Waterloo, Indiana Comment Count

Brian

3/28/2010 – Michigan 5, Bemidji State 1 – 26-17-1
3/29/2010 – Michigan 2, Miami 3 (2 OT) – 26-18-1, season over

shawn-hunwick-ariel-bond-post-miami Ariel Bond / Daily

Indiana's state motto is "The Crossroads of America," which promises nothing more than the ability to leave it. As you do so the towns radiating northward from Fort Wayne on I-69 have ill-omened names like Angola and Waterloo and make you wish you had a heinous ex-girlfriend named Ashley or a bone to pick with Auburn, color or university, doesn't matter. There, the flat American expanse of a pitch-black highway makes prime brooding habitat. Nearby zings of color and denuded trees that make their presence known by obscuring something flashing red in the distance provide momentary focal points that slip past, their steady movement drawing the primitive sections of your intelligence and slightly distracting you from the reason you're staring grimly at a Big Lots that closed hours ago. The recent past recedes at 80 miles an hour, except five miles into Michigan where there is a cop. Fragments of your heart throw ropy pseudopods to each other and pull, slower than that. But steady.

---------

Because 1997-98 was the year my teams had fantastic success and I had idiotic ideas, the first two Michigan hockey games I saw were a 4-0 win over New Hampshire in a national semifinal and a national championship game featuring an overtime winner from Josh Langfeld. I thought it was pretty cool, but that was all. I'd meant to get season tickets but it had slipped my mind. That year I also watched the Rose Bowl at my then-girlfriend's house. At one point her mom mentioned a Washington State touchdown would win her a quarter in squares. The GF and a mutual friend sort of tittered in a corner about things unrelated to the game. I was just a freshman. I'd go to a Rose Bowl later.

The next year I took up a residence in the Yost student section that ended only this year, six seasons after I graduated for the second and final time. Every season since there has been that crushing moment when the puck goes in the wrong goal and it's all over. Though it's hard to distinguish between levels of terror emanating from the reptilian sections of your brain, it seems to me these days the most knee-buckling moments of the sporting year come when the hockey team is playing in the NCAA tournament.

There's something different there. Each football season defines itself, and by the end it usually seems you got approximately what you deserve. A single-elimination hockey tournament after 40 games is the closest sports comes to Russian roulette. In hockey, the way you die is always a thunderbolt. And so I think the most painful part of every sports year for me is that horrible instant when the red light goes on and your whole self just deflates. I keep thinking the word "crushing," unrelated to anything else. Just an adjective, floating on the mile markers.

But the alternative to knee-buckling terror was just to not be here at all, for March to be a unbroken expanse of asphalt in the middle of nowhere. To get here is something after a 10-10 start and that ignominious road sweep at UNO that ended any hope of an at-large bid or even a bye in the CCHA tourney. I had been planning a series on what went so horribly wrong with the three major sports and was just waiting for hockey to make an undignified exit, probably at the hands of Michigan State, before embarking on it. They were just another flailing team caught in Michigan's winter of discontent, no different from a football team that can't punch it in from the one against Illinois or a basketball team that can't even turn a top-15 preseason ranking into an NIT bid.

As Michigan walked into Munn three weeks ago all 2009-10 offered was the same thing Indiana does: eventually, it ends. Now, at least, there is some redemption and schadenfreude and plain old inspiring victory, things Michigan fans needed reminding about. When it comes to the history books, this team will be one that picked itself up off the mat without its captain and starting goalie and was a heartbeat away from a Frozen Four. As it is, they picked up a banner and extended Michigan's tournament streak to twenty years.

By the end, they were Michigan hockey again. After fading badly towards the end of the third period they found their legs and terrorized Miami in overtime, launching twenty (official) shots to their six. They were struck down by bloody fortune and did not deserve their fate. They are like their compatriots before them, and will be remembered for a heroic stand. They died like Vikings.

------

Fifteen minutes past Angola, Indiana keeps its promise and releases you. Here, too, ends this year. Now we bury it and move on with some little hope thanks to a tiny goaltender and some feverish backchecking that point towards better days.

