ECACHL Officiating

There have been a lot of posts discussing officials, and many have said that they should have started a new thread about this topic. I agree, so here you go. First up, something positive. Peter Feola is among the best referees in the ECACHL, and consistently calls a fair game. I have not noticeably disagreed with any of his calls yet this year. Now for some negative. John Murphy and Scott Hansen (I hate to even mention his name, lest we be cursed by his presence at Lynah this season...) are terrible. Does anyone know a history of why they may hate Cornell? It just seems like most of their bad calls are against us. I have seen bad calls that helped us, and certainly this argument is simply that they suck, but it does seem like they make questionable calls against us, and even conveniently lose sight of the puck and blow the play dead when we have an opportunity to score. I have disagreed with 3+ calls per game every time they have officiated. Can someone explain to me how Sawada getting cross checked in the back against Wayne State could have resulted in a diving penalty for him? It was pretty clearly not a dive. Granted, we screwed up a lot in that game and did not deserve to win, but that was the most atrocious of many calls that I thought were subpar. Also, John Everett is an excellent linesman, probably the best in the league. See, I started and ended positive. Go Red!

Murphy and Hansen make plenty of bad calls that go the other way. It isn't just Cornell.

I noted that. It just seems like it's about 70-30 against Cornell.

Trigger
John Murphy and Scott Hansen (I hate to even mention his name, lest we be cursed by his presence at Lynah this season...) are terrible. Does anyone know a history of why they may hate Cornell? It just seems like most of their bad calls are against us. I have seen bad calls that helped us, and certainly this argument is simply that they suck, but it does seem like they make questionable calls against us, and even conveniently lose sight of the puck and blow the play dead when we have an opportunity to score.

A good start, but you're going to have to be more creative than that to score that Brown radio job.

RichH

Trigger
John Murphy and Scott Hansen (I hate to even mention his name, lest we be cursed by his presence at Lynah this season...) are terrible. Does anyone know a history of why they may hate Cornell? It just seems like most of their bad calls are against us. I have seen bad calls that helped us, and certainly this argument is simply that they suck, but it does seem like they make questionable calls against us, and even conveniently lose sight of the puck and blow the play dead when we have an opportunity to score.

A good start, but you're going to have to be more creative than that to score that Brown radio job.

Rich's comment is an ABSOLUTE JOKE!

Trigger
Can someone explain to me how Sawada getting cross checked in the back against Wayne State could have resulted in a diving penalty for him?

I did not see the game, but if the ref thought he embellished the fall, then it would be a dive - even it he was legitimately hit illegally.

Again, I didn't see it, but you asked how it could be, and that's how it could be.

For the record, I find it very disappointing that several Cornell players have been called for dives already this season. maybe it's just an emphasis on celling dives, but weren't we supposed to be the team that skates through hooks/holds/whatever whenever possible? Weren't we deriding the Gophers for flopping around on the ice after any contact in 2005? *sigh*

KeithK
For the record, I find it very disappointing that several Cornell players have been called for dives already this season. maybe it's just an emphasis on celling dives, but weren't we supposed to be the team that skates through hooks/holds/whatever whenever possible? Weren't we deriding the Gophers for flopping around on the ice after any contact in 2005? *sigh*

We are! The refs are just killing us! The ECAC wants Quinnipiac and Wayne State to win, so this is what happens.

KeithK
For the record, I find it very disappointing that several Cornell players have been called for dives already this season. maybe it's just an emphasis on celling dives, but weren't we supposed to be the team that skates through hooks/holds/whatever whenever possible? Weren't we deriding the Gophers for flopping around on the ice after any contact in 2005? *sigh*

Good call on that. Scott got a diving penalty in two straight games (Q and WSU). He also appeared to dive on a penalty he drew shortly before he got the diving penalty against WSU. I assume that like in the NHL, the officials have a book of guys who are prone to diving.

My problem with Feola is that he tends to lean towards the losing team. Though he never seems anti-Cornell, he does seem to help out the team that's down a little more.

Dafatone
My problem with Feola is that he tends to lean towards the losing team. Though he never seems anti-Cornell, he does seem to help out the team that's down a little more.

Refs at all levels of all sports are guilty of that.

calgARI '07

Dafatone
My problem with Feola is that he tends to lean towards the losing team. Though he never seems anti-Cornell, he does seem to help out the team that's down a little more.

