I can't resist tossing a few comments into the sieve
discussion.
 
First, for Leigh Torbin, some form of goal cheer is
common throughout the CCHA.  Each team has a
ritual, be it as simple as counting the number of
goals and yelling "we want more!" or doing some
form of more elaborate sieving, specifically targeting
the opposing goaltender.
 
At Michigan, almost every cheer throughout the game
revolves around the words "sieve" and/or "suck".
Although I'm not thrilled by the string of obscenities
which now follows Michigan's "C-YA" cheer, I will say
that the UM students have done a fine job at adapting
the sieve cheer to several situations this season.
 
One of the staples at Yost (and several other rinks)
following a good save by the home goalie is to point
to the home goalie and yell "GOALIE!", then point to
the visiting goalie and yell "SIEVE!".  Do this 6-8 times
quickly.  This year, a new cheer developed that I hadn't
heard before.  During a lopsided Michigan victory, the
visiting team had already pulled their goalie when UM's
Marty Turco made a tough save.  The crowd shouted,
"GOALIE!  SIEVE!  SIEVE!  GOALIE!  SIEVE!  SIEVE!",
with the first sieve being directed at the starter now on
the visiting bench, and the second sieve being directed
to the visitor's crease.  Later in the game, Michigan replaced
Turco with Al Loges, which of course led to yet another
adaption..."GOALIE!  GOALIE!  SIEVE!  SIEVE!" as the
crowd pointed from crease to bench to bench to crease.
 
And, more recently, when someone tossed an octopus
on the ice at Yost, the crowd adapted again..."OCTOPUS!
SIEVE!  OCTOPUS!  SIEVE!"
 
Of course, following that lead, we went out for calamari (sp?)
after the game. :-)
 
 
John H
U Mich
The best argument may have been back in the 1988-89 (?)
CCHA playoffs when the Bowling Green and Michigan fans
"discussed" the difference between a sieve and a strainer.
One of the better lines came from the BGSU contingent.
A UM fan held up a strainer and chanted "SIEVE!  SIEVE!"
at the BGSU goaltender, and the BGSU fan responded with,
"That's not a sieve, that's a strainer.  Go back to home
economics you moron!"