SPITTLE SECTION

Obviously, this John Gravallese guy robbed Michigan of the game thanks to his galaxy-spanning incompetence. The irony of waving off a Michigan goal because you called a high-sticking penalty when 1) it's overtime and you aren't calling anything short of attempted murder and 2) amongst the zillion calls you missed in regulation were two blindingly obvious high sticking calls perpetrated by Michigan players—we clearly heard both in row 18—is head-exploding. For the wave-off to occur because you "lost sight of the puck" when zero players on the ice are reacting like the goalie has it—the goalie wasn't even down—after you allowed a Miami goal that Hunwick had pinned under his pad for a second or two is just despair inducing. At that moment my righteous anger broke and I awaited the inevitable end.

The reaction of a potentially apocryphal HE ref who knows this guy has appeared on the message board: "it happens" To which I say: look at Shawn Hunwick above and say that. "It happens" is the reaction of a failure of a person. As WolverineBoston puts it: "refs aren't humans." During the interminable replay that we knew was pointless, and the interminable (and totally impermissible) replay following that to determine whether a faceoff should be in Miami's zone or the neutral zone, we joked that they were making the refs watch the goal over and over again so they'd feel terrible. But I bet Gravallese doesn't even care.

I mentioned this after the Bemidji game, but it would be one thing if this guy was making a mockery of hockey in a the dispassionate manner of a badly malfunctioning robot. It's entirely another for him to make every call as if he is using the Hammer Of Thor to Dispense Justice To Wrongdoers. His children secretly hate him.

If you need the rule, it's been dug up here. Maybe they should change it to something less ambiguous, like getting the puck out of your zone if the opponent brings it in. No one really cares if a play is accidentally blown dead at center ice, but the ambiguity of what counts for possession is can be disastrous in the attacking zone. Forcing the team that took the penalty to clear the zone is 100% clear.

BULLETS

  • Did we miss Ariel Bond taking a season-defining photo of the football team? She nailed the basketball season and that item above just about obviates the need for me to put all these words beneath it.
  • I liked Fort Wayne's arena a lot but if they're going to have future NCAA tournaments there they need to make a change. Unlike every arena I've ever been to, at Fort Wayne the benches are on the same side of the red line, which means when one team has a short change the other has a long one. (Michigan State has benches on the opposite sides of the ice but they're also on opposite sides of the red line.) The home team gets two short and one long; the road team two long and one short. Okay, I guess, not really anything you can do about it and the higher seed did earn that privilege. But once you get to overtime you need to start alternating. Michigan was facing a long change for four of five periods in that game.
  • It's not like Robbie Czarnik was great or anything while at Michigan, but seeing Jeff Rohrkemper limited to three or four shifts after the first period made me pine for a guy Michigan could throw out there as a functional fourth-line forward. After a couple early shifts from the fourth line that went poorly, Michigan abandoned them entirely in favor of occasional shifts from Scooter to give someone on the top three lines a breather; Winnett saw a shift here and there at even strength and played his usual inexplicable amount on special teams. They would have been better off dressing Moffie if that's as much as they were going to play Rohrkemper. (By the way, Czarnik is currently averaging over a PPG at Plymouth, further evidence that there's a considerable gap between NCAA and CHL hockey. Every Michigan player to leave for the CHL has seen his scoring explode as the competition level deflates. My favorite example is Jason Bailey, who had a 0-0-0 and was -11 in 19 games at M his sophomore year and scored half a PPG in 70 OHL games.)
  • Shawn Hunwick finished the year 8-3 with a 1.82 GAA and a .918 save percentage against a tougher than average schedule, and late in his audition that was not an effect of his team shielding him from any and all scoring chances. The goalie competition is on for next year, and I'm guessing they'll add a freshman they can redshirt if they can find a guy they like.
  • I actually screamed out "CARL" at one point in the overtime. I never use first names. I think I have a problem.
  • The open thread on the game logged 1271 posts and 24k views; I am 100% positive the first is a record for MGoBlog 3.0.
  • More on individuals a bit later; I'll take a look at next year soon.

ELSEWHERE

If you're looking for some punishment, the Daily has comprehensive coverage with a game story, column suggesting that the team's late-season run is something to hold on to, a piece on the missed(-ish) opportunities in the first overtime that spelled doom, and a piece on the "questionable, disappointing" no-goal call. Too bad they misspelled "outrageous" and "soul-crushing." Also there is a flickr set.

Yost Built has a spittle-flecked recap as well, and AnnArbor.com has more: heartborken* Carl Hagelin, press conference video you couldn't pay me to watch, and quotes from Berenson in the aftermath.

*(not a typo, and no, I'm not apologizing)

Comments

kevin holt

March 29th, 2010 at 2:27 PM ^

...was beautiful. Truly remarkable.

