RIT/Army incident

[hockeyjunkie10]

Re: RIT/Army incident

Besides the elbow by Mazur would you care to point out some specifics please?

In 30 games, RIT has 18 elbowing or CTH penalties (we will group them together as they are basically everything around the head area) for 42 total minutes. They have received at least one elbowing/CTH penalty in more than half of their games and two or more on 4 occasions. Taylor McReynolds recieved a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for CTH-Elbowing on November 21st.

[cplinford]

Re: RIT/Army incident

In 30 games, RIT has 18 elbowing or CTH penalties (we will group them together as they are basically everything around the head area) for 42 total minutes. They have received at least one elbowing/CTH penalty in more than half of their games and two or more on 4 occasions. Taylor McReynolds recieved a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for CTH-Elbowing on November 21st.

How about you can't cause CTH does not mean always mean elbowing. And anything involving McReynolds should be considered separately

Quick look at overall PIM counts for AHA teams both Canisius and Mercyhurst have significantly more penalties than RIT so how you just worry about your own team?

[hockeyjunkie10]

Re: RIT/Army incident

How about you can't cause CTH does not mean always mean elbowing. And anything involving McReynolds should be considered separately

Quick look at overall PIM counts for AHA teams both Canisius and Mercyhurst have significantly more penalties than RIT so how you just worry about your own team?

Well CTH obviously means to the head and elbowing is generally around the head area which is the point of the original comment. The two are essentially in the same category. I can see Canisius and Mercyhurst being more penalized but its the type of penalty that is of concern.

Your dismissal of the actions of McReynolds are essentially cementing my original point. You are effectively acknowleding the brand of hockey that he plays. I don't think a player who played parts of four years of junior in the AJ, SJ and USHL recording 52 total points and 621 penalty minutes was brought to RIT for his goal scoring touch...

[kbranch]

Re: RIT/Army incident

How about you can't cause CTH does not mean always mean elbowing. And anything involving McReynolds should be considered separately

Quick look at overall PIM counts for AHA teams both Canisius and Mercyhurst have significantly more penalties than RIT so how you just worry about your own team?

Considering that RIT plays half of their games in the smallest rink in the AHA if not all of college hockey, it is no surprise that they play a physical style of hockey. But when you consider that RIT only 23rd in PIMs out of 58 DI programs you can hardly say that playing dirty is their trademark.

[Tom Naeger]

Re: RIT/Army incident

In 30 games, RIT has 18 elbowing or CTH penalties (we will group them together as they are basically everything around the head area) for 42 total minutes. They have received at least one elbowing/CTH penalty in more than half of their games and two or more on 4 occasions. Taylor McReynolds recieved a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for CTH-Elbowing on November 21st.

"Contact to the head" is a point of emphasis this year, and I have talked to many coaches, players, and media types who seem to agree with me that they are over doing it, which they always do with the points of emphasis. They are becoming to much like the IIHF.

This has caused everyones penalties for contact to the head to go up. RIT is an agressive team who plays a high tempo game, as an effect they will get some calls like this, but they are hardly throwing cheap shots. McReynolds is that kind of player you need to disturb things, he does take more penalties than I would like, but I have to say he bothers me a lot less then a Steve Avery or Patrick Kaleta type player.

Deacon Jones once said, "You have to serve Justice, if you don't your going to be kicked around the league..."

That is the kind of game hockey is, so much goes on during a game that it boils over. There is a code but this is game for big boys, if you can't handle it there always curling...

[cplinford]

Re: RIT/Army incident

Well CTH obviously means to the head and elbowing is generally around the head area which is the point of the original comment. The two are essentially in the same category. I can see Canisius and Mercyhurst being more penalized but its the type of penalty that is of concern.

Your dismissal of the actions of McReynolds are essentially cementing my original point. You are effectively acknowleding the brand of hockey that he plays. I don't think a player who played parts of four years of junior in the AJ, SJ and USHL recording 52 total points and 621 penalty minutes was brought to RIT for his goal scoring touch...

I counted 9 total elbowing RIT penalties, 1 attributed to McReynolds. Yeah he was brought in to bang bodies around, this is hockey but he doesn't go around throwing cheap elbows.

Interesting there was 3 CTH/elbowing penalties for Army compared to 1 for RIT during this last weekend series...

[Chris Lerch]

Re: RIT/Army incident

I think (and i am biased as the dad of two players over 6-3) that some CTH is the result of height differential. It is there to protect smaller players and one can't glean intent or viscousness from a box score. Throwing a shoulder check at a level height may or may not be a penalty based on the size of the players in question.

As to this incident, IMHO the Army AD was personally involved in this (according to media he "got in the face" of the RIT coaches on the ice after the game) and should have stuck to commenting (or not) on his own team. More in my column this week.

[RITProf]

Re: RIT/Army incident

Well, clearly RIT has arrived as DI team ... we have irrational haters at this level now, too!

