RIP Dan Barrows

Hockey lost a good friend last night when Dan Barrows died. He probably forgot more about hockey than I will ever know.

I knew Dan from the RIT games. We would talk a little between periods and before the game about what we thought about the game. And there was always a smile on his face when we talked hockey. It didn't matter if it was some game in the 80s or the recent game. My favorite was when he would say "win, win, win, win, win" after an RIT win.

The last couple years have been great in that I would go out with him and his wife Laurie after the game to eat. There we would talk more about the game that was just played, or the hockey game on TV. The man loved his hockey.

The hockey world will miss him. So will I. RIP Dan.

Ugly split

After such a big win over Cornell, a let down was bound to happen.

Friday was an rough win. It seemed like everything was just a little off. The passing was not crisp. The defense was giving up the puck. Things that cost the Tigers in the first couple of games. Fortunately, RIT snapped out of it in time to get the win. Ricky Walton's penalty shot was a thing of beauty. From then on, RIT was able to hold on.

Things were not so fortunate on Saturday. A lot of people question the use of DiMichael. I think it was a good move. Coach needed to see him in real game action without being forced into playing him. Canisius is a team that most people predicted would be near the bottom of the league. But the way the Tigers played, Jacque Plante would have had problems. The effort was not there. Horrible defensive decisions were made. The offense never got going. The result - their worst loss since their first game in Division I.

Some key games coming up against Air Force. They better be ready for them.