In response to John Haeussler's comments... First of all, Bob Schwark is admittedly not a very good defenseman. But = he tries hard and has improved a lot over the last year. He used to be = a guaranteed penalty, goal or near goal when he was on the ice and was = usually always out of position. The first and nearly only time we saw = him two years ago he was assessed a game misconduct and disqualification = for skating the width of the ice at full bore into two players engaged = in some fisticuffs and a linesman trying to untangle them taking them = all down into a heap. Basically, he went beserk and we hardly saw him = again that year. He had nearly as many penalty minutes as minutes = played. I believe he led his junior team if not league in penalty = minutes as well. He is interestingly enough I believe a justice major = and we used to call him "defender of the innocent" after the incident = above. To his credit however Schwark has greatly reduced his penalty time and = kept his temper in check and that is the first time he has done anything = that I know of more like his previous game style. He definitely does = try to overcompensate for his other teammates sometimes poor defensive = play the only way he knows how which is to use the body and his stick. = If he is going to have to revert to that it means UAF might as well pack = it up. But there is a reason this is his first disqualification--he = hasn't done anything until now to deserve one. Drygas is big but very = young and was knocked down so many times against MSU he has rather = unwisely begun to retaliate with his own physical body play. He = retaliated to a brutal elbowing and knockdown against MSU along the = boards at the blue line with a severe slash of Tuzzolino which nearly = escaped being penalized. Both UM and MSU appear to have figured out = that both players are somewhat hot headed and can use it to their = advantage. Part of the problem last night is that Laurion benched another two = players (Milles who has been the key to most of the teams improvement = the last two months and Norton) for undisclosed team rules violations. = That follows demoting Oakenfold at Ferris State to the 4th line for = another violation and a four game benching in Novermber and demotion to = 4th line the next game to Forest Gore which finally resulted in his = quitting the team (some other division I team should take a look at him, = he could be a very fine player and we miss him a lot on this team). = Whatever these team rules violations are we don't know, but we are = wondering what in the world is going on. Then we see Lundgren throw a = Ferris State player into the goal cage intentionally and wonder why he = doesn't sit for a while. Our lines are in total disarray now so don't = expect to see much other than attempts to feed Bowtell for the breakaway = unless Laurion can put the lines and team back together again pretty = soon. I don't know, maybe the team can get its act back together again, but I = worry if we're on the verge of total disintegration and plummeting into = the bottom of the CCHA. I'm sorry Schwark tried to take out Morrison = and he deserves to sit for it (we can't afford any more of this as a = team), but that is not like anyone on the teams usual play. The players = appear to be getting more and more unhappy and more and more out of = control or not into the game at times. Laurion seems to be trying to = control the team, but who knows? Now something I'm particularly upset about. Please do not judge the = entire UAF program based on, as you admit, one game out of five. Think = about those two games you attended here or ask the MSU fans and team = about their trip up here a few weeks ago. If you have a bad feeling = about the game or individual players then I don't have any objection = even if I don't like your calling them "chumps", saying that they've = been let of cages, or suggesting another team rearrange a player's face. = You're suggesting doing exactly what you've just criticized! Moreover, = I have heard in the last three weeks some very bad things about visiting = Ann Arbor and the behavior of your fans and treatment of visiting fans = and players. I have never been there so I will likewise try not to = judge your program by what I've heard. Try to remember too that UAF is = in the middle of a very long road trip, that you are definitely better = than our team and after 3 games on your ice on the very short end of the = score that tempers get short and the players' pride is the only thing = left to play for. I'm not excusing what Schwark did, just try not to = judge us yet and we'll try to extend you the same courtesy. Eric Carlson [log in to unmask] HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.