NCAA Round Up: Questionable hits and the review process.

Last night during the SCSU and UND game I witnessed one of the dirtiest checking from behind incidents since the Geoff Paukovich hit on Robbie Bina which occurred at the 2005 WCHA Final Five.  WCHA official Don Adam incorrectly awarded Paukovich with a 2 minute boarding penalty when a five minute major and a game misconduct would have been warranted.  Bina was carted off the ice on a stretcher and wouldn’t play the next season (2005-2006) because of his injuries he sustained during the checking from behind penalty.  Paukovich got an extra game suspension for his thuggery and we moved on,  Bina went on to play in the 2006-2007 season for the Fighting Sioux and now plays in the ECHL.

History repeats itself

Fast forward to last night Donn Adam is again one of the on ice officials for the UND and SCSU hockey game.  Genoway takes the puck up ice in an end to end rush. Genoway has the puck checked off his stick by number 3 Sam Zabkowicz and number 17 Aaron Marvin comes in and pounds Chay’s head into the end boards an high elbow to the back of the head.

Of course neither on ice referees Tim Walsh and Don Adam saw the play.  Head official Don Adam conferred with the lines men and at first the officiating crew incorrectly penalized SCSU player Chris Hepp who was given a five minute major and a game misconduct; later Hepp had to put his equipment back on and rejoin the game after the officials realized between periods that they had penalized the wrong player.  Now tell me that doesn’t lend itself for fans to question the officiating crews credibility.

The NCAA wants to focus on head shots and this was text book head shots and this was a text book definition of a head shot.

Contact to the Head
SECTION 8. A player shall not make contact with an opposing player’s
head or neck area in any manner.
PENALTY—Minor or major or disqualification at the discretion of the
referee. Contact to the head shall be assessed in front of the
infraction (i.e., contact to the head – elbow).
Note: The rules committee instructs officials to use a zero tolerance policy in
this area.

This was a dirty, blatant inexcusable hit that has no place in college or any form of professional hockey.  If Aaron Marvin is not suspended by the WCHA and gets to play tonight the WCHA office will no longer have any stitch of credibility and will in essence be condoning this brutal act.  The NCAA like the NHL needs to have a review system that reviews questionable penalties and plays and awards the proper disciplinary action.  The NHL League office for the most part has done a decent job, however, the WCHA has not.

Lastly, there needs to be more accountability for on ice officials in the NCAA, Don Adam is a horrible official and should be removed from officiating before someone gets killed on the ice as a result of his incompetence.

Breaking News: There is some justice in the world as Marvin has been suspended for his hit and will not be playing in tonight’s game against the Sioux.

Edit: Marvin suspended for series finale —-I just got word that St. Cloud State’s Aaron Marvin has been suspended for tonight’s series finale against UND.

Marvin illegally checked UND’s Chay Genoway into the boards from behind in last night’s contest. Genoway didn’t return.

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