King Size Anger and Heartache

Dwight Crowds the King

How can a team get "jobbed" by the refs in a series in which they lost 4 out of 5 games and lost the battle for 50-50 pucks by nearly the same percentage? The Rangers were representing the Eastern Conference which was glaringly inferior to the powerhouse clubs from the West. The Kings did what was expected, finishing the Rangers in a short series after being pushed to 7 games by legit contenders San Jose, Anaheim and Chicago.  With their army of oversized talent at every position and 2 Cups in three season, the "Dynasty" word is not hyperbole for this squad. Yet, yet, the argument that the Kings needed the refs to beat the Rangers just won't go away.

Little Big Man

It was the third period of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals. By definition, a troubling time for New York Rangers Nation.  In 4 of the 5 games the Rangers saw leads dissolved and Kings dominate their games to such extremes that the ice appeared to tilt toward the Rangers. Such was the case in game 5 when the hockey Hobbit Mats Zuccarello came flying out of his zone and skated into a partially extended leg of Kings D Jake Muzzin.  Ref sees high speed contact, Muzzin goes down dramatically, arm goes up, Zucc to box.  With the benefit of replay, U.S. TV analysts conclude that the refs sent the wrong man to the box.  This was a second crucial borderline call that the refs got wrong, and scarred the series in the eyes of NYR Nation.

Taking the macro view and using logical statistical analysis along with all mountains of visual evidence, the Kings dominated this series: Rangers players on hands and knees trying to survive the three games that went to overtime and their solitary victory; nearly a 10-1 ratio of shots on goal in third periods with the game on the line; a staggering edge to the Kings faceoffs, hits and grade A chances.  Yet upon closer review, without 3 glaring officiating mistakes, this series might still be underway. If you project the "What Could Have Been" argument to its extreme, the Rangers could be playing Monday with a chance to clinch the Cup.  The Team that played .200 ball in the Finals.  And that's quite a dichotomy.

None of these arguments could be made if the Rangers had any goalie other than Henrik Lundqvist between the pipes. He was the X-factor that kept the Rangers in all these games, and his will made this such a long short series. Five extra periods of hockey in five games is not a short series.  Now, keep in mind that these two calls did not determine the games, but in both cases the Rangers were clinging to leads with no margin for error, and the calls proved to be backbreakers, especially the first.  Game 2, Rangers enjoying their third 2-goal lead of the game, 4-2 in third period. If you recall, the Kings fans were ticked off, actually booing the Western Champs.  Mountain man Dwight King flashed through the blue paint of Lundqvist's crease, taking the route inside of Ryan McDonagh, leading to inevitable contact.  The jostling literally prevented Lundqvist from using his blocker on a puck he saw but could not save, and 4-2 third period lead became 4-3 and the building came to life.  To a neutral observer it was a clear case of injustice.  The best player on the ice was unable to do his job due to obstruction, getting no protection in his own crease from those whose job it is to do just that.  Hockey anarchy.  Do the Kings win without the benefit of that non-call?  Probably not.  As in probability-wise, percentage wise, the team holding a two-goal lead in the third period, in a building that turned against the home team, would have won.  And now you have a seed of righteous indignation planted and ready to sprout.  In the Overtime a Kings player lofted a puck out of danger in his own end, touching nothing after vigorous video inspection, yet no call. Insult to injury.

Rangers collapsed on themselves in game 3, unable to respond to Jeff Carter's dagger at the end of the 1st period, and the Rangers were in clear and present danger of being swept.  If this series had been a sweep, a strong case could have been made that the League's on-ice team in stripes had royally f***ed up its marquis event. That is anathema to the suits on 6th Ave and their ops department in Toronto.  It's really bad business and they know it.  And low and behold Game 4, in which most NYR transgressions were given a free pass and heaping helpings of puck luck allowed the home team blue shirts to salvage a single game of the Finals. But to most astute observers, the third period the Kings most dominant, and Rangers most helpless. They had won nothing more than a cross-country flight to see another team's coronation.

