Matt Wickey writes...
John Haeussler writes:
 
>>RE: The media
>>Agreed.  The media is VERY pro-Michigan...for everything
>>but hockey.  When it comes to hockey, Michigan State is still
>>the beloved.  Recently, I think Lake Superior has been the
>>biggest Detroit area media darlings.
>
>John, you're going to have to prove this.  First, we all know that
>the Detroit media doesn't cover college hockey, which sheds a little
>light on the "Hockey Hotbeds" thread of a few weeks ago.  But what
>have you seen that would lead you to call Lake Superior "Detroit area
>media darlings"??? ...
>
>Most of the college hockey news in Detroit in some way concerns MSU
>or UoM.  Which of these gets the most coverage is really a matter
>of who is doing better.  Lake Superior is a small school and Sault Ste.
>Marie is a long way from Detroit so I don't expect Detroit media to
>follow the Lakers rabidly.  However, it takes a real stretch for me
>to think of them as "media darlings".
 
Actually, I don't have to prove anything.  The real proof (my
subscription to The Detroit Free Press for the past several
years) has already been recycled.
 
Granted, the Detroit papers RARELY cover college hockey
other than a couple of paragraphs with Friday's scores in the
Sunday edition.  But, when they do, more often than not it has
been a story on the Lakers.  Deservedly so.  The Lakers have
been featured following their recent NCAA successes.  Most
notably, any college hockey preview article usual centers
around LSSU.  I've seen articles in the Detroit papers on the
Laker tradition/mystique, on Jeff Jackson replacing the Laker
victory bell, on why Dean Hulett was referred to as "Pumpkin
Butt" by his teammates, etc.  Enjoyable stuff.  Unfortunately,
I haven't seen other schools (I'm primarily thinking of UM and
MSU) get the same amount of ink.
 
Lake Superior certainly isn't without ties to the Detroit area.
Jeff Jackson is from Roseville MI and concentrates a lot
of recruiting in the Detroit area.  Take a look at the current
Laker roster...
 
  Keith Aldridge/Bloomfield Hills MI
  Dan Angelelli/Roseville MI
  Joe Blaznek/Allen Park MI
  Brian Felsner/Mt Clemens MI
  Dave Lambeth/Clarkston MI
  Scott McCabe/St Clair Shores MI
  Jason Trzcinski/Clarkston MI
  Rob Valicevic/Mt Clemens MI
 
All kids from the Detroit area.  The Lakers get as many players
from SE Michigan as UM or MSU...usually more.  (The Lakers
have one player, Gino Pulente, from Sault Ste Marie.)
 
Some (probably not much) of the press can be attributed to
LSSU having so many Detroiters.  Likewise, it doesn't hurt
the Laker recruiting to be mentioned more often than the locals
in the Detroit papers.
 
Lake Superior played Notre Dame in Auburn Hills MI earlier
this season, and will face Ferris State in Fraser MI in March.
A damn fine move on LSSU's part to get in a couple of
Detroit area games.  If anything, I see the Lakers sticking
their foot farther in the door around here than the reverse.
(I don't have any numbers to substantiate it, but I've been
told that LSSU has a relatively large number of alumni in
the Detroit area.  This is one of the reasons for playing the
above games here.  And, again, they're making themselves
visible to prospective recruits.)
 
 
John H
U Mich