Bowling Green Falcons v. Miami Redhawks - Final Thoughts

As I said, I wasn't in attendance on Saturday night at the BGSU Ice Arena. I didn't get to see the disgusting display of hockey that was the 10-2 loss to Miami in person. Until tonight, I didn't really have a great idea of what happened.

Tonight I saw a link to a Youtube video of what went down:



Now, let me make this much clear - I have no problem with Miami roughing up Grover after running Knapp. I would've wanted to see the same thing if it was a Miami player running Hammond, Eno, or Greer. Was it the earth-shattering collision that Miami fans have said it was? No. Did it deserve extra activity after the whistle? Yes.

But Knapp was definitely in the wrong to leave the crease so long after the collision and jump into things. The BG player got the upper hand, so both Knapp and Wideman jumped into the fray to turn it into a 3-on-1 with a player already engaged in a fight.

Even worse was Miami freshman Alden Hirschfeld jumping Grover as he skated to the penalty box. I was already upset before I saw the video, but I figured some of what I heard was just exaggeration on the part of angry BGSU fans. What I saw, though, was a player taking unacceptable action against an unprotected, unsuspecting opponent who was not wearing a helmet. Hirschfeld should be ashamed of himself, especially in front of what was essentially a hometown crowd, as he is a graduate of Northview High School in nearby Sylvania.

You can argue all you want that I'm just an angry BGSU homer. Maybe that's the case. But I don't think you can honestly argue that jumping a player who isn't wearing a helmet is a BS move.

BG certainly played their part in getting the game to the breaking point. This video shows only the collision and the brawl, but I don't question that we probably played more than bit on the dirty side prior to the fight and afterward. The Falcons were outmatched and worn down from an exhausting 3-2 game the night before, and they let it show in a bad way. Grover running Knapp when we were down 6-1 was a bad move. Miami needed to protect their goalie, and they did. At some point, though, there has to be a line, and Hirschfeld took a running leap over it.

In addition to both of the teams and coaches, the officiating crew from this game deserves a hefty chunk of the blame. Why was Hirschfeld not restrained by an official after being pulled from the pile? How could he be allowed to skate in untouched to jump Grover? Why was the game allowed to get to this point? The officials showed a blatant inability to control the game both Friday and Saturday night, and it helped lead to what occurred on Saturday.

As I said, this will be my last post about the subject, but I needed to share my opinion. Feel free to comment, as I know there will be many different opinions on the situation from both sides. I'll respond to any comments about this, but I'm moving on after this post. I'm ready to put this whole series behind me.