And then the game unfolded. A couple of U.S. College kids from Boston scored on consecutive shots, and the Rangers had yet another third period lead.  And as for the veteran Boyle, whose goal was the best in the finals since Darren McCarty in 1997, his performance in the Finals has earned the UFA enough wealth to send his grandchildren to Boston College.  Must digress on that goal, with seconds left before a giddy intermission.  He received a pass in stride at the blue line off a brilliant play from Hagelin (they really are Batman and Robin on the P.K.), he froze the best defenseman in hockey and (dare I say it?) gradefully stepped around the indomitable Drew Doughty.  Two strides late he caught USA Olympic star goalie Jonathan Quick shuffling to his right and BOOM, the wrist shot was stuck in the upper reaches of the net, top shelf.  On a Full Moon Friday the 13th, Rangers fans were in full howl.

And then the third period, and the now customary 3d period desperation for the Rangers.  The Kings seemingly endless collection of John Waynes on skates were rag-dolling the Ranger Smurfs, but unable to penetrate the proud Swede King Henrik.  Until they got that critical power play.  On a blown call.  Again.  As NBC's Mike Milbury said during the first OT intermission. "After a rough go of it early, they (the league's officials) were sailing along, and then this." Yes, this.  USA's biggest media market had taken a liking to these blue shirted upstarts, and they watched them get screwed (clearly not intentionally) by league officials, the majority of whom are hockey fans who live in the New York metro area. They have to hear from disgruntled fans about their officiating incompetence for the foreseeable future.  They made the bed, and they might have to sleep in sandpaper for a bit.

Lest there be any confusion, the right team won.  The NYR squandered 4 two-goal leads in the first two games of the Finals.  I sincerely doubt that has ever happened before. Had the Kings lost either Game 2 or Game 5, there is substantial evidence that they would have prevailed no matter how long the series went. They had, after all, done the same thing against three western opponents all superior to the NYR. The Kings are a force that is the new standard for NHL teams to copy: Big and Heavy.  And what a defense corps: Doughty, Greene, Muzzin, Voynov, Martinez and Willie Mitchell.  Combined with Quick between the pipes and you have a magnificent "Sacred Seven." While on the topic of defense, one cannot ignore the brilliant play of Rangers Anton Stralman.  The Kings might even have a little defense-envy at the play of this Nordic Hockey God, who deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Niklas Lidstrom. Yeah, that good. And before signing off on the reign of Kings, their young forward guns with speed, size, shots, and yes, weight, projects them into the Conference Finals for the next decade or so.

Some consolation for the Rangers fans, there are at least two Finals in memory in which the losing team got hosed worse than you did in the Finals. 1999 Brett Hull's crease violation Cup winner in Game 6, before the NHL changed the rule that off-season. It was double overtime in Buffalo and the camera crews burst through the Zamboni doors before any video review.  The second outrageous hose job was in the 2004 Finals in which the Game 6 video review showed persuasively that the Calgary Flames had won the Stanley Cup in overtime, only to be ignored.  Martin St. Louis got the game winner for the Bolts shortly thereafter, setting the stage for Brad Richards' heroics in Tampa, Game 7.  The late, great, Brad Richards.  Does that salve any wounds Ranger fans? That it could have been worse?

Playoff Scramble Without Cable

Captain Dave and Kenny to the Radio Rescue 

Said F.U. to my cable lords right before getting assignment to cover all NYR home games through the playoffs.  Have had to scramble to follow these playoffs, consuming media in various forms and places...

* Twitter feeds via smart phone on midnight train from MSG

* Appointment viewing of NBC mothership on weekend afternoons at the bachelor pad

* Watching tops of players' heads from Chase Bridge at MSG, a good angle for coaches.

* Watched 2 Ranger overtimes in crowded MSG press room, waiting to dash to press holding area for post-game sound bites.  TV was on :10 delay, so we all heard the cheering of Martin St. Louis' OT thriller in ECF GM 4, but had to ask strangers who scored the goal because we couldn't wait around to see it on delay.

