No one from Michigan (UM) has responded to this thread, so I'm going to give
my opinions about this.  Since UM has won more games in the 90's than any
other team, I feel more than qualified to write about this.
 
I went to UM in the late 60's and had season tickets back then.  I've
followed UM hockey since then, with its UPS and DOWNS.  I've been going to
games the last 6 years on a regular basis, the last 4 as a season ticket
holder.  I've seen UM play over 100 games the last 4 years and I guess I've
probably seen them win 85-90 games.  Yes it has been exciting to follow  a
team that wins like this.  It was exciting a couple of seasons ago (Oliver,
Shields, Wiseman seniors) when UM was ranked number one most of the season.
 
HOWEVER, it is very frustrating to come so close and yet be so far away from
winning the NCAA.  I would trade it all to be a LSSU fan (and actually, they
are my second favorite team).  LSSU has won it twice in the last handful of
years.  That's really exciting.
 
Would I trade 80 wins for an NCAA championship and then have UM's program
fall on its face.  I hate to say this, but yes I would.   I could put up with
a few years of re-building because the championship only happens once (for
most players).
 
I love college hockey and enjoy watching good teams play whether they be UM
or another team, so I could put up with a few bad years.  Everyone wants the
trophy, that's what you play for (not what you go to school for, but what you
play for).
 
At the GLI tournament there was a group of NMU students who got on Red
Berenson's case all night because NMU had won the NCAA and Red had not.  It
did not matter that NMU's team is horrible this year to them.
 
As a quick summary, it's been great winning all these games the last few
years, but the NCAA means more.  And.....I don't think this is UM's year, but
we should be in the final 4 and anything can happen after that.
 
Steve Bartley
 
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