I was able to attend the Sunday game against the Cheeseheads. While I was
happy with the outcome, I would have much preferred the game to be played
at Mariucci rather than the Target Center. They announced the attendance
at over 17,000, but I doubt there were much more than 11,000 in the stands.
 
Being a season ticket holder, I assumed (wrongly!) that we would get pretty
decent seats. Imagine our dismay at finding our seats to be in one of the
corners, in the second deck 19 rows up - major league nosebleed section. There
were a number of cheeseheads sitting below us, which made it more maddening.
Most the people around us were season tix holders, and we were all contemplating
writing poison pen letters to the AD and/or ticket manager. Not that anyting
will change, but sometimes it's good to vent.
 
As for the game - great ending! However, none of the stories I've read about
it mention what could be a bit controversial for the ending of the game. With
about a minute left in the OT there was a scramble in front of the Badger goalie.
This caused the net to get knocked off it's the magnet on one side, but the
officials didn't see it. Up high, we could see this right away, and the people
behind the net started screaming as well, since this would have given the Gophers
a new faceoff, instead of the puck being down at the other end. Needless to say,
the Badger goalie reached back and pulled the net onto the magnet, and about 20
seconds later that Gophers scored the winning goal. Afterwards our group was saying
that the goalie should have just left the net off the magnet, as this would probably
have negated a goal, though he may have been given a penalty since the refs
didn't see it get knocked off earlier. Hmmmmm....
 
All in all, it's been a pretty good sports season for Minnesota vs. Wisconsin. The
Vikings beat the Packers twice, the Gophers were the only team to beat the
Badgers in football, the Gopher women just beat the Badgers in buckets, and now
the hockey team swept the Badgers out of town as well!! I realize the Packers are
still in the playoffs, and the Badgers won the Rose Bowl, but it's small consolation
to know we still won the head to head matchups!
 
go go gophers...
shari