* Listening to Kenny Albert calling NYR road games with Dave Maloney on radio. Full stereo on ESPN radio allows for spectacular puck and skate sound effects to come through, better than TV.  Full disclosure: When the Rangers came back from a 4-1 deficit in Montreal during ECF GM 5, I had to jump in the car to catch barnburner on TV in outpost listed below.

* Watched majority of the games away from MSG at favorite neighborhood watering hole, most times without audio, some times with a live band playing at my back. Monday viewing always better than Friday. There were times I was outside the bar standing on windowsill viewing the big screen while being radiated by neon. It was a pretty good view, and it seemed to make sense at the time.

* Invited myself to a coaching colleague's home in the suburbs, who transferred us to a friend's house with a NASA like viewing area, the 4-recliner semi circle around the monster screen with surround sound audio, complete with cup holders. Thought I was in viewing heaven until the two right wing Christians started complaining about U.S. liberal politicians funding international abortion clinics.  I carefully stated the position from the People's Republic of Cambridge and then felt the hospitality dry up.  I made it out unscathed, but it was a One-Time-Only affair.

* Family issues brought me into deep south during conference semis.  Found a sports bar in South Carolina to watch Pitt-NYR GM 7.  Watched with transplanted Pittsburgh couple that knew the sport very well, knew their team even better.  They predicted immediate dismissal of coach Bylsma after game; there was a dismissal, but it was good guy GM Shero who got the quick axe instead.

* Found myself in family celebration dinner in Atlanta next night for B's-Montreal. As soon as last morsels from the leg of lamb were carved off the bone, my cousin helped locate the remote. He was a former season ticket holder of Tampa Bay Lightning, and was my co-conspirator.

* In the midst of road trip, found myself in Ann Arbor, MI, big time hockey town, but women's college softball ruled the sports bar, as Lady Wolverines were advancing in NCAA's. Booths at the Anchor Bar had individual monitors with their own audio control...got to hear Doc call NYR.

* In Downtown Detroit, at the official Illitch Hockey Town bar/restaurant, had to fight off the NFL draft lovers to get a single monitor of Bruins-Habs, no sale on audio.  The first 15 minutes they put on NHL Network with its month-old highlights from reg season.  Hockey Town undersandably understaffed: it was evening in downtown Detroit and they closed up before the end of the game.

Quick roundup from the Penny Wise/Pound Foolish Division: All told, I probably spent between 2 and 3 times my inflated cable bill on food and drink at various establishments keeping tabs on the most exciting Cup run in recent memory.  The last three games of Chicago-L.A. were pure Nirvana, and worth every penny! And seeing that cable bill come in with a decimal point lopped off it is as close as I'll ever get to the feeling of scoring on a penalty shot.

The More Things Change...

...The more they stay the same.  Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban's Stanley Cup playoff heroics at the expense of the Bruins ignites a nasty racist response in Boston. One of America's most progressive cities ignites a vile Twitter campaign that makes Donald Sterling's comments appear positively tame by comparison. This extreme dichotomy is certainly worth exploring. First off, full disclosure: I am a liberal weenie from the People's Republic of Cambridge.  I have produced several TV specials on sports and race including an ESPN doc "Black Ice" about black hockey stars Anson Carter and Mike Grier, so there is a discernible slant to this rant.

Telling this particular episode of sports and race in Boston requires a bit of local history refreshers, both good and bad: 1) Willie O'ree broke the NHL color barrier for the Bruins in 1957;

Willie O'Ree, the Jackie Robinson of Hockey

2) the Red Sox, however, were the last MLB team to break the color barrier, as plantation owner Tom Yawkey kept his ball club lilly white for decades after Jackie Robinson's breakthrough, at the expense of the club's winning percentage. It wasn't until they began to integrate that they lived their Impossible Dream in 1967 and became winners; 3) Bill Russell bummed out the entire super-talented force of narcissistic Boston sports media of Boston by calling the Hub the most racist city in America in the midst of the Celtics championship dynasty in the 1960's.  Since Russ was the lynchpin of 11 championships in 13 years, his statement clearly dampened the feel-good buzz of a sports fairy tale.

