From: mikem@beanpot.ma30.bull.com (Mike Machnik)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey
Subject: Re: NCAA officiating
Date: 16 Apr 92 18:12:02 GMT
Reply-To: mikem@beanpot.ma30.bull.com (Mike Machnik)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Bull Worldwide Information Systems

In article <1992Apr14.150142.4416@meteor.wisc.edu>, rbrbrn@meteor.wisc.edu (Rob
Holmes) writes:
|>I think that the biggest problem with the officiating in the NCAA
Championship
|>game was that the referee was from the east and the teams were from the west,
|>where a more defensive, "clutch and grab" game is played.  Obviuosly, this
hurt

I don't buy this.  I saw six other NC$$ games this year, many done by Western
refs, and they were also called tightly.  If you want to see clutch and grab,
watch a few ECAC games, the conference where McConaghy is from.  The West
does not have a monopoly on it and there is no *huge* difference in style of
play.  Your comments make it sound as if McConaghy has never seen clutch and
grab before.

I also watched the CCHA's Steve Piotrowski whistle penalties all night long
two years ago when BU hosted North Dakota in the NC$$ first round.  That is
the way it is when it comes to the NC$$ tourney - the games have a higher
visibility than the regular season, and there is no way they are going to
tolerate some of the garbage that takes place at those times.

And, the NC$$ folks do advise the officials on how they want the games to
be called - tightly, loosely, etc.  I would not be surprised if McConaghy was
specifically asked to call a tight game for several reasons:

* Both Wisconsin and Lake Superior have been known for very physical,
  occasionally cheap play in the past.  Calling nothing could have resulted
  in a very ugly game.
* The game was on national tv, college hockey's showcase.
* On top of that, the NHL strike meant even more hockey fans would be tuning
  in, and there was a chance to show just how great the college game can be.
  (Too bad the strike didn't occur last year during BU-Northern Michigan.)

|>the badgers much more than LSSU.  This inconsistancy should be avoided as
much
|>as possible.  Why didn't they use officials from the WCHA or the CCHA?  It
|>would seem to make more sense.

Officials cannot do games involving teams from their own
conference in the NC$$s.  Thus, they had to be from the ECAC or Hockey East.
Since HE's Frank Cole had already done a game in the final four two days 
earlier, my guess is that to keep everyone happy, they chose to go with an
ECAC ref.  

|>I believe that many of us that have been involved with the game of hockey can
|>appreciate the feelings of the Badgers after the game.

I can understand their feelings.  I cannot in any way possible accept their
actions.  College hockey cannot allow such a blatant disregard for the
authority and sanctity of its officials to go unpunished.  NC$$ tournament
and hockey rules state clearly, and teams are informed of this, that abuse
of officials will not be tolerated.  If a team loses control such that it
violates these regulations, the answer is not to let it go because, well,
they might have had a good reason.  You have to conduct yourself at the highest
level at all times.  The answer is to levy a significant enough punishment
so that future teams/players will think twice before doing the same.
--
 == Mike Machnik                     Bull HN Information Systems Inc. ==
 == 508-294-2177                     300 Concord Road   MA30-836A     ==
 == mikem@beanpot.ma30.bull.com      Billerica, MA 01821              ==
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey