After watching the Bowdoin/Neumann game last night, I have to say that Neumann should be disgraced with the way that they played (or at the very least they should be disgraced at how a few of their players decided to play). It's almost as if Neumann scouted Bowdoin's top players and then decided to try and take them out of the game...literally (I'm not saying this was their actual game plan, but it sure seemed that way). First, Garrioch delivers a blatant hit to the head to Downey from Bowdoin--5 minute major and a game misconduct. Next, another Neumann kid (Sather) takes out Matheson from behind from way after after the puck passes both players--another 5 minute major and a game misconduct. Then, in the third period, Weiniger gets the puck along the boards in the defensive zone and the Neumann defenseman pinches down...Weiniger has his back to the play, but the Neumann player barrels in without hesitation, and buries him face first into the boards. Weiniger was thankfully ok, and the kid only gets a cross-checking penalty. Now I may be reading way too far into things, but those three guys represent 3 out of Bowdoin's top 5 scorers, and all were targeted illegally. Now I'm all for physical play, and to be quite honest, Neumann was a bigger team, and physically intimidating Bowdoin should've been a part of their game plan. The problem is how cheap and dirty many of the hits were...and I think those who were at the game would agree. Neumann had plenty of solid, clean hits, and to those players who did so, right on...but the way that a few players acted on the ice, whether it be ordered by the coach or not is an absolute disgrace. I know that Neumann has a lot of guys who played juniors, but that's not an excuse for dirty physical play--Oswego had a ton of enormous former junior kids last year who shut down Bowdoin in the NCAAs with solid, clean, physical play. I'm sure all Neumann fans will rip my head off for saying all of this, and granted it was only one game our of many for their season--but the way that the Neumann team carried themselves last night is an absolute disgrace to the players, parents, fans, and the game of hockey.
... Capt. O cited Neumann's historical record against nescac teams and included babson in those stats. i merely let him know that babson wasn't in the nescac, to which he updated his post... wasn't trying to be an ***, simply helping provide accurate info...