MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

[UMICH]

Start the 2nd half of the season tonight in the loneliest arena in the country.

Trite except when Michigan is there it's maybe half-full. That's a rivalry, when people don't even understand the game yet they go...

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

There was 5234 in attendance tonight. Would have probably had over 6000 easy if the Blue Jokers weren't playing at home tonight. Yeah it's big and hard to fill but we have filled it several times when hosting Michigan and we hold the NCAA indoor attendance record for hockey in a facility actually on a school's campus.
I think there will be a much larger crowd for Saturday's game and hopefully more Spartan fans make it down as well to support their team.

[UMICH]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

There was 5234 in attendance tonight. Would have probably had over 6000 easy if the Blue Jokers weren't playing at home tonight. Yeah it's big and hard to fill but we have filled it several times when hosting Michigan and we hold the NCAA indoor attendance record for hockey in a facility actually on a school's campus.
I think there will be a much larger crowd for Saturday's game and hopefully more Spartan fans make it down as well to support their team.

But most of your fans who come to hockey games against Michigan do not understand the game. They come incorrectly hoping that there will be a fight. It just shows how utterly pathological your fans are...

BTW, I saw your game on TV tonight. There is no way there were 5,234 people there. 523 sounds more like it...

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

The way the arena spreads out it makes it look deceptive but that's how many tickets were scanned coming into the arena so it's accurate. And that's a pretty big assumption on what OSU fans come to a game for. I will give you the sport has grown slowly here because the University until lately has not made promoting hockey a priority. There is a new assistant AD here who oversees the hockey program and he's pretty passionate for the sport so we'll see what comes of his efforts but in a B1G school football & basketball will always reign. I've been here for the whole 50 years of the program and am a better judge of our fans than an outsider, no insult intended UMICH.

[UMICH]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

I've never been to a hockey game in ohio nor will I. But seriously, how can you deny any of what I said (ok 523 people might be a slight exaggeration on how few people were there but I was doing it for affect). I recall Michigan games down there with 16,000 people, why such a drastic drop-off in attendance? ohio residents are seriously pathological about Michigan, not in the same way as sparty in that they do not care if they win and only if Michigan loses. ohio wants to win, but they also want Michigan to lose. I actually can respect that because you care about winning first and Michigan losing second, with sparty it's the other way around. I think that percentage of tickets scanned versus seats in the arena would be a better judge because you do have a huge arena.

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

Attendance did indeed drop off sharply in Coach Markel's last years here as his teams never performed at a consistent higher level and the program's attendance does sadly seem based on team success and not school loyalty. Also home games on the same nights for OSU & the Blue Jackets draws off attendance as the Jackets arena is only a couple miles from OSU so if you pay big money for a NHL seat license then your choice for which game you're attending that night is made. The debate over a need for a smaller hockey only arena vs the Schott has been going on down here for a long time. I love my school but have no trust in who runs it. They would probably make a new arena too small for our needs and getting funding is another issue as there are no big money donors for hockey here like we have for football.
OSU is projecting that with the B1G conference now here hockey attendance will only grow and I think demographics support it. Our county between the 2001 & 2011 census grew by 100,000 and the surrounding counties as well. Hockey is growing dramatically in popularity here with the Blue Jackets spearheading that effort. If we have a competitive program I believe we can host 10,000 attendance B1G games in the next year or two with the games shown on the B1G network generating more interest as well. But if the new coach and team can't have winning seasons then forget about it.

[klbaum1077]

I've never been to a hockey game in ohio nor will I. But seriously, how can you deny any of what I said (ok 523 people might be a slight exaggeration on how few people were there but I was doing it for affect). I recall Michigan games down there with 16,000 people, why such a drastic drop-off in attendance? ohio residents are seriously pathological about Michigan, not in the same way as sparty in that they do not care if they win and only if Michigan loses. ohio wants to win, but they also want Michigan to lose. I actually can respect that because you care about winning first and Michigan losing second, with sparty it's the other way around. I think that's percentage of tickets scanned versus seats in the arena would be a better judge because you do have a huge arena.

One thing u probably couldn't see on TV was that the penalty box side was pretty full.

[UMICH]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

Attendance did indeed drop off sharply in Coach Markel's last years here as his teams never performed at a consistent higher level and the program's attendance does sadly seem based on team success and not school loyalty. Also home games on the same nights for OSU & the Blue Jackets draws off attendance as the Jackets arena is only a couple miles from OSU so if you pay big money for a NHL seat license then your choice for which game you're attending that night is made. The debate over a need for a smaller hockey only arena vs the Schott has been going on down here for a long time. I love my school but have no trust in who runs it. They would probably make a new arena too small for our needs and getting funding is another issue as there are no big money donors for hockey here like we have for football.
OSU is projecting that with the B1G conference now here hockey attendance will only grow and I think demographics support it. Our county between the 2001 & 2011 census grew by 100,000 and the surrounding counties as well. Hockey is growing dramatically in popularity here with the Blue Jackets spearheading that effort. If we have a competitive program I believe we can host 10,000 attendance B1G games in the next year or two with the games shown on the B1G network generating more interest as well. But if the new coach and team can't have winning seasons then forget about it.

