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| An ice hockey referee signals a penalty for high sticking. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Here's the situation: UNO's Tanner Lane (#7) is chasing DU's David Makowski (#10) into the DU zone after a puck. Right after Makowski takes possession of the puck and heads deeper into the zone, Tanner Lane swings his stick at the back of Makowski's helmet. Here's the thing: The Ref is looking DIRECTLY at the play. No Call. Here's where it gets dicey. Replay is inconclusive as to whether or not Lane's stick even touches Makowski. If it did, it would have hit right on the crown of the back of Makowski's helmet. Ok, seems cut and dry right? NO CALL????
Let's say contact WAS made. Isn't that Slashing? Contact to the head? It is DEFINITELY a penalty, right?
Ok, so no contact was made. Makowski skates 3-4 full slides before ducking, then ducking more, then crumpling to the ice just in time to slide across the back red line (the incident occurred just at the top of the faceoff circles in the DU zone along the boards). Uh.... I'm no expert, per se, but if you got chopped in the BACK OF THE HEAD by a STICK, wouldn't the pain or impulse to go down be, say, INSTANT? HE NEVER LOST POSSESSION OF THE PUCK UNTIL HE TURTLED!!!!!!
So, here's what I see: The Ref HAS to make a penalty one way or another. EITHER WAY it is a penalty! If contact was made, the NCAA MANDATES contact to the head is a penalty!!!! If contact was NOT made then the RULEBOOK requires that a penalty gets called because Makowski DOVE. And, lets face it, faking a head injury is well.... to put it bluntly: it's the opposite of sportsmanship.
IF Don Adam does INDEED review officiating performances, then these two buffoons in Omaha tonight will be getting a rather tense phone call. Either the integrity of the game was pissed upon, or the refs just gave the middle finger to player safety. Either way, that's BAD officiating.
