For the 1% of you still following this thread.  Apologies to the
99% who aren't.  Most of the following comments follow a few
rounds of private discussions among UM and LSSU followers.
 
RE: The Laker band/fans
I quipped about the LSSU administration being OK with the
profanity, because the band was participating, but the former
is not the case.  My implication was that if any pep band isn't
spoken to/disciplined for use of profanity then the administration
is basically giving passive consent to it.  However, it appears
that the band's conduct this weekend was more "colorful" than
it has been in the past.  I believe that...Michigan tends to bring
out the worst in people.  Plus, other than the occasional belligerent
fan that's present at every arena, I've never had a problem with
the amount of verbal hostility at LSSU before.  I sat in front of the
Laker band at the Joe about 10 days ago and they weren't
obnoxious there.  They were likely feeding off of the students
during the big LSSU-UM weekend and got a little carried away.
Students will be students, but the band doesn't have the luxury
of being as obnoxious.  (As for students, there are certainly a
group of Lakers that I'd like to string up and hang next to their
banners.  I'd like to do the same to some of the students at
Yost, too.)
 
RE: Michigan's Warren Luhning
I didn't see Luhning's monster cheap shot on Saturday night,
and I would have ripped him on Hockey-L if I had.  I like Warren,
there's no denying that, but I have to have some convictions.
When UAF's Bob Schwark used Brendan Morrison's head as
a pinata earlier this year, I screamed for Schwark to be suspended.
From what I've heard, it appears that Luhning is deserving of a
suspension as well. :-(
 
Jon Barkan writes about Michigan:
>They are good, no question about it!!!! But when the chips are on the
table,
>this team looks likes it'll fold like the rest of them. The Hobey Boys for
>UM were missing in action for the weekend...
 
Well, I'm hoping that a February collapse is the recipe for a strong
March.  As for the Hobey Boys, I will stick up for them...some.  First,
give some credit to the Laker defense.  Keith Aldridge was the CCHA
Offensive PotW and he could have been Defensive PotW as well.
The top Laker lines did a good job at closing down's Michigan top
two lines.  This seems to be going round robin in the CCHA.  The
previous weekend, Michigan's top lines owned MSU's Anson Carter,
who had a rare AWOL weekend.  CCHA scoring leader Kevin Hilton
just had a similar weekend in the Soo.  As for Brendan Morrison, I'll
come to his defense simply by pointing to his health once again.
He's putting up big numbers overall, but he's hampered by injury
and it shows.  I think that Morrison is the best player in college hockey,
but due to his various injuries he isn't having the best season in
college hockey.
 
As for the Hobey, I'm not sure that the CCHA has a decent candidate.
Hilton and Morrison are the top scorers.  I'd welcome either as a
finalist.  Anson Carter meets all of the criteria, but he hasn't been
showing up on the ice lately.  Still, he has his team primed for the
CCHA title, so that should count in his favor.  Keith Aldridge is the
best defenseman in the CCHA, but he's not going to walk off with the
Hobey.  And, as much as Marc Magliarditi has meant to Western
Michigan, he isn't going to win it as a freshman.
 
Jon Barkan adds:
>Five, the extra-cirricular activities. After winning the $931, I bought
>drinks for the gang for the next two nights. I'm sorry that I didn't meet
up
>with John. H from UM, but after two losses, he and his pals bolted the Soo.
 
Jeez, you make it sound like we hadn't planned to.  Truth be known,
we looked for the Barkan gang on Friday night but didn't connect.
It's tradition that we only book a motel for one night, and pull out of
the Soo following Saturday's game.  The late night drive can be a
bite, but if I have to go to work the next day I'd rather be climbing into
my own bed at 4:00 AM than having breakfast 350+ miles away at
8:00 AM.  We *almost* left the game at the end of the second period.
We sat there weighing the pros and cons of leaving early, and
rationalized that if we left we could be in the Lower Peninsula before
the game was over.  But, the UM fan in front of us pointed out that that
would be impossible, because this one was already over. :-)
So, we hung around just long enough to hear the Laker victory bell
(it never sounded so sour) as we pulled out of town.
 
 
John H ([log in to unmask]) GO BLUE!
Apologies to my UAF friends.  I wish the Wolverines would follow
my script as well as the Nanooks have.  Please take a few points
from WMU this weekend!
 
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