While I was delighted to see UC advance, that game -while exciting- was in many ways a tragedy.
I've commented many times on The Aud's poor ice, but tonight, it was the worst I've ever seen. It had to have been 80 or better in there tonight, and it showed. There was standing water in the corners and a thin layer of slush throughout. The puck was either mired in the slush or bouncing around like a pinball all night long. Neither players nor refs could negotiate a hard turn, and both groups lost edges and flopped like pee-wee skaters. ( Educate, maybe the best Utica skater I've seen, fell at least three times alone.) The conditions negated several otherwise stellar opportunities for both teams. In summary, effort and skill were not rewarded as they should have been... And the guys deserved better.
Even playing in the slush, I could see that Bowdoin is a fast and talented team. They played a very clean game, and their coaching was innovative. Congratulations to them on having an exceptional season.
UC somehow just gutted this one out. Nicky was my first and second star; the 2nd BC goal was a bit soft, but he went on to make four astonishing saves, including two on a bad-change 2-0 where he gave up a tantalizing rebound. He's this year's MVP, no doubt in my mind. I think we UC fans have taken him for granted a bit.
Just on the basis of tonight's Western game, seems that Utica would prefer Eu Claire in Placid, and that's what they got. I'm almost certainly going to have to work... I wonder if TWC Sports will pick up the feed for Greater Utica? (Yes, an oxymoron, thanks.)
I've commented many times on The Aud's poor ice, but tonight, it was the worst I've ever seen. It had to have been 80 or better in there tonight, and it showed. There was standing water in the corners and a thin layer of slush throughout. The puck was either mired in the slush or bouncing around like a pinball all night long. Neither players nor refs could negotiate a hard turn, and both groups lost edges and flopped like pee-wee skaters. ( Educate, maybe the best Utica skater I've seen, fell at least three times alone.) The conditions negated several otherwise stellar opportunities for both teams. In summary, effort and skill were not rewarded as they should have been... And the guys deserved better.
Even playing in the slush, I could see that Bowdoin is a fast and talented team. They played a very clean game, and their coaching was innovative. Congratulations to them on having an exceptional season.
UC somehow just gutted this one out. Nicky was my first and second star; the 2nd BC goal was a bit soft, but he went on to make four astonishing saves, including two on a bad-change 2-0 where he gave up a tantalizing rebound. He's this year's MVP, no doubt in my mind. I think we UC fans have taken him for granted a bit.
Just on the basis of tonight's Western game, seems that Utica would prefer Eu Claire in Placid, and that's what they got. I'm almost certainly going to have to work... I wonder if TWC Sports will pick up the feed for Greater Utica? (Yes, an oxymoron, thanks.)
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