Not Again...

Our last game against a non-divisional foe, and certainly we're all glad to see a win. Not the best of play, to be sure, but at least we saw some positives, right? Secondary scoring, great goaltending, and far fewer penalties than usual.

But then again, the penalty situation just got a whole lot more interesting last night, in my mind anyways. Watching the highlights on youtube, 1:43 in we'll see a play that sees Commodore with the puck getting boarded. I've gotten tired of guessing at why penalties can't be caught when they're happening right with the play and the puck, so seeing Commodore skate to the bench without even looking to a ref doesn't surprise me, even as his nose bleeds.

The video I have been looking for though, shows a much different penalty problem. It's late in the game, near the Blues' net, and Vermette gets a high-sticking penalty for hitting Jackman (I believe) in the face. He reacts to being hit, holds his face, and then Vermette goes to the box.

What concerns me is the replays I saw. Vermette's stick was never near Jackman's face. But, one of Jackman's own teammates did a rainbow-style blow to Jackman, and clearly Jackman's reaction comes from that brutal stick hitting his face. Clearly, upon review, no penalty should have been called.

I would like to know just what would have happened if things had been a bit more inconvenient. Say we were tied at that point, and on the wrongly attributed powerplay, the Blues scored what ended up being the game-winning goal. Would later replays have allowed the game to be replayed, as a recent junior game was replayed due to a bad offside call that affected the outcome?

This is why I've always supported looking into challenging penalties, called or uncalled, because of how crucial it can be. I hate to think of the day when this affects a team making the playoffs or not, or heaven forbid determining a playoff series. Humans are fallible, and they deserve a second chance, a video review.