Re: Merrimack College 2010-2011: taking H.E. one chair-back seat at a time
I was not at the game, but I was watching the Pack Network feed from unhwildcats.tv. I saw the play live, and during tonight's Merrimack webcast they replayed the hit several times.
MC players were heading to the bench, but DaCosta was not one of them. He was skating with the puck up the center of the ice. Perhaps he did intend to dump it after he cleared the red line, but he did not get that far and was not heading in the direction of the bench.
DaCosta was not involved in a scramble or tangle. DeSimone was heading straight up center ice towards DaCosta with good speed, although I would not say either player was moving at full speed.
The video is low resolution but it looked to me as if DaCosta gave a slight head fake to his left, but then kept moving straight ahead. DeSimone was aimed at an open space slightly to DaCosta's left. His center of mass was not going to hit DaCosta and did not. As DeSimone approached DaCosta, he stuck his left leg out, making contact with DaCosta's left leg. If he had not stuck out his leg, there would hardly have been any contact at all-- DeSimone would have sailed past DaCosta into the Merrimack defensive end.
I doubt there was any intent to injure, but I also don't think that's relevant. What is relevant is that DeSimone made a move that could not possibly have resulted in a legitimate check, and did in fact cause injury. If DeSimone had DaCosta in his sights, with his head down, and had plowed him over, it would have been a hard, but legal check as long as he didn't take steps, didn't leave his feet, and didn't get up high on him. He didn't. DaCosta avoided his body and DeSimone stuck out his leg because it was the only thing he could make contact with, and making that kind of move, injury to one or both players is foreseeable, if not likely.
According to tonight's radio broadcast, on-ice officials appeared to review Pack Network footage when making penalty calls-- one of which was a five minute major to Ryan Flanigan for kneeing. I wonder if the on-ice officials in last night's game also asked to see the video, or if the league will look at it; nothing of the kind has been said so far.
All that aside.. great gut-check win tonight for the Warriors in OT, without DaCosta on the ice and pressed hard by UNH's performance on the two-man advantage. UNH is a very good club, but I think that both on paper and on the ice, Merrimack has shown that they are in the same neighborhood as the Wildcats and the Eagles. Another series win in the books, and another tiebreaker should they need it when it comes time for playoff seeding. This team doesn't quit, at least not in the last nine games, and here's hoping it continues, with or without DaCosta.
I was not at the game, but I was watching the Pack Network feed from unhwildcats.tv. I saw the play live, and during tonight's Merrimack webcast they replayed the hit several times.
MC players were heading to the bench, but DaCosta was not one of them. He was skating with the puck up the center of the ice. Perhaps he did intend to dump it after he cleared the red line, but he did not get that far and was not heading in the direction of the bench.
DaCosta was not involved in a scramble or tangle. DeSimone was heading straight up center ice towards DaCosta with good speed, although I would not say either player was moving at full speed.
The video is low resolution but it looked to me as if DaCosta gave a slight head fake to his left, but then kept moving straight ahead. DeSimone was aimed at an open space slightly to DaCosta's left. His center of mass was not going to hit DaCosta and did not. As DeSimone approached DaCosta, he stuck his left leg out, making contact with DaCosta's left leg. If he had not stuck out his leg, there would hardly have been any contact at all-- DeSimone would have sailed past DaCosta into the Merrimack defensive end.
I doubt there was any intent to injure, but I also don't think that's relevant. What is relevant is that DeSimone made a move that could not possibly have resulted in a legitimate check, and did in fact cause injury. If DeSimone had DaCosta in his sights, with his head down, and had plowed him over, it would have been a hard, but legal check as long as he didn't take steps, didn't leave his feet, and didn't get up high on him. He didn't. DaCosta avoided his body and DeSimone stuck out his leg because it was the only thing he could make contact with, and making that kind of move, injury to one or both players is foreseeable, if not likely.
According to tonight's radio broadcast, on-ice officials appeared to review Pack Network footage when making penalty calls-- one of which was a five minute major to Ryan Flanigan for kneeing. I wonder if the on-ice officials in last night's game also asked to see the video, or if the league will look at it; nothing of the kind has been said so far.
All that aside.. great gut-check win tonight for the Warriors in OT, without DaCosta on the ice and pressed hard by UNH's performance on the two-man advantage. UNH is a very good club, but I think that both on paper and on the ice, Merrimack has shown that they are in the same neighborhood as the Wildcats and the Eagles. Another series win in the books, and another tiebreaker should they need it when it comes time for playoff seeding. This team doesn't quit, at least not in the last nine games, and here's hoping it continues, with or without DaCosta.
