beg2differ

My humblest apologies for getting my Eagles and Parrots confused! Please forgive me, Greyeagle. I surely did not intend to offend or demean you by attributing to you a less than brilliant quotation. Still, wish ZPar were indeed on the Devils roster and slated to play, rather than just watch.

Greyeagle said: "I'm no expert, but this is a college hockey award. Why would they award it to someone who is no longer enrolled in college and is on an NHL roster?" Technically, you're a bit off here. Part of the disappointment with ZPar, besides losing the Hobey, is that he is NOT on the Devil's roster! 25 other guys are, but not Zach.

"A very good defensive positioning ... Defenseman"? The worst p.r. flack in the world couldn't have written something that bad. It had to be an April Fools joke all along.

And, "Blackhawks" for his Waterloo team.

Well, let's start this off with what I imagine would be a pretty good guess. The teams at Shattuck-St. Mary's are called the "Sabres."

I imagine Zach's doing the smart thing, and not thinking about NJ at all right now; he has other business to attend to, winning a National Championship. Thinking about the jump to NJ would be a bothersome distraction; there's time for that later. The kid has lived a charmed hockey life, winning championships all along the way. From taking the MAC's several times, to USA Midget AAA, to World 18U, to World Juniors. I think he really wants a NCAA Championship before he sets his sights on the pro ranks and the Stanley Cup. Even if the Sioux win this year, I still think he'll be back in Grand Forks for another year, so relax all you rabid fans. This is the kid who stayed at SSM instead of uprooting and spending 2-3 years at Ann Arbor; the kid who chose the Sioux, in part due to the setting -- a smaller place than the Twin Cities, a place where hockey is king, and a place still pretty close to home. I rather imagine he's enjoying himself just fine, thank you, and will decide to stay put for a while.

From a hockey column in 3/26 USA Today: "The Devils have long been patient with their draft picks, but there is speculation in the hockey world that they are pondering whether to try to sign North Dakota standout Zach Parise, who was the leading scorer at the World Junior Championships. The consensus is that Parise, son of former NHL player J.P. Parise, isn't quite ready yet, but he is very skilled and he knows how to play defense. It might be fun to have him around for the playoffs. Wisconsin defenseman Ryan Suter (Nashville Predators) could also be a candidate to be signed after his team is through with the NCAA tournament."

Now settle down, guys. I didn't say that the WCHA isn't the strongest league. I didn't say that Zach Parise isn't the best college player. But let's face it, the Hobey is a bit of a popularity contest, isn't it? And the voters take a broader perspective than we midwesterners, who spent most of the year ignoring the likes of Hockey East and the ECAC, while touting Parise/Bochenski over Vanek/Lissard or whatever, and obsessing on the Sioux vs. Gophers rivalry. Don't be surprised if the kid from UNH (with all of one penalty now, not zero!) seems to fit the bill for the selectors.

Oh, ye, of the WCHA bias -- we'll only get two of the three finalists this year, and will not get the winner. Very deserving Finalists -- ZPar and Lessard Winner -- Saviano of UNH. Saviano is the perfect COLLEGE player and Hobey candidate-- relatively unheralded initially, he worked his way up to become POY in Hockey East. He's a senior, high in goals scored, plays both ends, team co-captain, sportsmanship award winner for Hockey East, and the local fan favorite.

Conner sharing some spotlight with Bochenski, Parise, et al. ?? Sure, MTU might be politicking a bit regarding Chris Conner and the Hobey during this fan popularity phase of the contest, but not without some justification. Conner is playing on a struggling team, yet recording impressive stats. After a 2g, 1a night (Saturday) against CC, he has 22 goals, including 6 SH's, which I think leads the nation in that category, and is an MTU season record. He may not get the print that your guys do, but he's having a great year and deserves serious consideration as a potential Hobey finalist.

The part of your post about the Hale-Scott fight definitely would not ring true to most people who were there. About the only thing I'd agree with was that Hale was livid as he went off. He was hurt, very much bloodied, and had been thoroughly dispatched. Scott pounded him hard, right out of the box, and connected with many blows to the head before the linesmen stepped in. Odd you believe that bare knuckles can't open up a forehead over an eye! Where did that idea come from? I have no idea of exactly what prompted Hale to drop his gloves and take off his helmet, and I wish the whole incident hadn't happened. But I am sure that Hale was lucky this fight got stopped when it did. He lost very badly.

Blais had a right to be unhappy. ND played a very poor second period. D did not do well moving the puck up ice tonight, missed many opportunities to hit breaking forwards, and Greene's penalties were just dumb, and I believe he sat the entire third period -- which is what he deserved. Parise's last goal was a beauty, walking around the center and roofing it.

Mr. Fifth Line -- you got some things right, but some things wrong, regarding MTU. Overall, you did about as well as you'd expect somebody on the fifth line to do! Tech's two top point men are indeed Conner and Murphy, but taken together they aren't Tech's two smallest players. Murphy's about 6-foot even. Conner is 5'7" or 5'8" -- Tech's smallest forward is Jon Pittis at about 5'5". Although Pittis looks like a bantam who's skated on to the wrong rink, he plays much bigger than his size. Yes, Tech again has a tall defensemen. At about 6'7" he's reputedly the tallest player in college hockey. I won't quibble much with your assessment of his play, but his correct name is John Scott. Finally, FYI, the Tech rink is NHL, not Olympic in dimensions. Here's hoping for a couple of competitive games over the weekend, and it should be fun to have the likes of Conner, ZPar, and Bochenski on the ice at the same time.