from the game. I know it is supposed to be for the sake of player safety, but it has clearly not come close to eliminating hits from behind into the boards. In fact I see it now more than I ever did in my early days of following the sport. What I also see more now is players -- including Notre Dame players -- milking it for all it is worth when they take the hit into the boards.
The players don't care, or they'd stop. In that case I don't want the officials to have the discretion. Or make boarding a major penalty all the time I guess.
I knew Friday's call against Stastney was going to be a major because Perbix hit the boards awkwardly and was injured. Even though that is not part of the written criteria at all college hockey referees always fall for it.
Staudacher's hit yesterday was every bit as "violent" as Burke's today and that was a horseshit call because of it. When Fred Pletch thinks it doesn't deserve a major that is all the proof one needs. Pletch has hated Notre Dame ever since we became a factor and pulled attention away from his beloved Big 2 of the old CCHA. Jackson himself gets vocal with referees about once a year, and for him to do so two nights in a row is proof enough for me that the calls were horseshit.
To be clear, Notre Dame deserved to lose this series. Their response to Minnesota yesterday and today was pretty much horseshit and losing the games is on them. But the referees made bad calls and this Notre Dame is not good enough to overcome that. The 2018 team would have shrugged off the calls and probably netted a shorty or two.
Sorry- but that's such a pet peeve of mine, even though I loathe the Big Ten as much as anyone.
Unfortunately, we didn't do enough to win tonight, or yesterday for that matter. Our guys started running around looking for big hits when things got frantic in the second and we took far too many low quality shots. Our final PP was a clinic in overpassing the puck and we didn't create any net front traffic.
Tough loss and a tough season.
difference in the criteria for the last three calls. Even the announcers were confused. I thought our second goal was going to be disallowed and I would have agreed.