But it doesn't make me want to die any less. I'm only 20, and I feel plagued by so many heartwrenching sports losses in my life already. By the time I'm 80, I'll have died at 60 from all this stress.

Please say it didn't happen again. It did, didn't it? God damn it.

zlionsfan

March 29th, 2010 at 7:58 PM ^

I am 42, and I'm a Lions fan. But I've watched them play in an NFC championship.

I've also seen four Cups, three NBA titles, a World Series, two NCAA hockey titles, one NCAA basketball title, and various other goodies (Arena League, USFL, WNBA ... I even saw, in person, four of the six games Purdue's women won in 1999).

Every Lions season for the last 10 years has been a kick in the nuts of varying strength, but success in the other sports has made the pain wear off more quickly. (So yeah, right now, not doing so well.)

This, too, shall pass, if for no other reason than this: Michigan's AD is not Matt Millen.

kevin holt

March 29th, 2010 at 2:34 PM ^

...when I saw it in person. More than my selfish reasons for wanting to win... God damn it, Hunwick does not deserve to lose that game. Look at him. I feel worse for him than any of us fans right now. But if he starts next year even some of the time, it will make it all okay. I hope he gets drafted and plays in the NHL, he deserves it.

aaamichfan

March 29th, 2010 at 2:34 PM ^

I'm not sure how much revenue is generated by a thread with 24,000 views, but is there any chance of using that money to lobby the NCAA for better officials?

WolverineBoston

March 29th, 2010 at 2:34 PM ^

I can't say I appreciate being called a potential liar by our fearless leader, but the sting of that is somewhat mitigated by being quoted on the front page.

Oh fabulous day. Fame and fortune, here I come.

Seriously though, I do know a Hockey East ref and my conversation with him was a partial transcript from an email exchange we had this morning.

And great post Brian.

los barcos

March 29th, 2010 at 2:37 PM ^

this post culminates the end of the winter of discontent / winter of the dong punch. if there is a Bright Side to all of this, its that we're now hopefully embarking on the nascent stages of the Year of Redemption.

there is a long list of asses that need to be kicked, and miami of ohio will get theres soon enough. go blue, mofos.

GoBlueScott

March 29th, 2010 at 2:43 PM ^

Which is a shame, because maybe humor is all we have left.

I'd say it can't get any worse, but I know that's not true.

This is indeed the winter of discontent. And I can't wait for spring.

harmon98

March 29th, 2010 at 2:45 PM ^

John Gravallese drives a Dodge Stratus! You do not talk to John Gravallese that way!! He can do 100 push-ups in twenty minutes!!

I tend to forget that we tune in and buy tickets to watch the ref mete out frontier justice. what a turd.

hell of an effort by the boys.

damn.

Sgt. Wolverine

March 29th, 2010 at 2:57 PM ^

As a Michigan fan, it makes me sad for obvious reasons. But as a photographer, it makes me happy because it's OUTSTANDING. When I'm shooting a sporting event, I look for photos just like that -- photos that show both euphoria and agony in the same frame. That is a tragically beautiful photograph, and if Ariel Bond showed up and started posting, I'd +1 her first comment just because of that photo.

As for the real topic...that was a lousy way to end the season, but honestly, it doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would, and I'm not going to go emo over it. After the miserable year it's been for Michigan sports, and after the hockey team's frustrating regular season, the crazy CCHA tournament run with Hunwick was a wonderful morning in America moment. I hate this loss, but it's vastly overshadowed by the accomplishment of not just making the tournament, but also winning a game. With this final loss fading into the past, I'm finding that the hockey team has helped me truly enjoy Michigan sports again.

mel11

March 29th, 2010 at 3:00 PM ^

I had hockey student tickets from fall 1998-spring 2002, and just missed out on the dual national championships as a high school senior that year. I attended countless playoff games at the Joe and NCAA Regionals whenever I could (including that fabulous regional at Yost in 2003).

This team in this playoffs made me remember why I fell in love with college hockey so many years ago... I went to the game at the Joe vs Miami last weekend and immediately became a fan of that little guy in the goal. Last night's loss is not his fault, but that picture just says it all. Hunwick has heart, and based on this run, he's our starter next year. And I plan to make it back to Yost for at least one game to see him play on his home ice.

