, it might not have been remembered as "The Last Final in the
Garden" or "The Underdog Final" but rather as "The Year Hockey East Staged a
Finals and No One Showed Up".  :-)
 
The following are without benefit of seeing the game on tape.  Just my
live reactions.
 
Providence-Maine
----------------
"Weak-side post" was the story of this game.  During the fateful and deciding
second period four of the five PC goals were scored on passes to uncovered
players on the weak side post.  Only on the backhanded wraparound for the
third goal did Allison have a chance.
 
I know I'm showing my partiality to my favorite PC player (by far) Chad
Quennville, but I'd have put him as number one star.  Although Kramer did
a great job of finishing, Quennville's work to create those opportunities was
IMO more impressive than Kramer's finishes.  Not knocking Kramer, I'd have
simply flip-flopped him and Quennville as number 1 and 3 stars.  Of course,
just looking at stats rather than the game itself Kramer would be the obvious
number 1 star.  But Quennville was responsible for most of PC's chances all
night, including the lopsided and scoreless first period.
 
BU-UML
------
Craig Lindsey as number three star along with compliments from Crowder?  I
don't get it.  IMO UML outplayed BU by a little in the first two periods before
getting totally outplayed in the third.  But the two keys were consistent
with the rest of UML's season: They got outgoaltended and they had more
penalties.  The team had among the worst goaltending in HE for the regular
season and also led HE in penalty minutes.  I wasn't crazy about either of the
first two BU goals (maybe a stronger goalie wouldn't have given the rebound
on the first goal and the second goal seemed a rather poor angle shot to go in,
but those things will happen and I'll credit BU with the skill level to create
those goals).  However, on the third goal, the UML defenseman seemed to have
Bates reasonably tied up (though not totally) so Bates did not get a strong
shot off yet Lindsey took forever getting side-to-side.  That was the one
critical goal that I have the most trouble with.  The final goal Lindsey had
no chance on.  I'm not saying that Lindsey was horrible.  He's certainly had
worse games this year.  (Backhanded compliment)  But I just don't see him as
the number three star.
 
As for the penalties, UML led HE in penalties during the
regular season and the two on Mahoney and Campbell late in the third gave UML
no chance whatsoever to come back.  Personally, I didn't see the Mahoney one
and the Campbell one looked like he'd been pushed into the goalie which would
have made Gravellese's call a bad one, but perhaps the calls were justified
based on the team's actions this season.
 
DaveH