Spring Break
Media sees 'Hawks as 2nd tier team
Matt Sohn
Issue date: 3/27/07 Section: Sports
By listening to ESPN announcers Gary Thorne and Barry Melrose during the televised broadcast of Miami University's hockey games this weekend, you'd have sworn that New Hampshire and Boston College were the NHL's Anaheim Ducks and the RedHawks were Emilio Estevez's Mighty Ducks.
It didn't matter that the 'Hawks took third place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association; they were still given the same chance that Rocky would've had against Apollo if the Italian Stallion had to fight with salmonella poisoning he got from the raw eggs he chugged.
Even in the victory over New Hampshire, the RedHawks were never described as talented, fast or good, but rather as gutsy, pesky and tough.
Perhaps fourth-seeded teams don't deserve to be peppered with praise about their ability, or perhaps the 5-0 shellacking that Boston College hammered the 'Hawks with in the first round of the tournament last year was still fresh in the
announcers' minds.
One thing is for sure, it's clear that Miami is still regarded as an afterthought on the national stage.
In the hierarchy of the college hockey world, the BC's, North Dakota's, Michigan's and Minnesota's are the ruling elite, while "second-tier programs" like Miami gaze up in wistful admiration of them.
After Sunday's loss to the Eagles, Miami captain Ryan Jones - the personification of the RedHawks' hard-nosed style - said that although the players are disappointed in being sent home, they're proud of their performance in Manchester.
As they should be.
After all, they did beat the Northeast region's No. 1 seed in the
first round.
Nevertheless, a sense of frustration was notably absent in Jones. Just a couple hours after a shutout loss in the Northeast regional, ending Miami's Frozen Four bid for the second consecutive season, Jones seemed at peace with the reality of the situation.
And more than anything, his attitude reaffirmed the notion that the 'Hawks were in fact playing with the house's money.
It didn't matter that the 'Hawks took third place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association; they were still given the same chance that Rocky would've had against Apollo if the Italian Stallion had to fight with salmonella poisoning he got from the raw eggs he chugged.
Even in the victory over New Hampshire, the RedHawks were never described as talented, fast or good, but rather as gutsy, pesky and tough.
Perhaps fourth-seeded teams don't deserve to be peppered with praise about their ability, or perhaps the 5-0 shellacking that Boston College hammered the 'Hawks with in the first round of the tournament last year was still fresh in the
announcers' minds.
One thing is for sure, it's clear that Miami is still regarded as an afterthought on the national stage.
In the hierarchy of the college hockey world, the BC's, North Dakota's, Michigan's and Minnesota's are the ruling elite, while "second-tier programs" like Miami gaze up in wistful admiration of them.
After Sunday's loss to the Eagles, Miami captain Ryan Jones - the personification of the RedHawks' hard-nosed style - said that although the players are disappointed in being sent home, they're proud of their performance in Manchester.
As they should be.
After all, they did beat the Northeast region's No. 1 seed in the
first round.
Nevertheless, a sense of frustration was notably absent in Jones. Just a couple hours after a shutout loss in the Northeast regional, ending Miami's Frozen Four bid for the second consecutive season, Jones seemed at peace with the reality of the situation.
And more than anything, his attitude reaffirmed the notion that the 'Hawks were in fact playing with the house's money.
Be the first to comment on this story