Game #1 Friday, March 3, CLARKSON vs. princeton

[Goldie Knight]

Thursday, March 2, 2006 10 AM

There seems to be optimistic news about Shea Guthrie being able to play this weekend. Shea indicated that his shoulder is 100% improved....and he has been recovering from a shoulder separation which occurred February 17. He is expecting to play this weekend.

Captain Chris Brekelmans is also hoping to play this weekend. He is such an inspiration to the team I hope Chris will be well enough to play. I thought Bob Ahlfeld mentioned that Chris had a knee injury during the Harvard game. Chris has been a respected and well-liked captain for the Golden Knights...he plays his hardest every shift he is on the ice.

I had to laugh when I read a comment by the Princeton Coach, Guy Gadowsky....he said, "We certainly don't feel good about playing Clarkson. They have a great team, and the building is very hard to play in." Coach Roll stated that "Princeton would be a tough matchup for us...just playing at home doesn't guarantee us a win."

Nonetheless, our record this season indicates that it is a distinct advantage for the Golden Knights to play at home. And as much as I love Clarkson hockey, I would be just as content with two consecutive victories rather than having to play a third game Sunday knight. Clarkson did that several years ago and lost the third game to UVM and referee John Murphy on Sunday knight.:mad:

GOOD LUCK THIS WEEKEND, CLARKSON GOLDEN KNIGHTS.

TROUNCE THE TIGERS TWICE.:)

[daredevilcu]

As far as I know, that's the only playoff series Clarkson has ever lost at Cheel Arena(knock on wood). Let's keep it that way.

[coolhandtouc]

Hey does the Knight still come out for the pregame skate and in between periods to get the crowd fired up?

[daredevilcu]

Yes, but this Knight, while fairly good, doesn't seem nearly as excited about being out there as the previous one. Maybe he'll kick it into high gear for the playoffs. I sure hope so...

[andy]

As far as I know, that's the only playoff series Clarkson has ever lost at Cheel Arena(knock on wood). Let's keep it that way.

Clarkson has lost two playoff series at Cheel, including the very last one which was played there when the current seniors were freshmen

[coolhandtouc]

Clarkson has lost two playoff series at Cheel, including the very last one which was played there when the current seniors were freshmen

Boy Andy, you are just a ray of sunshine. :rolleyes:

[oldtimehockey]

Boy Andy, you are just a ray of sunshine. :rolleyes:
Well at least he's getting some sun...... he's not an ostrich.

[andy]

to quote joe friday 'just the facts'

[Stemmer]

Guys, it's a whole new season, time to look ahead, not back, except in an instructional way.

The keys to beating Princeton are simple:

Skate hard from the first drop of the puck. Play with grit, get your nose dirty, forget the fancy stuff. Playing as hard as they do or harder will enable Tech's superior talent to show.

Leroux is very solid. We need to get traffic in front, win the battle for rebounds since it's not likely we'll beat him cleanly on many, if any, first shots.

PU will play hard, that's the rep of Gadowsky's teams. And stay outta da box!

[vicb]

WHOOO WHOOO. A lot closer than I thought it would be. Just don't understand how we let Princeton outwork and outplay us for most of the game in our own barn

The Good

Mike Sullivan with both goals
Leggio with some huge saves

The not so good

Wellers (undeserved???) game misconduct penalty
Getting outplayed by Princeton.

[Todd '86]

What was the story behind Weller's misconduct penalty? Was it supposedly a particularly vicious hit from behind? A "spirited" disagreement with the ref?

[RSTuthill]

What was the deal on the low attendance figure?

[Todd '86]

Well, I know students had to pay to get in.

[Goldie Knight]

Saturday, March 4, 2006 10 AM

The "real deal" on low attendance figures, Dick, was the price of tickets set by the ECAC. Reserved seats were $12, general admission was $10, and Clarkson students, with identification, paid $6. Season ticket holders had an opportunity to purchase their own seats earlier this week. My feeling is that a lot of season ticket holders never did that. Princeton fans were mostly parents, and there were not many of them either.

On the other hand, if there were to have been a lynching of the referee JM, with free admission, Cheel Arena would probably have been filled to capacity.;) That creature continues to redefine the words "terrible referee". I am certain that he was dismissed from the ECAC after the debacle at Cheel in March, 2001, during the playoff series against UVM. In the third and final game of that playoff, our goaltender, Mike Walsh, actually had his helmet torn off and was knocked unconscious to the ice. Mike required 14 stitches to close the gash in his head. No call, absolutely nothing, was called by JM that knight against UVM's Graham Mink. Our backup goaltender was called in to replace Mike, and Clarkson lost the game. It was an unforgettable and unforgivable performance by a person who should have been banished forever from Cheel Arena.

No one in Cheel Arena last knight believed that Shawn Weller should have received a five-minute major penalty nor a game misconduct. Thank goodness Princeton was unable to score during that five-minute punishment. My opinion is that even a boarding call against Shawn would have been questionable. The entire Clarkson bench was incensed over the call made against Shawn.

Unfortunately, it is my assumption that the wicked weasel, JM, will be back as the referee again toknight. Watching that artificial impersonation of a referee last knight, I saw him cover his ears several times when the train whistle blew. So the solution definitely is for Clarkson to score as many goals as possible to cause the whistle to blow....each time that happens, JM will be more irritated.:cool:

TROUNCE THE TIGERS, ONE MORE KNIGHT, CLARKSON GOLDEN KNIGHTS.:)

[Chaz]

Well, I know students had to pay to get in.
That's the ECAC's policy. Same deal at any ECAC playoff game you go to.

[ScottA '06]

While at the game, I also thought that the major/misconduct on Weller was unwarranted. After looking back at the rulebook and with the crackdown on hitting from behind, tough as it is to admit, it was the right call. Weller first hit the Princeton player while his back was turned, and forced him into the boards with force. Since it happened right in front of me, I believe that I saw it correctly.


Rule 6, Section 23(b) of the NCAA Rules and Interpretations:

Hitting from behind into the end boards, side boards or goal cage is a flagrant violation.
PENALTY: Major and Game Misconduct or Disqualification.


At the beginning of the year, the NCAA told all the officials to give no leeway if this rule was violated, and even though Weller's hit was not particularly malicious or intending to injure, it violated the above rule. I hate when referees make errors that hurt our team as much as the next guy , but in this instance, it was the right call.