Refs at all levels of all sports are guilty of that.

True, but I've noticed Feola's a bit worse than most. He's usually okay, but I've hated him at a few games. Like last year's ECAC championships.

Dafatone

calgARI '07

Dafatone
My problem with Feola is that he tends to lean towards the losing team. Though he never seems anti-Cornell, he does seem to help out the team that's down a little more.

Refs at all levels of all sports are guilty of that.

True, but I've noticed Feola's a bit worse than most. He's usually okay, but I've hated him at a few games. Like last year's ECAC championships.

Yeah, he was horrendous in Albany. Some of the calls he made on Harvard in the second period were ridiculous and never would have been made if Cornell wasn't down 3-0.

calgARI '07

Dafatone

calgARI '07

Dafatone
My problem with Feola is that he tends to lean towards the losing team. Though he never seems anti-Cornell, he does seem to help out the team that's down a little more.

Refs at all levels of all sports are guilty of that.

True, but I've noticed Feola's a bit worse than most. He's usually okay, but I've hated him at a few games. Like last year's ECAC championships.

Yeah, he was horrendous in Albany. Some of the calls he made on Harvard in the second period were ridiculous and never would have been made if Cornell wasn't down 3-0.

Exactly. We went down 3-0 with a number of iffy calls against us. Then he turned around, and we pulled it to 3-2. Then, back to bad calls against us just as we got momentum (I remember a hooking call on Krantz, but I could be way off). Feola's usually mediocre, though. Which is actually pretty good.

Good point. I was there. I did not think about that game because anything that goes against Harvard (sucks) is automatically a good call in my book. But penalty standards do change when the game is lopsided in any sport. I used to officiate basketball, and I must say that when it is close, you call every little thing, but if it is a blowout, you let some little things go to see if the team who is down can get back in the game. In hockey, that should mean not calling plays as closely and letting the losing team get away with some small stuff so the score doesn't get any more out of control. It should not mean lowering your standards and calling penalties on the team who is ahead and giving the losers extra power plays. Feola is guilty of that sometimes, but I must say that the only game I can think of where that has happened is Albany. And no, I am not condoning changing calls based on the score, but if it is going to happen, it should only be to let stuff go. Let's Go Red.

calgARI '07

Dafatone
My problem with Feola is that he tends to lean towards the losing team. Though he never seems anti-Cornell, he does seem to help out the team that's down a little more.

Refs at all levels of all sports are guilty of that.

I do not agree with this sweeping generalization. It may be true of lower quality officials but I've coached ice hockey at both the high school and youth levels for four years in NJ and have not seen that to be the case on more than a couple of occasions.

The same is true for the several dozen HS football games I've covered in that time.

Rich S

calgARI '07

Dafatone
My problem with Feola is that he tends to lean towards the losing team. Though he never seems anti-Cornell, he does seem to help out the team that's down a little more.

Refs at all levels of all sports are guilty of that.

I do not agree with this sweeping generalization. It may be true of lower quality officials but I've coached ice hockey at both the high school and youth levels for four years in NJ and have not seen that to be the case on more than a couple of occasions.

I would have agreed with him, up until the last few years, but I think one of the notable changes in ECAC officiating is that the refs are now quick to makes calls (1) late in games and (2) against the trailing team. It seemed to me a decade ago that you needed to commit first degree murder to get whistled for a non-coincidental if your team was trailing by one goal in the final 10 minutes of regulation.

One of the NCAA's points of emphasis is that the game situtaion should no longer have an impact on penalty calls.

Incidentally, today's Ithaca Journal has an article on the tight officiating.
[www.theithacajournal.com]

Trigger,

my experience both as a ref and talking other high level officials (ECAC, AHL, etc..) is that in the past, as the game got closer, they swallowed the whistle. When the score opened up, the losers couldn;t dirty, and neither could the winners.

now in the present, that practice is in theory, Over... only time will tell.

Dpperk29
When the score opened up, the losers couldn;t dirty, and neither could the winners.

The WHL carried this to the point of formally quantifying it. I don't recall the exact details, but it was something like: if you got an instigation penalty in the final two minutes of a game with a score of 3+ goals difference, you got an automatic suspension and a league review.

nm