Seriously, you're blaming it on the Bluejackets? The state of Michigan has fewer people, two MAJOR D1 universities, the Red Wings, and Michigan has no problem filling its rink. Ok, it is markedly smaller than the Schott but we still draw more in numbers. Granted, the past few years we haven't been completely sold out but I believe that Michigan still averages 95% capacity...

sparty is a ghost town too (except when Michigan comes to town) so don't feel bad. Isn't it funny how Michigan brings people out? Basically anywhere Michigan goes people come out when we're there. If people hate you then you're doing something right...

So I guess ohio is doing something right a well, but not in all sports. You are clearly doing better than us in football currently and bouncy-ball is pretty even although I might even give you an edge there.

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

We have a much smaller number of hockey fans than you do so Jacket games do bleed off OSU attendance. I won't argue that Michigan isn't more of a hockey state than Ohio because everyone knows you are. It's much more ingrained in your sports culture than here in Ohio so yes we DO have a lot of catching up to do. I was talking with Steve Piotrowski last night about Michigan hockey and how much I respect and admire Red Berenson and what he's achieved with your program so you see some Buckeyes really do know hockey! LOL!

[UMICH]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

We have a much smaller number of hockey fans than you do so Jacket games do bleed off OSU attendance. I won't argue that Michigan isn't more of a hockey state than Ohio because everyone knows you are. It's much more ingrained in your sports culture than here in Ohio so yes we DO have a lot of catching up to do. I was talking with Steve Piotrowski last night about Michigan hockey and how much I respect and admire Red Berenson and what he's achieved with your program so you see some Buckeyes really do know hockey! LOL!

Oh I know there are a couple. In fact I believe that I even met klbaum at Yost several years ago. But as you admitted, ohio has a long way to go. You also stated that you've been discussing the need for a smaller rink for years now but yes I believe playing in a mausoleum hurts you. But what can you do?

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

8058 in attendance tonight. Good crowd & atmosphere but not enough to motivate the team past Sparty. I still think we had more tonight because what few hockey fans Columbus has weren't at the Jackets tonight.

[klbaum1077]

Seriously, you're blaming it on the Bluejackets? The state of Michigan has fewer people, two MAJOR D1 universities, the Red Wings, and Michigan has no problem filling its rink. Ok, it is markedly smaller than the Schott but we still draw more in numbers. Granted, the past few years we haven't been completely sold out but I believe that Michigan still averages 95% capacity...

sparty is a ghost town too (except when Michigan comes to town) so don't feel bad. Isn't it funny how Michigan brings people out? Basically anywhere Michigan goes people come out when we're there. If people hate you then you're doing something right...

So I guess ohio is doing something right a well, but not in all sports. You are clearly doing better than us in football currently and bouncy-ball is pretty even although I might even give you an edge there.

Get out of here yes michigan has all those teams u listed but they don't play in the same city as the college team. Naturally a nhl team will take fans away from a college team when they play on the same day at the same time.

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

Tomorrow the Nittany Lions come into town for a pair. Last season was a split, the first game if I remember involved MSU taking the lead somewhat late into the third. The second game MSU was up 2-0 after one but it could have been 5-0 if not for missed chances, but those missed chances let PSU stay in the game and they came back to win 3-2. The only game of theirs I've seen so far this season was against Army, but that was the season opener so I'm sure much has changed since then.

As for MSU, we looked good last week from what I saw on BTN. Showed some semblance of offense and could have taken the first game had we not let OSU do whatever they want for the first two minutes of the 3rd.

With UM off and OSU playing Minnesota, this weekend is a perfect opportunity to move into third place, especially with the JLA and Munn games against UM next week.

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

1st period was a lot of domination. 2nd and 3rd were a lot of missed opportunities and Hildy doing work. Still, a win is a win and we now find ourselves in 3rd place in the Big Ten.

[owslachief]

Re: MSU Spartan Hockey 2013-14: Sipping the hemlock again

1st period was a lot of domination. 2nd and 3rd were a lot of missed opportunities and Hildy doing work. Still, a win is a win and we now find ourselves in 3rd place in the Big Ten.

What the what was Gdowsky barking at Anastos at the hand-shake? Because he lit into the ref for missing Hildy getting mugged/speared/tackled in the third?