Fast forward TWO generations, and witness the Boston fans reaction to a dark skinned man beating their beloved Bruins.  It started with angry booing and a bottle tossed at Subban who scored the winning goal in overtime.

Vile is too kind a word for the Twitter response. The "N-word." Hurts to type it, hurts to read it. The "N word" was actually trending on Twitter in Boston. One fan posted a photo of a noose. Over 17,000 Tweets contained both "Subban" and the "N-word." That's enough racist hockey fans to fill the TD Bank Garden. Bruins president Cam Neely quickly sought to distance his club from the racist backlash:

"The racist, classless views expressed by an ignorant group of individuals following Thursday's game via digital media are in no way a reflection of anyone associated with the Bruins organization."

Sadly, Neely issued a nearly identical statement two years earlier when the Washington Caps Joel Ward beat the Bruins in overtime of Game 7 in the 2012 playoffs. When push comes to shove in the passion play that is Boston hockey fandom, the "N-word" is the the default response to a stadium full of fans. 

Now spend a C-note on an Amtrak ride down to Philly, a comparably sized city that shares its revolutionary history with Boston along with a similar passion for its own NHL club.  A couple of weeks ago a player of color scored a playoff hat trick for the Flyers, and Wayne Simmonds received an outpouring of hockey love in the form of hundreds of ball caps.  It created one of the longest hat trick delays in memory as the rink staff shoveled the caps into bins. So clearly the hockey world is ready to throw something other than bottles a black hockey star.


Ironically, Boston is also willing to love hockey player of color. Future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, a black man, was adored in Beantown when he scored the OT winner in Game 4 vs Detroit.  And here's where it gets a little freaky, the goaltending future for Boston is P.K. Subban's brother Malcolm, currently a member of the AHL

Malcolm Subban, Bruins 1st Round Draft Pick

Providence Bruins, an hour down the road from the Garden.  If and when he leads the Bruins to Cup contention, he too inevitably be loved by the Beantown faithful.  The question to the racist Boston hockey fans is, where is the empathy?  If you can root for a black member of your own squad, how can you tweet "N-word" as the default response to losing to a black man? The brother of your goaltending future?

There is no defined solution here, just confusion and wishful thinking.  A quick observational anecdote as we ponder hatred and intolerance in a city known for free thinking.  In the late 1980's I was in the upper sections of the old Boston Garden known as the "N-Heavens," watching the powerhouse Quebec Nordiques eliminate a decent Bruins squad. The Nordique was a foreign team, led by French Speaking superstar Michel Goulet.  The club's uniform contained the Fleur-de-Lis, as does the Quebec Province flag, the same flag the brave fans sitting next me waved proudly as the Nordique were closing out the Bruins in Boston.

Flaming Ignorance

The visiting Quebec faithful were crowded by drunk Bruins fans who hated the idea of foreigners beating the Black in Gold in their own building.  So they closed in on the French fans and took out their disposable lighters and did their best to set fire to the flag.  This senseless act occurred despite the fact that the old Boston Garden was a firetrap, and they were but a few feet from the ceiling that could have ignited in a heartbeat. Fortunately some ushers were in the vicinity and put an end to the idiocy, but it symbolizes how intolerance trumps self interest. Even in the Hub of modern Enlightened thinking.

The final word comes from P.K., describing how racist fans are merely ignorant, and that he has friends of all color, including purple.  Hearing his friendly tolerance gives us all hope.

  

Hating thy Neighbor

When it comes to measuring the intensity of a college hockey rivalry, a good place to start is geography. If you live in the midwest, you might bring up Michigan-Michigan State. They are an hour drive from each other, they share lots of national titles and a vast cultural divide.  New Englanders have Boston College and Boston University, perhaps the ultimate college hockey rivalry, with a mere 3.6 miles between Agganis and and Kelly rinks.  They divided 3 consecutive NCAA titles between them from 2008 to 2010.  Boston's Comm. Ave rivalry might be the poster child for NCAA border wars.

Does the St. Lawrence River ever thaw?

