Memo To The Mouse

OK, here's a thought for the folks at ESPN, specifically the ones responsible for the ticker on ESPNews: if an NHL game is 0-0 after regulation and OT, and the shootout is won by a 1-0 score, maybe you should say who scored the goal on the ticker.

I was at a friend's birthday celebration during the Rangers-Bruins game, and I went to the gym afterwards. I watched ESPNews while on the elliptical (it was a non-lift day), and they kept showing:

BRUINS 0
RANGERS 1 NYR wins shootout, 1-0

and then

BRUINS 0 OTL Auld 35 svs
RANGERS 1 W Lundqvist 29 svs

It wasn't until I went to a bar later that I found out that Nigel Dawes was the shootout hero for the Rangers. I haven't said much about Dawes this season, but I love the Rangers' young talent in general: Dawes, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan. The energy they bring to the team - in addition to being fine players - is one of the biggest factors in the way the team is playing right now (10-0-3 in the last 13 games, heading into tonight's game with the Sabres).

That's an exciting game, but I'm still amazed at how exciting the Army-American International game on Saturday was. The Black Knights' 5-2 series-clinching win included the following:

a disputed goal

a power outage immediately following the disputed goal

the underdog leading 2-1 after the first

a penalty shot

two goals (including the penalty shot) on the same penalty kill in the last 45 seconds of the second period

The power outage was a pain, as West Point hosted the Patriot League women's tournament this past weekend in addition to the Army-AIC playoff series. It lasted about half an hour, and affected the entire post, not to mention the neighboring village of Highland Falls. During the break, I shared stories with the Yellow Jackets' SID, including the North Dakota-BC fiasco from the fall, and a multiple-overtime classic from 2002 between Dartmouth and Colgate. Then, the announcement was made over a barely-functioning bullhorn that the power would be restored in 15 minutes (listening to the megaphone, I couldn't help but think, "Our tax dollars at work.").

When the lights came back on, AIC led after the first, and was actually in pretty good position until the last minute of the second, when Owen Meyer scored on a penalty shot and Ken Rowe followed with a true shorthanded goal. Meyer almost added yet another shorthanded tally in the last few seconds, and AIC was just about done at that point.

I will say that AIC was much better this season than in the past. Gary Wright's coaching job this year was not reflected by the record, and Dan Ramirez in goal will give AIC an opportunity to move up in Atlantic Hockey in the next couple of years. Of course, there may not be much room to move up in the conference between Army, Air Force, RIT, Sacred Heart, Mercyhurst and Holy Cross. Those are six quality programs that will have staying power at the top, but they'll find themselves having more and more trouble with AIC in coming years.

Finally, Dartmouth's season ended last night in ugly fashion, in a 6-0 loss to Cornell that clinched the ECAC Hockey first-round series for the Big Red. It was an ugly year in confernece for my alma mater - although, oddly enough, the Big Green beat the top three teams in the Hockey East standings - owing largely to the graduation of Grant Lewis, Ben Lovejoy and Mike Hartwick, which left Dartmouth with a very young defensive corps. Of course, the departures of David Jones to the Colorado Avalanche and T.J. Galiardi to my favorite major junior team, the Calgary Hitmen, didn't help matters. (And yes, I do have a favorite major junior team, owing largely to the Hitmen's namesake, Bret Hart). Dartmouth will be back, though. You can count on that.