{"id":27031,"date":"2005-01-20T11:28:54","date_gmt":"2005-01-20T17:28:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2005\/01\/20\/this-week-in-new-england-diii-jan-20-2005\/"},"modified":"2010-08-17T19:56:06","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T00:56:06","slug":"this-week-in-new-england-diii-jan-20-2005","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2005\/01\/20\/this-week-in-new-england-diii-jan-20-2005\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in New England D-III: Jan. 20, 2005"},"content":{"rendered":"
With all due respect to Amherst and St. Anselm, I want to quickly put to rest any rumors that appearing in the weekly column has become akin to the “Sports Illustrated Jinx.” Seriously, I can see where some people might get that impression, having seen St. Anselm lose its undefeated status and Amherst get off the roll it was on prior to last week’s column. But in my defense, can’t we focus on what coaches in all of the leagues have been talking about since the pre-season — that dreaded six letter word — parity?<\/p>\n
This year more than any other has really shown the balance that exists top to bottom in the D-III conferences in New England. No one seems to be surprised when the more than the occasional “upset” is taking place with a great deal of frequency. “There are no more easy two-pointers,” noted Southern Main head coach Jeff Beaney. “It’s actually great for hockey and the fans that all of the conferences are so competitive. You really do need to play each game one at a time; you can’t get caught looking ahead because you’ll get beat — especially when you play two games inside of 24 hours on a weekend.” <\/p>\n
Yeah, that’s it. It’s the parity thing that has everybody shaking their heads about some of the scores posted on the internet that more than raise a few eyebrows. Will it continue down the stretch? Probably; everybody is in the hunt for a playoff spot and no team is going to give anything away, so get ready for a very interesting February finish in each of the leagues.<\/p>\n
And for those who believe in the Friday column jinx – please feel free to send your checks and money orders to USCHO care of “Keep us Out of the News in D-III” I doubt I will get much of a response but as Beaney commented, “I thought about becoming superstitious, but it’s too much work.” Let’s keep the work focused on the ice and some good hockey to be played.<\/p>\n
We move from one Beaney to another, and the first three game losing streak encountered by any Panther team in many seasons. In fact, the two games in a row lost in Maine to Colby and Bowdoin match concurrent losses that have occurred only twice in the past six seasons. In 2000-2001, Middlebury lost two games to Plattsburgh in the NCAA quarterfinals and in 2002-03, the Panthers dropped back-to-back games at the Primelink Tournament to Norwich and Plattsburgh again. It doesn’t happen often to a team that has demonstrated remarkable consistency year in and year out. <\/p>\n
So when a number one ranked Middlebury team drops three in a row, there is for sure some surprise. “We’re really not playing very well right now,” commented head coach Bill Beaney following his team’s 6-3 loss at home to Williams. “We have had some injuries combined with some very average play and that’s not going to be good enough against all of the teams we’ve faced. All of the league teams have improved and while we were tied in the third period in all of the games, all three of the other teams deserved to win based on how they played.”<\/p>\n
Beaney acknowledges he does have a young team, particularly up front where progress and setbacks are measured by “two steps forward and one back.” It doesn’t get any easier for Beaney’s squad when St. Anselm and New England College come to visit this weekend, followed by surging Plattsburgh on Tuesday night. “We hope to get some injured people back and we’ll try some different line combinations to see if that improves some things. Most importantly, we need to play with a sense of purpose. Our effort has been OK, but it can be better.” Look for one streak to end and a different one to begin for a team all too familiar with winning hockey games.<\/p>\n