CARDS_rule_the_Burgh
Nate LePage, Siena '13
Re: NCAA Frozen Four in Lake Placid, NY
Ha! The Oswego/St. Norbert game was some of the most inconsistent officiating I have seen all year. One minute, they are calling everything, the next they are calling nothing. I always have to see a player called for something that, despite obviously being a penalty, another player had done not even a minute before and got no call. That's what I saw countless times in that game.
The Plattsburgh/Norwich game was an interesting officiating performance. Inconsistent, but not quite as much. Everett was, somewhat surprisingly, the better ref on this ice. EDIT: now that I look back, it was Everleth, not Everett. Shea, who was part of the crew last week in Norwich that we all praised so much, was horribly inconsistent, making some very borderline-at-best calls, while letting some obvious ones go uncalled. I'm not sure who the official was, but on the norwich no-goal (which I do believe should have been a goal, that was the first time I have ever see an official point at the goal to signal "goal" and then change his mind, let play continue, and then consult. I'm glad they went through the consultation process, since he was obviously unsure, but to signal goal should have been the last step in his thought process. I also want to know how Wieland (a Cardinal) clearly got cross-checked from behind into Leis, causing a 3-man pileup in the goal, and got called for Holding himself, which he clearly did not do. I'm sorry, it's not just my homer bias speaking here, the Norwich fans around me agreed with my assessment of that penalty.
The officiating in the final was good overall in regulation. Some minor annoyances, more than anything. Not the fault of the refs, but I disliked how a TV-timeout was called at the beginning of both of Norwich's first two powerplays. A few things let go in regulation, and a few borderline calls, but within the acceptable range. But I was furious with them during the second overtime. It was evident VERY early on in the overtime that, in the words of an Oswego fan sitting near me, "they're going to have to decapitate someone to get called for a penalty". I'm all for that, letting the guys play in the overtime and not get involved. But when both sides had multiple players being helped off the ice in a relatively short time, that's when something has to give. But no, they continued to let them play. But at least they were consistent about it. Until the one tripping call which, while obviously being a trip, was the most ridiculously insignificant penalty of the 2 OTs. He caught a players skate with trailing stick, after having just played the puck, and I almost think it was embellished a little, but still should not have been worthy of being the only penalty called in the OTs, given what was NOT called. If you're going to call one, particularity that one, all them all please. It was clear that both teams were holding back for the next few minutes, afraid that the Refs would start calling everything. They didn't, which only got me even more irate.
Regulation of the final was the closest I got to being content with the officiating. The rest was far from "excellent" .
Ha! The Oswego/St. Norbert game was some of the most inconsistent officiating I have seen all year. One minute, they are calling everything, the next they are calling nothing. I always have to see a player called for something that, despite obviously being a penalty, another player had done not even a minute before and got no call. That's what I saw countless times in that game.
The Plattsburgh/Norwich game was an interesting officiating performance. Inconsistent, but not quite as much. Everett was, somewhat surprisingly, the better ref on this ice. EDIT: now that I look back, it was Everleth, not Everett. Shea, who was part of the crew last week in Norwich that we all praised so much, was horribly inconsistent, making some very borderline-at-best calls, while letting some obvious ones go uncalled. I'm not sure who the official was, but on the norwich no-goal (which I do believe should have been a goal, that was the first time I have ever see an official point at the goal to signal "goal" and then change his mind, let play continue, and then consult. I'm glad they went through the consultation process, since he was obviously unsure, but to signal goal should have been the last step in his thought process. I also want to know how Wieland (a Cardinal) clearly got cross-checked from behind into Leis, causing a 3-man pileup in the goal, and got called for Holding himself, which he clearly did not do. I'm sorry, it's not just my homer bias speaking here, the Norwich fans around me agreed with my assessment of that penalty.
The officiating in the final was good overall in regulation. Some minor annoyances, more than anything. Not the fault of the refs, but I disliked how a TV-timeout was called at the beginning of both of Norwich's first two powerplays. A few things let go in regulation, and a few borderline calls, but within the acceptable range. But I was furious with them during the second overtime. It was evident VERY early on in the overtime that, in the words of an Oswego fan sitting near me, "they're going to have to decapitate someone to get called for a penalty". I'm all for that, letting the guys play in the overtime and not get involved. But when both sides had multiple players being helped off the ice in a relatively short time, that's when something has to give. But no, they continued to let them play. But at least they were consistent about it. Until the one tripping call which, while obviously being a trip, was the most ridiculously insignificant penalty of the 2 OTs. He caught a players skate with trailing stick, after having just played the puck, and I almost think it was embellished a little, but still should not have been worthy of being the only penalty called in the OTs, given what was NOT called. If you're going to call one, particularity that one, all them all please. It was clear that both teams were holding back for the next few minutes, afraid that the Refs would start calling everything. They didn't, which only got me even more irate.
Regulation of the final was the closest I got to being content with the officiating. The rest was far from "excellent" .
). We clearly saw the net move and the light went on. Good thing Norwich didn't end up needing that one or the refs would have decided the game.
All ended up ok as a samaritan turned in the phone, and my wife found the coat on a bench 
