In a message dated 3/29/98 21:54:14, [log in to unmask] writes:
 
>>>Does anyone think it was fair that Michigan managed to beat the
>>>defending national champions in front of 8,000 screaming Wolverine fans? >>
 
The UND coach was quoted in the paper earlier this week stating
"We're not afraid of playing Michigan at the their home arena, we can beat
Michigan anywhere..."   (Oh the irony :-)  )
 
I'd have to say that the NoDak coach's opinion pretty much takes all the wind
out of your comments on this topic.
 
 
>>>Did anyone think Michigan State was harmed playing at Michigan?  I would
>>>think the crowd must have been nearly 100% pro-Ohio State, since all the
>>>campus people view Michigan State as the farmers from the dark side.
>>>Again an unfair disadvantage for the Spartans.
 
It is true that U-M did root for the underdog Buckeyes on Saturday night, but
that was even difficult given Michigan's great dislike for OSU as well.  The
underdog status is what did it for me.  As for the crowd make up, I was AMAZED
at the number of MSU fans that invaded the building Saturday night.  I believe
that there were at least 20% perhaps more, MSU GREEN fans in the stands.  And
they were quite vocal. (They were especially vocal while rooting on NoDak in
game two,, too bad for those Spartan fans, they had to drive home to E.Lansing
having the absolute worse outcomes from Saturdays' games. They we're not
looking very happy at 12:45am when the building was letting out.
 
Along the theme you brought up of home ice advantage in the regionals being
unfair, you should check out the history of the regionals being held at Munn
ice arena, home of the same Spartans' we're discussing.  The last few years
that they were held there, and MSU was conveniently seeded there when they
shouldn't have been (that's another topic), MSU got beat each time. At least
in that case, home ice, screaming fans, blah blah blah, wasn't enough to beat
U-Mass-Lowell.  Furthermore, Michigan had to play at Munn those years, and
usually won and went on to the phinal phour, despite the hostile crowd in E.
Lansing. I feel this takes the wind out of your 'home ice advantage' argument,
or at least it doesn't work for the Spartans, and also didn't doom the
Wolverines when playing in East Lansing in the past.
 
So in conclusion, as a die hard Wolverine hockey fan, I believe that the NoDak
coach and the history at Munn speak for themselves.
 
However, I actually do agree with you, I would actually prefer that the
regionals be played at a totally neutral site like Joe Louis or Van Andel
arena.
 
Jerry
 
Michigan '93.
 
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