But how many conferences can boast three different pairs of rivals all within 15 minutes of each other? That title belongs to ECAC hockey, a conference that contains a trio of border skirmishers each with its own history and nuance.  First there is the North Country rivalry, Clarkson and St. Lawrence. They share a classic Route 11 commute between the two campuses, 10 frozen miles along the St. Lawrence River.  They've been hacking and whacking since 1925, creating a rich history whose halcyon days were in the early 1990's when they were both national contenders. Huddling inside 60 year old Appleton Arena with sub-0 temps outside is an annual rite in North Country, comparable to any scenes of pure winter depicted in Ken Dryden's masterpiece, The Game.

Yale hockey rivals? New Cat in Town

A fresher pair of rivals is Yale and Quinnipiac, blue collar Hamden versus the snooty academics from New Haven.  The Yale Bulldogs played in America's first intercollegiate hockey game vs Johns Hopkins in 1896, and have century-old rivalries with Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown, Princeton and Cornell, yet it is the upstarts from Quinnipiac that has Keith Allain spitting mad. The Yale skip bolted the ECAC Hockey press conference in Atlantic City last year after being shut out by Q'piac in the tourney consolation game.  These are the greatest years in Yale hockey history, and despite their 2013 NCAA title win over the Bobcats, they have been getting repeatedly whipped by their neighbors, 11 miles down Whitney Avenue.  Yale-Quinnipiac is the ECAC version of BC-BU, and is certainly comparable in terms of entertainment.  The Bobcats ended the Bulldogs NCAA title defense last month in a nasty game that started off chippy and ended in violence. Forget the Ancient 8, when it comes to Yale hockey rivals, it's now Quinnipiac that has the attention of the Bulldogs. Yeah, they fight like Cats and Dogs.

But it's the third of the ECAC Hockey neighborhood rivals that is the talk of the Frozen Four in Philly. Union College is 14 miles from their Capital District rivals at RPI.  Despite its Division II and III history, Union has long since shed the label of little brother to RPI, racking up a recent 10-game win streak over the school with 2 NCAA Championship banners. Not only do they play each other home and home, but they clash annually in a high-profile Mayor's Cup game in Albany, one of the most popular events in a great hockey city.  The Capital of New York is a minor league hockey town, one in which the smell of beer and sight of blood is a frequent occurrence. As any college hockey fan with a YouTube account knows, the 2014 Mayor's Cup battle ended in a lusty brawl in which the coaches were the main event. It was as intense as anything from the days of the AHL River Rats, and as seen below, caused Union coach Rick Bennett to flash back to his 1991 season in AHL Binghampton. That year he earned plenty of his 200 plus PIMs banging guys in red uniforms in this very building.

The Cap district main urban centers of Schenectady, Rensselaer and Albany formed a Devil's triangle that weekend, as the two school converged on Albany, the home of the league offices and commissioner Steve Hagwell.  The Commish worked overtime that weekend in the Capital, handing out supplemental discipline to players and coaches on both side of the Mighty Hudson River. Face-to-face meetings with each perpetrator required less than a 15-minute drive for all parties involved.  The fact that Albany is a newspaper town, with two dailies competing for college hockey scoops, kept this "Capital Calamity" in the news cycle for days on end in January. College hockey rules in the Cap District.

6 teams, 3 passionate regional hockey rivalries, 1 very fortunate conference.  Here in Philadelphia, ECAC Hockey is looking to crown a second consecutive national champion from one of their passionate border rivalries. Familiarity breeds more than just contempt.

Rick Bennett: From the Mountain Top

Man on a Mission

Union coach Rick Bennett is having a grand 3-year ride on hockey's proverbial magic carpet, having gone 3 for 3 in the only ECAC Hockey conference tournaments he has coached, and punching his team's ticket to their second Frozen Four. His clubs have a 5-2 record in the NCAA's the last 3 seasons.  Here are the sentiments from one of the hottest coaches in college hockey. 

These were his official comments moments after beating his alma mater, and his former mentor Nate Leaman of Providence in the NCAA East Regional final last Saturday in Bridgeport..

