First Kane Lafranchise is called for clipping and a game disqualification as a result of a perfectly legal, perfectly clean and well executed hip-check. Then after the game Brett "Bert" Klosowski and Justin "Ernie" Brown (I kid those refs because I love them ... really I do) review their decision and decide to submit an official boxscore that reflects a 10 minute misconduct instead of the game disqualification.
Now today we learn that the WCHA has stepped in and reviewed the situation. The result? The original on-ice (misinterpreted uselessly horrid) call made by Bert and Ernie is changed to kneeing and the game disqualification is restored.
Yet in it's comments to UAA, the WCHA is apparently admitting that no infraction of the rules actually occurred. That's right. They're saying that Kane Lafranchise checked Patrick Wiercioch with a most excellent hip-check without committing any infraction in the rule book. The league is allegedly punishing Bert and Ernie by giving them nothing to do this weekend. So they say anyway ... the reality is there are 22 referees certified by the league and a maximum of 10 are going to be working on any given weekend.
Brett "Bert" Klosowski and Justin "Ernie" Brown were just as likely to be off this weekend. But saying they're sitting allows the league to save face and pretend they're actually meting out punishment for Bert and Ernie's obvious incompetence. The only person not doing what he would otherwise be doing this Friday night is the one person who did absolutely nothing wrong; Kane Lafranchise.
Naturally the WCHA is blaming the NCAA using Section 10 of the rulebook which states that they "may not decrease any penalties"made "by the one ice officials" to correct the error. They have to blame somebody since they don't have the guts to come to a just decision and instead create a mish-mashed political decision worthy of the stinking miserable shit that occurs everyday in the halls of the U.S. Congress. The WCHA should be ashamed. If "vote the bastards out" were applicable then it'd be the title of this post.
They were able to affect remedies last year following a Wisconsin/Mankato incident. But suddenly this year the NCAA disallows it? OK ... yeah sure. Whatever you say Bruce "Elmo" McLeod. I realize you're really just moderating a dispute and coming up with a political solution to try to satisfy as many parties as possible ...
Sunny Day
Sweepin' the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet
Can you tell me how to get
How to get to Sesame Street
... and all that eh? But we all know puppet politics isn't justice Bruce. Shame on you for this injustice to Kane Lafranchise and I suppose congratulations for at least pointing out that he committed no infraction (if you have the balls to say it in print).
On top of this insult comes the
faux-injury word from George Gwozdecky that Patrick Wiercioch will not be able to play this weekend. Oh wait ... that's right, Denver has a bye week. Didn't I predict that Gwoz would say that because it's a bye week? If Denver were playing UND this coming weekend I guarantee that Wiercioch would be in the lineup; if you think or say otherwise then you watch too much Sesame Street.
When the Berlin Wall goes back up and the Soviet Union eventually returns to power, George should be a front runner for Propaganda and Information Minister.
Gwozdecky is a Russian name after all... originally Gvozdetsky. Here in freedom-loving North America we generally just call this sort of thing
lying. If I were feeling gracious I'd just characterize it as sandbagging for UND's sake, but once again I'm Donald
"Oscar The Grouch" Dunlop versus being Donald
"Big Bird" Dunlop.
These things don't happen in a vacuum. Without a doubt there were at least several phone conversations to work out the details of this clearly political decision. With that in mind, I am left but to question the effectiveness of UAA's administration in procuring justice for Kane. I can't bring myself to think that they did anything other than fight as hard as they could for him but the obvious fact that they weren't completely successful is greatly disheartening. It sure seems like UAA got PWND.
Below are screen shots of the original "official" boxscore and the
now modified "official" boxscore.
At some point today it's possible that the WCHA will come out with some press release which may or may not contradict something I've addressed here. If so, feel free to point it out below and discuss in the comments section. I doubt I'll be participating. My cynicism has reached epic proportions.
