Caught this one on tape last night, thrilled with the improved all-around quality of play shown by the 'Cats in what is now a three-game mini-winning streak. All three goals scored by defenseman on this occasion, and the way Huard continues to play begs the question as to what took MS7 so long to get the kid into the line-up? Big and mobile, good positional play, looking very comfortable on the puck ... and only a frosh. Hope it's not a mirage, and if he's the real deal, suddenly the underclass players are looking to form a very solid backline, and a couple of top line sniper types in Devlin and Cronin. Might be nice if one or two of the seniors (thinking Pierson and Engaras) could stick around for another year, assuming they're eligible given the current situation, as the team is playing with some confidence I haven't seen around this place for awhile.
Tonight at BC should be revealing ... UNH has only one road win so far (Harvard?), and their next 4 games are on the road, including two at UConn next weekend. It would be nice if they can get something out of tonight's rematch, and then take it to Luce's boys, which could get the 'Cats back into the crowded middle slots in the HEA standings. The stretch run doesn't look too daunting, unless you count 3 games with surprising UML (including the last two RS games), so if last night is a sample of the "real thing" and not a mirage, we could be seeing some important hockey games being played in the Winter up here in Titletown for the first time in awhile.
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Before I forget ... something last night didn't pass the smell test (at least for me), and it was right at the end, when BC had scored late with under 20 seconds to narrow the margin to 3-2. Surprisingly - and not seemingly prompted by the UNH players or bench - the officiating crew wandered over to engage in a lengthy review of the goal, purportedly for "goaltender interference". I didn't see any in real time, and the replays seemingly didn't offer any compelling evidence either. Yet the crew spent enough time in the review area to enjoy some coffee and donuts (in honor of their colleague Officer Benedetto, no doubt) before coming to the obvious conclusion, yeah, there was no interference. No sheet, Sherlock ... but it sure did give the already-exhausted BC top-liners plenty of time to refuel and recharge, and those last few seconds were probably the best hockey that group played all night.
I'll apologize (partially) here and now if MS7 asked for the review - only partially because it should have lasted 15 seconds, not two minutes - and it makes me ask the question whether UNH could have declined the review, as it was apparent to anyone with functional eyesight there wasn't a violation. Just goes to show that, even with the rise of Commish Nigel, the folks running this league really haven't changed. It's like the "Deep State of Hockey East". The folks at the Effingwoods Hockey Almanac are on the case, after their troubling revelations in late 2020 about how the second-in-command at BC (Kevin "The Chancellor" Shea) was officiating HEA games in his spare time ... plus ca change, plus c'est le meme chose ...