"I guess because of my ties in Providence, it's a little bittersweet. I do appreciate President (Reverend Ryan) Shandley coming down to see me after. Bob Driscoll their athletic director coming down as well.  I am really fortunate. When you have a chance to work at two places, having the Presidents of both places back you–it's very special."

While Coach Bennett was making his statements, Union President Stephen Ainlay attended the crowded press conference with his wife, sitting next to his Athletic director Jim Mclaughlin and his wife.  They were all beaming the same joy and gratitude as their coach, the guy who can seemingly do no wrong. Even his on-ice acts of raw emotion and their subsequent 4-game suspensions have only strengthened and broadened his aura of faith: faith in the process, faith in his surroundings, faith in everyone associated with this very special Union squad.

"You're honored and you're humbled by it. We just happen to be that team. You know we're very fortunate and I am hoping we can just continue this ride."

Heightening his sense of gratitude was the fact that his latest victim is the man who helped put his magnificent team together, his predecessor Coach Leaman.  They spoke before the handshake line, but did not join it.

"We exchanged a few (words)....you know the heat of the moment. He wished us luck. Obviously he knows a lot of guys on the current team here for Union, helped recruit a lot of these guys so it's special bond for him. I just wanted to let him know that a part of him is a part of this team, too. Again, he gave me a second chance and I'll always appreciate that."

Leaman had nothing but platitudes for his protege. “To see the job Rick Bennett has done at taking the program to another level, you couldn’t be more proud.”

At the conclusion of the presser, the kings of Union's administrative team, McLaughlin and Ainley, huddled around Bennett, offering him comfort as well as praise.  "Maybe now you can get some sleep," said Ainley, drawing knowing laughs from the wives and Bennett himself. They all chatted in the pressroom, like the fond family they are now, seemingly oblivious to the tight confines. They lingered in the human warmth, as if they had no place more important to go, before heading out to bask in yet another major hockey accomplishment.

The End of "Easy A.C."

2013 NCAA tourney: ECAC Hockey private party

Rightly or wrongly, the ECAC Hockey Conference, formerly just E.C.A.C., has been considered the weak sister of the Division I power conferences, particularly by the traditional WCHA powers.  Judged by NCAA tourney results over the past 20 years prior to Pittsburgh, there is some validity to the teasing chant "Easy A.C."  Union's cinderella run to the 2012 Frozen Four was the first ECAC appearance in the national  semis since Cornell in 2003. The conference hadn't even had a national finalists since Harvard's victory in 1989, while rival conference Hockey East, all former ECAC members, claimed nine national championships in that time.   The ECAC is the conference of academic schools, most members with no athletic scholarships and vigorous academic standards, trying to compete against traditional hockey "factories" like BC and Minnesota.  The western schools start their practices nearly a month prior to the Ivy schools. ECAC Hockey is an "Easy" conference to root for, but not a wise bet. The snobs from Minnesota's Gopher Nation credited Boston College's national championships with all their  "Easy" wins against ECAC Hockey. Those fan sentiments were enshrined in one of the great parodies of all time prior to last year's NCAA tourney.


But the 2013 NCAA tourney was where it all changed. ECAC hockey treated last year's tourney as its own playground. As you all remember, Yale, the final team to make the NCAA field of 16, had a miraculous run in the west region, chopping down the vaunted Gophers and then doubling down by offing the Fighting Sioux.  The clever writers of the parody above were proved 100% wrong on each count, because while the greatest powers in the west were being slain in Grand Rapids, over in Providence reigning champion Boston College was cut down in surgical fashion by the Union College Dutchmen, an intellectual powerhouse with no Division I programs other than hockey.  The final score was 5-1 in a game that wasn't that close.  And the next day Union was blown out by conference rival Quinnipiac to set up the Frozen Four that thrust former weak sister ECAC Hockey into the spotlight.  That spotlight revealed more greatness in the form of two ECAC Hockey semifinal victories, one against Hockey East and one against the WCHA. Thanks to ESPN, the sporting world got to see Quinnipiac's version of the "Magnificent Seven," a world class goalie and a half dozen elite snipers. But they were solved in the final by Yale's brilliant coaching and goaltending to cap ECAC Hockey's NCAA party. A private party on college hockey's biggest stage.