Goal count - 1,2,3. (And I hate that Miami ripped off our goal count cheer - and yes, I know that we ripped off our original cheers back in the early 90's, but at least we've modified ours).

Great post, Brian. The post and the picture say it perfectly.

kevin holt

March 29th, 2010 at 3:14 PM ^

I went to the NCAA men's lacrosse finals in Baltimore 2 or 3 years ago. The teams playing in this particular game were Johns Hopkins and either Delaware or Cornell (can't remember which)

Every time Hopkins scored, every Hop fan put a number in the air, and they all did our goal count chant. Our chant. I was furious. It was exactly the same, and it was LACROSSE! You don't call a lacrosse goalie a sieve!! He has a stick with a net that could literally be a sieve! They let in 7 goals and it's a good outing! Not to mention the count got up to above 10. Just maddening.

It would make more sense had it been the Cornell fans, since we supposedly stole our chants from their traveling band of hockey fans. I'm 99% sure it was Hopkins though. UGH

It doesn't matter, though. Every team in every sport could steal our chants, and Yost would still top them all. That place is insane, and it feels more like home than my tiny freshman dorm ever did.

Sidenote (that I put on a comment on another post): Do you think it's time we stop the tradition of booing the refs? Yes, they suck, but there must be some reason they clearly hate Michigan over all other schools, CCHA or not. Maybe it's in the back of their minds from the beginning when we ridicule them and show our hatred? It might be a chicken-or-egg argument, since we boo them because we always get screwed.

kevin holt

March 29th, 2010 at 3:19 PM ^

And potentially Merciless Temporarily Benevolent-to-Michigan God. Hagelin + Louie senior year is downright SCARY. Our team loses a few good ones, but we retain much more than we lose.

I hate to look ahead already, when the wound is so fresh, but our team next year should be ridic. I have loved Chris Brown since the first game at Yost, and I didn't even realize he played all 43 games this year. He plays like he's been here for 6 years, and I love it so much. If I could be his best friend, I would beg him to stay for 3 more.

Please, please, please, dear Michigan-Loving God. You tried your best to serve us a win, and the Devil in Stripes and Skates would not retreat. You can still save our souls, however. Please let Red return. Please keep all our players here. Please let this be the turning point for all sports.

Sgt. Wolverine

March 29th, 2010 at 3:25 PM ^

I've been there several times to shoot high school baseball games, and it's not a bad town. But my strongest and fondest memory of Coldwater features their Big Lots. I think they've fixed it, but for a number of months, the L in their Big Lots sign was burned out. It made me laugh every time I drove past the store.

UNCWolverine

March 29th, 2010 at 3:44 PM ^

That is my hometown, thus the reason for my cheeky post. I never knew that happened to the L. To be honest I didn't even know a Big Lots had moved into town. I tend to miss such events living 2,000 miles away.

Also to be fair, Angola, and Ft. Wayne for that matter, provided many great memories and stories growing up. Also, Ashley was the site of my summer jobs while a student at Michigan.

Sgt. Wolverine

March 29th, 2010 at 3:57 PM ^

But my brother lived in South Bend for three years, so I passed through the town a number of times on the way to and from SB. Given the paucity of...well, pretty much anything around there, I've made plenty of stops for food in Coldwater.

Coldwater High School's baseball field is a pretty decent facility. My local high school plays there every year, and I've joined them there a couple times. During one of the games, one of our players asked one of the coaches, "So...what's near Coldwater?" The coach thought about it for a moment and responded, "Indiana."

UNCWolverine

March 29th, 2010 at 4:04 PM ^

Yep, our baseball coach has put a lot of effort into creating a well above average field in order to host many regional events for many age groups. But now that I think about it he actually used to make US do a lot of the work to keep up the grounds.

The one thing that Coldwater does have to offer that is a bit of a kept secret are chains of beautiful lakes. I used to get picked on while at college for being from there. Then all it took was one visit to my parents' house on the lakes and that changed that. There are two different chains. The southern chain's southern most edge is about three miles from the Indiana border and stretches 15 miles north over 7 lakes. I miss them terribly even with an ocean three blocks away.

Laveranues

March 29th, 2010 at 3:19 PM ^

...that hockey is always the most intense. (And, hence, the most devastating if/when we lose). I don't know if it's the nature of the sport, or the fact that our hockey team is actually competitive, but every year this hurts even worse than the almost-inevitable, non-conference loss in football.

philibuster

March 29th, 2010 at 3:21 PM ^

That photo really emphasizes the shortness of Hunwick.

