Darrin Reed Wassom wrote:
 
"Just a note to say we have over 6100 people in attendance for the MSU
scrimmage last night.
 
I have often wondered what the attendance is for pre-season
scrimmages at other schools."
 
 
It's nice that other CCHA schools support their hockey teams.  On Saturday,
October 5, OSU played its Scarlet-Gray scrimmage.  The turnout?  Pathetic.
There were probably a dozen people attending who actually planned on being
there.  Thank goodness for the OSU-Penn State football game; fans gearing up
for that game wandered in and out of the scrimmage (no one from that crowd
seemed to stay for the whole game).
 
At one point in the game, rink attendants turned on music over the PA system
(a local radio station), and had to be asked to turn it off.
 
The game wasn't advertised anywhere (not that advertising would have made
much of a difference--after all, OSU is a FOOTBALL school).  As late as the
day before the game, OSU's hockey SID couldn't even tell me when the game
was going to begin!  And parking?  The rink is surrounded by a lot where
spaces are sold to season football ticket holders.  No one who wanted to go
to the game--including the local CCHA officials and me (I'm press)--could
park within a quarter of a mile of the place.
 
This is at a university where the "plan" is to make hockey one of its five
revenue sports.
 
On the bright side of thing, the OSU veterans actually look pretty good.
Defenseman Derek Beuselinck looks tough; wingers Brandon LaFrance and Pierre
Dufour may be a good line combination; look for Al DiPasquo to lead the team
in goals.  And rookie goaltender Ray Aho looks like he may be the real thing.
 
paula
 
 
 
Paula C. Weston
Girl Reporter
 
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