This weekend I watched the Minnesota-North Dakota series on television
from Grand Forks.  In both games, fans affected the outcome by throwing
debris on the ice.
 
Late in the third period on Friday night, North Dakota had a comfortable
6-1 lead, and apparently scored another goal to increase the lead to six.
The goal, however, was disallowed because someone had thrown another puck
on the ice, and the referee whistled the play dead as soon as he saw it.
While the disallowed goal did not determine the outcome of the game, I
would imagine that the player who scored it was displeased about losing
the point.
 
In the third period on Saturday night, North Dakota turned a 3-1 Minnesota
lead into a 3-3 tie in the space of 49 seconds.  After the second goal, the
fans showered the ice with debris, causing a delay of several minutes while
the ice was cleared.  The delay gave Minnesota a chance to stop and consider
the sudden change in the game, which they had dominated up to that point.
When play resumed, the Gophers scored two goals in the next 40 seconds,
giving them a lead that they would not relinquish.  Minnesota won, 6-3.
North Dakota coach Gino Gasparini said (quoted from the Minneapolis Star
Tribune), "Our fans dumped all that stuff on the ice after we scored and
it delayed the game 15 minutes and killed our momentum."  Minnesota coach
Doug Woog said, "Our best play was the 75th cup their fans threw on the ice."
 
It is clear to me that the fans may have cost their team a crucial game by
their actions.  Had North Dakota scored another quick goal while Minnesota
was off balance, they may well have won the game and swept the series.  I
don't like to make an example of North Dakota's fans, as this sort thing
happens elsewhere too, but rarely with such clear consequences.
 
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