I drove from AA to West Lafayette through Fort Wayne a lot when I was at Purdue. I remember getting a couple speeding tickets on that stretch. You can't leave Indiana fast enough.

zlionsfan

March 29th, 2010 at 7:51 PM ^

My family moved to Bloomington from Ann Arbor when I was little (thus the allegiance to Michigan/Detroit teams from childhood and Purdue from college - we will not speak of IU), and I live outside Indianapolis now, so I've driven that bit of I-69 a. lot. It's pretty much small towns, Fort Wayne, small towns, and Michigan ... which is pretty much small towns at that point and then the junction with I-94, which more often than not signals potholes the size of, well, Fort Wayne.

They have not extended I-69 south of Indy, in part because of what I think is an inside joke ... send someone not familiar to the area toward Evansville and see if they ever make it back. Going south (I-65) or southeast (I-74) is faster because there are casinos awaiting you. If you head east, there is that other state, and heading west, you go into Illinois, and really there's no distinction between western Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska ...

Yostal

March 29th, 2010 at 3:21 PM ^

I know, it shouldn't hurt, but it does, in part because of the way it happened. That picture captures the fact that if you have been around long enough and you pay attention, you start to learn things. The losses shouldn't hurt more because you know why the happen, and yet, that knowledge does little to numb the pain. Instead, it just makes old wounds hurt even more. It reminds you of every piece of your sporting soul that you have lost, and what we learn is true, that the sheer joy of winning is lost, replaced with a vague sense of joy that comes when Michigan doesn't lose, and if it does lose, you'll be able to know and understand why it did.

In this case, even that is cold comfort, because it doesn't feel deserved. It feels like punch in the solar plexus and long off season to realize that when the carriage turned back into a pumpkin, it was not because we had been warned by a fair godmother it would happen, it was because an evil sorceress decided to take out the charmed ones.

Michigan Arrogance

March 29th, 2010 at 3:35 PM ^

that was a killer game to be invested in. reminded me of the 1995 Semifinal against Maine. add one more period and this was that game.

having been following college hockey since roughly 1985 and Michigan specifically since about 1991, i have seen about 20 seasons of M in the national tourney with 2 titles. the early 90s were frustrating, but if you would have told me in 1998 that M wouldn't even get to a title game in the next 12 years, I would have laughed. sad pandas are sad.

I've always thought this was the most entertaining tournament. the sport, the college atmosphere and passion, rivalry, the tourney format: all lend to an amazing roller coaster for a weekend or 2 every year.

goblueUM2012

March 29th, 2010 at 3:36 PM ^

Last nights game was why we are all sports fan. From the start of the 3rd period on I think I spent more time standing then sitting on the couch watching the game. The amount of passion that those players played with and we as fans cheered with is incredible. Its absolutely amazing what having a legitimate rooting interest can do to watching a game. This is why I love sports.
I hate sports because of the same reason. You root and cheer so hard for a team that when they lose, especially in manners like last night, its devastating. Who cares if its "just a game" it still hurts like hell. Since September these things have happened to confirm my love/hate relationship with sports.

MLB: Tigers hold a bazillion game lead going into the last month only to blow it and lose in the 12th. Devastating.

NHL: The Red Wings make it to the cup only to lose in a game 7 to the hated Penguins and Crosby on a last second flopping save.

NFL: My favorite team the packers make the playoffs and lose in OT on a fluke kick of the ball off Rodgers and a pick 6 to lose 51-45.

NBA: Does anyone even care?

NCAAF: Our football team starts 4-0 lifting the expectations of everyone only to see them lose in OT to MSU, and then lose many other close, and not so close games to close the season and miss a bowl.

NCAAB: Our basketball team comes in with high expectations and consequently flops. Then to cap it off loses on a near half-court shot from Evan Turner and of course, OSU.

NCAAH: Our hockey team flops for much of the season and then produces a miracle run that ends in again, the hearts torn out of many on a bad call in OT and a Miami winner in 2OT.

I really love sports, but gosh how I hate them lately. When will we win a close one?

The FannMan

March 29th, 2010 at 10:00 PM ^

I am 39 years old and kept waking up last night b/c of a hockey game played by kids literally half my age. At one point, I even dreamed that the goal counted and we won. Something is certainly wrong with me.

I tell myself, to just stop watching. Just turn and slowly walk away. Use that extra time and energy to focus on something else - job, family, hobby - whatever.

