John wrote: >To my green-n-white pal GM Finniss: Where were you!? I can't >believe that *I* was at "Spartan Weekend" and *you* weren't. That's because I was home watching the Michigan-Notre Dame game. It's a little tough with a 5-month old eating and pooping machine (and the inevitable monetary drain that results therefrom) to pack up the family and drive down to Detroit. Had I purchased the package at the beginning of the year, I would have been there, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to attend the GLI and wasn't sure about the CCHA's (probably won't go) so I didn't purchase it. (BTW, does anyone know why the CCHA championships were moved from Saturday-Sunday to Friday-Saturday? That's makes it extremely inconvenient for those of us who don't live in the Detroit area, especially when the first semifinal game starts at 5:00pm on Friday.) Fortunately, MSU will only be playing one regular season game at JLA next year. (I'm beginning to think we should go down to zero. But that's as a Spartan living in Lansing. For those Spartan alumni who live in Detroit, it's usually their only chance to see MSU during the year, since Munn has had umpteen-million sellouts in a row. I wonder if they'll ever raise the roof on the place and add about 2,000 more seats. If they could do it with- out costing MSU home games, it might be worth it.) >MICHIGAN 8 Michigan State 1 (Saturday-JLA) >Everything has been covered already, I think. The game was >much closer than the score...3-1 with about 17:00 remaining and >MSU on the power play... The 5-on-3 in the second was huge. Mason said he didn't want to get into a special teams game with UM, especially missing one of his best penalty killers, Bart Vanstaalduinen, who is probably out for the season, but that's exactly what happened. Had MSU been able to open up the third with a goal, it's a whole new puck game. But they didn't, Madden (?) scored a few minutes later to make it 4-1, and then Chad Alban faced target practice when the defense essentially quit. Many of UM's third period goals were off rebounds left out in front which weren't cleared. >but it doesn't detract from the sweetness >of whomping on the Spartans. Another reason I didn't go to Detroit. Munn East has become Munn Least. (And I hate having to pay $5 to park.) I'm really surprised, John, that you would take so much enjoyment about beating up a fellow in-state school. :-) >With it, Michigan maintains control >of their own destiny. The Wolverines have four remaining games, >all tough...LSSU, LSSU, MSU and BGSU. Michigan wins the CCHA >title by going 4-0-0 or 3-1-0, provided that the loss isn't to MSU. The series this weekend is huge. If Michigan gets less than 2 points out of it, MSU (provided they beat Notre Dame tonight) could eliminate them with a win over Bowling Green next Thursday, which would make the March 1 game in Ann Arbor meaningless. (Now, THAT would be fun. :-)) LSSU could be eliminated from the conference title hunt tonight should MSU beat ND, but I don't think they're going to roll over and play dead for Michigan as they've seemed to do the past few years in the regular season, mainly because they don't want to play BG in the first round (BG won their only meeting in Sault Ste. Marie). Unfortunately, the only two times LSSU beat Michigan in the last two years, I was there (1994 NCAA Quarters at Munn, 1995 CCHA semis at JLA) but I have no plans to be in the Soo this weekend. (Now, if someone from LSSU wants to drive me up to Abel in order to guarantee a victory over Michigan, I'll be more than happy to oblige. :-) It's only 4 hours or so to Haslett from the Soo.) >* I think the Palace sucks. JLA is a much more familiar environment, >for me. It's easier to get to. On that note, we are in total agreement. (I like ending on high notes. But, usually I have to go falsetto to hit them, and it's not a pretty sight.) G. M. Finniss Michigan State University 22-5-0, 26-8-0 HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.