2nd Annual Robbie Earl Memorial Diver of the Year Award - Frozen Water Division (Redwing77)

A Year in Review

This year is a relatively "down" year in terms of the field. The committee didn't really have any solid choices to fill a top 10. In fact, when considering writing the final run down to the winner of this prestigious award, we couldn't even put up a field of 3. So, what the heck, we're just going to go with the two contestants we have: Jacob Cepis (Sr. Forward - U Minnesota) and Defending 2010 winner Garrett Roe (Sr. Forward - SCSU).

The Challenger

Jacob Cepis, a native of Parma, Ohio came to the Twin Cities from 1.5 impressive years with Bowling Green State University of the CCHA. Well, maybe impressive is relative in this case because BGSU had only one decent player: Cepis. After 18 games and an "impressive" 5 points and 14 PIM, he decided to take his talents to the Twin Cities. Some say his talents were as a sniping, scoring forward citing his stellar rookie year with BGSU on a less than stellar team. Some say it is his showmanship. Well, he certainly opened eyes with the University of Minnesota. He was almost scoring at will, thanks to his ability to score when there wasn't enough players on the opposition to rub him out of the play. It is wondered whether or not he learned at BGSU or at Minnesota when you feel the need to score, wait for a opposing player to skate by you and then fall like you've been shot. In his first half season with Minnesota, he really burst onto this scene flopping all over the place. He nearly overtook Garrett Roe for the inaugural award. Some say it was because it was only because he played 21 of Minnesota's 39 games that season.

Some say his antics mimic the namesake of this award and therefore makes him most deserving. He brings more than merely diving and feigning injury. He has a feisty side to him as well, such as slashing opposing players when they are otherwise caught up and unable to defend themselves. He's always willing to jump into the fray provided that there is minimal chance of retaliation.

Many, including Goon consider Cepis to unseat Garrett Roe for this year's award.

The Defending Champion

Garrett Roe has had an impressive resume of being able to fool WCHA refs, sometimes at will, by flopping to the ice and feigning illegal contact having been received. He tenacity in this regard, opening up his teammate Ryan Lasch for his career season in St. Cloud made him the lock in 2010 for the inaugural award. He even had the reputation to feign serious injury and then be right back out on the ice during the powerplay.

This season, however, Lasch had graduated and Roe found himself in a different role. He was no longer the Robin to Lasch's Batman. His number of dives went down and some even argue that his ability to fool the refs diminished as well. When asked, sources cite the playoffs even last season, where Roe got called for Diving, something WCHA refs are among the most reluctant officials to call (probably because they don't know the difference between diving and a legit call). Such a setback probably left him a bit down in the race to start off his senior season.

Still, you don't win the award and then change completely overnight. He has certainly earned his place on this list once again.

The Winner is....

After much debate and asking around, we have to give the nod to...

Jacob Cepis, Senior Forward from the Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota.

It was hard to give the award to someone other than Garrett Roe. He did such a great job and Cepis seems to be playing the role of "Johnny Come Lately," but you can't argue that Cepis just had more to prove in this category than Roe. Roe used to be the fall guy to Lasch. Cepis came in with the name on the back being just as important as the name on the front of his jersey. Roe's ability comes from the confidence that, by acting in this unethical fashion, you can get the advantage for your teammates. It was a flaw that Cepis doesn't have.

Congrats to Jacob Cepis. You'll be missed by Gopher fans everywhere but will inevitably fade into obscurity just like everyone else who wins this award.

UPSET ALERT!!!!! (Redwing77) UPDATED!!!!!!!

Ok, not really but....

2010 Robbie Earl Memorial Freestyle Frozen Water Diving Champion Garrett Roe is losing his edge. Roe, famous for the Fish Flop and the Triple Roll Belly Flop with a Cage Gainor failed to dupe any of the officials into awarding SCSU with a single powerplay last night. He didn't garner a choking performance... he didn't even attempt to dive. When is the last time Greg Louganis stepped up to the edge of the diving board and just turned around and walked down the ladder?

Is Roe losing his touch? Does this mean WCHA newcomer Jacob Cepis (Minnesota) will usurp Roe's crown? Can outside candidate Jason Zucker (DU) take the crown? Or will it be a yet unnamed player from else-WCHA?

I know what you may be thinking: "Aww, Roe's too good to let this get him down, he'll dive tonight. After UND only got called for 1 penalty last night, WCHA officiating will come through." Or perhaps you are thinking "Roe doesn't have Lasch and Nodl and other guys like that to use his diving talent for to make his loss of dignity and ethical existence worthwhile." Perhaps. Or perhaps you live in a Husky red dream world and claim that Roe has never dove or embellished in his collegiate career. Well, we'll leave the consumption of paint thinner to residents of the fine state of Wisconsin.

Diving is illegal in most forms of hockey but I still doubt the officials in the WCHA could recognize a dive or an embellishment if it happened to smack them in the junk. Yes, I know Zucker got called for diving early this season but I think it is a fluke.

I can understand why Roe or any WCHA player would wish to embellish. It's a player's way of helping the officials understand what an illegal play looks like. It's not the players' fault that embellishment is a problem in the WCHA. It's the officiating. If you don't call it, then it must be legal. Trust me. If a team goes out there and starts cross checking everyone in sight, they'll get called for a penalty and they'll either adapt and stop doing it or they'll spend the rest of the game in the box. If they don't get called, then the refs must allow it and they'll do it the whole game long.

The issue isn't a vendetta or a conspiracy. The issue is the WCHA administration and their hiring practices. The game has gotten too fast for the officials. They are consistently 1-2 steps behind the play. They simply aren't as fast as they need to be. We can go back and forth about what we could do but it is a waste of time under the current regime.

So... this award will continue to be given by this blog for however long as the officials can't understand how to call the whole rulebook.

UPDATE!

Much like the BCS Standings, beat writers have written in their early season vote on the Robbie Earl Memorial Trophy and, though the full standings aren't available yet, we broke the news here first folks:

If the award were to be handed out on Monday by the WCHA, Minnesota's Jacob Cepis would usurp Garrett Roe!

Neither Cepis nor Roe were available for comment. Stay tuned!