WANDERING AND PONDERING
Notes and quotes from the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association’s 2010 championship finals
April 9th, 2010 at 2:51PM April 9th, 2010 6:54PM
by Richard Graham
Just a few random thoughts, observations and
quotes from the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association’s 2010
championship finals:
Wandering
The Silver Creek Sportsplex deserves all the
raves it receives from players and spectators. The sparkling facility
is free of the trash-strewn floors and common areas of many
lesser-quality venues that are far too common in the sport.
The food at the “High Five,†the Sportsplex
restaurant, is large and roomy with comfortable booths, and it
overlooks Rink 3. In addition to the expected (pizza), there’s also a
salad bar and a bar that serves beer and wine. A bunch of high
definition television screens show various sporting events all day
long.
Bill Courtland, who does great play-by-play
Internet radio broadcasts (www.ibsu.net), has his gear all set up next
to Rink 1. Courtland owns a company that does captioning for deaf and
hearing impaired students. At the NCRHA Finals, Courtland provides live
game feeds for free, while offering taped broadcast recordings for
purchase.
Frank Caliguri, the father of Michigan State
goalie Michael Caliguri, did an admirable job of skate tech for MSU
players while coaching and manning the bench gate.
Pondering
Why is Lindenwood Assistant Coach Ian Mackie’s nose and balding pate so red? Did he fall asleep again in a tanning bed?
Why doesn’t the glass around the rink shatter
when some players’ mom’s screech at the refs? There should be some sort
of compensation for having to hear kind of horrible sound – a noise
that would make a great ring tone for cell phones in hell.
Why are there so many bald referees when it’s the coaches, players and fans that are pulling out their hair?
Why is there Braille on the referee locker-room door at the Silver Creek Sportsplex?
Who is the mysterious Sapo, the graffiti artist
who writes on the freeway pillars that one passes on the way to the
Silver Creek Sportsplex from the Dolce Hayes Mansion, home of the NCRHA
staff at this tournament? Randy Sappo is one of five NCRHA supervisors
of officials. Is Sappo dyslexic? Enquiring minds want to know.
Quote Book
“The pro shop is well stocked and its staff is
very helpful to players that need help with skate or equipment issues.
This place is awesome.†– Nanette Houser, NCRHA’s director of marketing
“They’re the best team in the country?†– A
Michigan State player on the bench when MSU held an early lead in a
game against UMSL. MSU eventually lost the game, 6-3.
“Buffalo definitely surprised me. I’ve seen
Buffalo play and I know how good they are, but to actually see them go
out and run the scores like they did is pretty impressive. Arizona
State has been really impressive, too. They’re quick; they move well
and they pass well. I’ve been surprised by them.†– Bill Bourque,
NCRHA’s head statistician
“Neumann not being as powerful as they have been
is a big story. They’ve been clear-cut favorites almost every single
year for the last six years, and this year, they’re fourth-best in
their conference. That’s exciting for the division – that a team that
has dominated is actually coming down and new teams are coming up.â€
–Bill Bourque
“The level of competition has gotten better, and
by that, I mean in Division I, every game is close. The way we’ve
structured round robin this year makes every game count and more
meaningful to the teams.†– Chad Wallin, NCRHA tournament director
“We just need to continue playing our game.
Certain games we do well; we tied Lindenwood, 4-4, and I thought we
played really well as a team. When we actually play that way, we know
what we can do. That’s all we’re really trying to focus on; playing
really strong defense.†– Marty Gwozdz, University of Missouri - St.
Louis Tritons’ defenseman
“I think they all [the University of Missouri -
St. Louis, Buffalo, Michigan State University and Lindenwood
University] have a chance to win it, and I think Arizona State is a
team here that has a chance to win as well, North Texas is a very fast
team… this year is a very good year for it, because in the past,
Lindenwood has dominated, and is a strong team still. I just think it’s
up in the air. Seeing Buffalo lose to Michigan State today [Thursday]
and we beat Michigan State and got beat pretty good by Buffalo – it
looks like it’s up there for anybody to take. It’s great hockey and I’m
having fun.†– Marty Gwozdz
“We haven't even hit the good stuff yet, and we've already had great games,†– Bill Courtland, ibsu.net play-by-play announcer
“There's not supposed to be checking, but you
see all these collisions with guys getting their heads nearly knocked
off. That's my favorite part.†– Bill Courtland
Random Ramblings
I hate referees. And goalies. Well, perhaps hate
is too strong a word. I dislike referees and goalies. Mostly, because
they stop me from doing what I want to do. If I want to cross check the
opponent who just slashed me, I should be permitted to do so, in
consideration of my crime-free history and upstanding reputation in the
community. If I want to score a last-second, game-winning goal, I don’t
need an overstuffed couch wearing a goalie mask and a catching glove
and carrying a long club to stop me.
Having roomed with a couple of referees at
tournaments over the past couple of years, I’ve come to believe that
refs are distantly related to penguins in Antarctica. My evidence,
besides the fact that they look a lot like penguins when they wear
their black and white uniforms? They like their hotel room temperature
ice cold. It either has to do with penguin ancestry… or a desire to
torture warm-blooded journalists.