Now there have been occasions of two schools from the same conference in the NCAA Championship, the 1999 NCAA's comes to mind.  But last year you can make a very good case that the ECAC Hockey team best suited to win an NCAA title, Union, wasn't even represented in Pittsburgh.  So any three of those ECAC Hockey teams could have won the 2013 NCAA tourney, as every traditional big name school and conference was decapitated by this conference of eggheads and short seasons.  And there is one startling factoid from the 2013 post season that will last at least as long as Joe Dimaggio's hitting streak or Ted Williams .406

The 2013 ECAC Hockey Tournament consolation game, an antiquated concept that has since been discontinued, was a preview of the NCAA championship game. Think about that for a second, the absurdity of ECAC Hockey riches from 2013.   The two NCAA finalists couldn't get to their own tourney's final.  And that's no fluke, because Brown was one of the hottest teams in the nation down the stretch last year, and they would have been another extremely dangerous team had they made the NCAA's.

If hockey fans haven't figured it out yet, the coaches have.  Jerry York, the loveably honest Dean of America's college hockey coaching fraternity, has stated matter-of-factly that going into the 2014 Frozen Four, his semifinal opponent, Union College, is the squad best-equipped to win this year's national title. It sure makes sense. This is Union's third straight run deep into the NCAA's, claiming big scalps in each rampage.  This school, this conference, is now the "Easy" team to pick.

Helping Hands

Trinity junior Jackson Brewer is the nation's top Div III scorer. He made a lot of news in NESCAC hockey circles this week when he tied and broke Trinity assist records. His six helpers in the Bantams 9-1 demolition over Wesleyan this past Saturday in the NESCAC quarterfinals tied one school record, and his 42 A's for the year broke another.  What hasn't been hyped yet is the fact that Brewer had five assists the game before, giving him 11 helpers over two games.  That, my friends is sick. As in Gretzky in the 80's kind of sick.  No NESCAC publicist has come up with a record for that because it probably hasn't been done before.  Averaging one assist per game over a season will get you up among the scoring leaders; 11 helpers in two games is downright filthy, usually categorized as a misprint. It's that kind of anomaly.  11 in two games, a half dozen in a single elimination playoff game. RiDonkulous.

Brewer Spreading the Love

"I pride myself on my playmaking ability," says the 6'1 " junior. I got to give a lot of credit to my linemates and the power play. I like to figure out where the open space is, open ice. It's a big part of my game."  Trinity's power play is other-worldly, clicking along at 31.2%, nearly 10 points higher than its nearest league rivals. Brewer, a left shot, frequently finds himself coming out of the right wing corner with the puck on his blade in the middle of the ice. Then things get interesting.

"If you're trying to block off one or two guys, or even three, we've got a couple of other guys that can score, so no matter what you block off, we've got more options, and that's a big part of it."

Assists, commonly know as "Helpers" are currently referred to around the rinks as "Apples."  They are equal to goals in player point totals, and create fantastic vibes around the locker room. It's the kind of vibe that leads teams to great heights, like this year's Trinity Bantams. They are the NESCAC regular season champs whose 21-4 regular season record has them playing at home this post season until the NCAA Div III Frozen Four. They have the top 3 scorers in the country, boom-boom-boom.  There is a lot of joy coming out that locker room every weekend. Guys with huge smiles, wet hair, decent suits and red cheeks. Yeah, keep passin those apples.

Separated at Birth?

And there's a clever little angle here with ol Jax Brewer: Plays for a New England regular season champion; Wears #12 and quarterbacks the power play; Two games ago he completed 5 scoring passes to 5 different receivers.  And his best bud and running mate is a guy named Bellichick, yeah, Hoodie's kid.   A hockey version of Brady from a household who worships the original.  Jackson wears his hair long like Tom Brady did when he was winning Super Bowls, and gets razzed by opponents too, but won't dare cut it. Not when he's going crazy like this, lighting up scoreboards and giving writing cramps to the off-ice officials.  Have an apple, go ahead, there are at least 40 more to spread around.