[Chris Lerch]

Re: RIT/Army incident

Well, clearly RIT has arrived as DI team ... we have irrational haters at this level now, too!

At least one will be happy to know that I am tired of mocking the manufactured enthusiasm that's a part of the most overrated annual college hockey "event" - the Big Red Freakout. I usually make fun of it in my column each season, but it's getting old. RIT and dozens of other schools have this every week. It's known as "fans getting excited at a hockey game".

I'll still mock it on the radio, though.

[Red Cloud]

Re: RIT/Army incident

At least one will be happy to know that I am tired of mocking the manufactured enthusiasm that's a part of the most overrated annual college hockey "event" - the Big Red Freakout. I usually make fun of it in my column each season, but it's getting old. RIT and dozens of other schools have this every week. It's known as "fans getting excited at a hockey game".

I'll still mock it on the radio, though.

Jealousy is a stinky cologne, Chris. I will miss your yearly hilarious misunderstanding of/obsession with the Freakout.

[Chris Lerch]

Re: RIT/Army incident

Jealousy is a stinky cologne, Chris. I will miss your yearly hilarious misunderstanding of/obsession with the Freakout.

It started with me teasing Moy about including it in the USCHO schedule every year in the place we have reserved for tournaments, playoff games, etc. I told him I wanted every homecoming/trinket handout game at every school included. I've been to the freakout, and I've been to about 20 other rinks for regular season games that had a better atmosphere, including some D-III places.

PS Army is not one of them. Good for them for promoting a G-rated product, but it does tend to take away some of the enthusiasm. Still, great rink and a great place to see a game, especially when the cadets are out in force. Best rink in the AHA, but not the most exciting.

[kbranch]

Re: RIT/Army incident

I counted 9 total elbowing RIT penalties, 1 attributed to McReynolds. Yeah he was brought in to bang bodies around, this is hockey but he doesn't go around throwing cheap elbows.

Interesting there was 3 CTH/elbowing penalties for Army compared to 1 for RIT during this last weekend series...

And for the Army fans who live in glass houses, check out the number of boarding calls against your team this year before you start throwing stones. Bunch of hypocritical hack goons.

[Red Cloud]

Re: RIT/Army incident

PS Army is not one of them. Good for them for promoting a G-rated product, but it does tend to take away some of the enthusiasm. Still, great rink and a great place to see a game, especially when the cadets are out in force. Best rink in the AHA, but not the most exciting.

This, I can agree with, but it's what they aim for there so I can at least respect that.

[Tom Naeger]

Re: RIT/Army incident

PS Army is not one of them. Good for them for promoting a G-rated product, but it does tend to take away some of the enthusiasm. Still, great rink and a great place to see a game, especially when the cadets are out in force. Best rink in the AHA, but not the most exciting.

Thats one thing I was dissapointed in was the lack of Cadets at the game. Was like trying to find Waldo all most. My Girlfriend asked me if they keep the kids so busy they that they do not have time to come to the game. The first thing she said after the game was RIT has the better atmosphere. I understand what Army is trying to do, but what they have really done is created more of a pro feel to the game. And its not nearly as G Rated as they think they are...

The revelation of the AD getting in the faces of the RIT coaches really shows how emotional and thoughtless his remarks were. He should apologies for his embarassing actions...

[FireKnight]

Re: RIT/Army incident

Tom, you are 100% correct that they do keep the cadets that busy. When I was closer to the Academy, they had requirements that the non-athlete cadets attend sporting events but USMA has so many sports that most schools don't have that a good percentage of the cadets are considered student-athletes. There are also so many events to attend that very few want to take their Friday or Saturday night to attend a game as that is "their" time.

As far as the G rated atmosphere is concerned, you are also correct that the athletic department wishes to keep a family atmosphere at most of its sporting venues because the Academy doesn't have much of a community connection. College sports aren't big in this area and in the winter the focus is generally on the very successful Marist women's basketball team. Army hockey markets itself to families, youth hockey teams, and local scout groups. It does take away from the atmosphere (trust me, when I attend a Clarkson game, I turn from a rather respectable 35 year old to a yelling screaming fanatic) but that's what works for them. I go to a number of their games not for the atmosphere but because I love college hockey. If the two worst teams in the country were playing nearby, I'd go to see them.

There is some level of profanity on the ice and from the crowd in college hockey. I know that and I generally expect it. I don't think you hear it off the ice at West Point nearly as much as any other venue I've been to in college hockey (except maybe Princeton, if you want to talk about boring atmosphere). Profanity and gestures directed to the fans in any event are unacceptable.

I'm surprised as a high school baseball official that you would let this kind of activity go. I know in Section IX we try to limit profanity as best we can but we expect some of it amongst the players on the bench or under their breath to themselves. If there is ever any profanity directed to the other team, the officials, or the fans, the offenders are immediately ejected. Having umpired at state tournament levels, I know not every part of the state is quite so strict.