Then, I think about 1997 and Woodson running straight torwad my section with Buckeyes grasping at air, being at Braylonfest, watching Maglio's walk-off homer go over the fence and jumping up and down with my eldest daughter, seeing the Wings or Wolverines light the lamp in OT, or Tate tossing that TD to rip the hearts out of the Irish. Then I realizet that I am hooked. If you are on this site, you are too.

Heaven help us all, but we are in for the duration - good or bad.

Mannix

March 29th, 2010 at 10:26 PM ^

43 here and I watched it all last night but pretended 'not to watch' occupying myself with anything but the game. As if I could detach myself emotionally when it all went down. In the 2nd OT, I kept shuffling back and forth between that and Seinfeld, thinking I would come back and see the game winner. I confess, I couldn't take watching it knowing the 20-6 shots in the 1st OT would result in what you guys affectionately call the Dong Punch in the subsequent OT's.

Search4Meaning

March 29th, 2010 at 11:04 PM ^

and at the game.

For every time we suffer a crushing loss (Miami) there is a incredible win (Miami). It simply is going to happen when you live and breathe Michigan sports. If you are like me you have tried not to be so caught up in it. But...

You are always a Wolverine.

Congrats to the 2009-2010 Michigan Hockey team!

dakotapalm

March 29th, 2010 at 3:38 PM ^

That is a wonderful, heartborking picture. Brian, as usual, your writing does not disappoint. Thanks for the description of Indiana, which is accurate, as well.

Huntington Wolverine

March 29th, 2010 at 3:50 PM ^

"and make you wish you had a heinous ex-girlfriend named Ashley"

This made me laugh because I do have a heinous ex-girlfriend named Ashley and I've been reminded of her when I drive past that town on my way up to Michigan.

M.I.Sicks

March 29th, 2010 at 3:56 PM ^

As angry as I am about how that game ended (er should've ended), I'm very proud of the hockey program. They gave us Michigan fans something positive to cheer for over the last 3 weeks. And like Brian said above they sucked it up and kept a 20 year tournament streak alive. There's alot of pride and tradition in that program and hopefully it rubs off on others in the athletic department this year.

UNCWolverine

March 29th, 2010 at 3:57 PM ^

Well done Brian. I am amused that you were able to insert a few of my childhood stomping grounds into your write-up as well.

In a weird way I tend to find a sense of closure when reading your post-mortems, akin to finally receiving the autopsy results. I know another poster alluded to waiting hours to read this and I feel the same way. MGoBlog has (unfortunately of late) become a bit of a grief counseling activity for many of us. You have a real knack for putting into words the things that I feel and I appreciate that.

Living so far away I sincerely appreciate your work and I hope that you continue to be able to continue to make this site gainful.

Here's to a break-out 2010-2011 year for all of our sports!

Go Blue.

michelin

March 29th, 2010 at 4:15 PM ^

4 years ago, some people were saying he was missing calls, couldn’t keep up, and should retire
http://board.uscho.com/archive/index.php/t-56898.html

6 years ago, his age was questioned
http://www.uscho.com/news/college-hockey/id,9058/TheCalling.html

Also, this is not the first time that he’s been involved in a controversy and obvious screw-up in a goal called off due to a whistle (with a slightly different reason for the screw-up).

“Neither team was able to score in a tight-checking second period although Maine’s Tanner House hit the crossbar and the teammate Klas Leidermark actually put the puck in the net with 7:33 remaining during a scramble only to have it waved off.
But referees John Gravallese and Tom Quinn ruled that the whistle had blown before the puck went in the net and the video replay was inconclusive.
“Tom Quinn told me that the audio didn’t work,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead who was adamant that the puck had crossed the goal line before the whistle blew.
The referees could have heard if the whistle had blown before the puck crossed the line if the audio had worked.
Whitehead said he learned later that the audio hadn’t been hooked up.”

http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/138900.html

jcgary

March 29th, 2010 at 4:21 PM ^

Great post Brian. I too am proud of this team and what they did the last couple weeks after what happened most of the season.

For some reason the football video Brian posted to the music of Rilo Kiley popped into my head and thought this hockey season would fit perfectly into that type of video with that song.

Anyway thanks to the seniors and the entire Michigan hockey team for stepping up come do or die time and making it into the NCAA tournament and making us proud at the regionals. You all played your hearts out!