Re: Ferris State Hockey, 2012-2013: Okay, how are we going to top THAT?
I see your point, but I think both have already committed to a one game trip to Ewigleben for the 2014-15 season.
I'd love to see an annual two day double header at the Van Andel featuring the four lower peninsula schools. I think it would draw really well and could create decent revenue for all four schools. I'll settle for a trip to the GLI for now.
Pick out the right weekend for it, promote it, and it could do pretty well for a while. Would be very cool if you could set it up to be more of a beanpot type deal, maybe with say weekday games on campus, like a Tuesday and/or Thursday, and then skate at the Van Andel Saturday and Sunday could be the championship.
For instance, Tuesday night Ferris could go play Sparty, while WMU is in Ann Arbor. Thursday night, Michigan hosts Sparty, while Ferris locks horns with the Bronco's up in Big Rapids. Then Saturday, Ferris has Michigan in the early game, while Sparty takes on the Bronco's in the late game. Then, Sunday, the two best teams from the week's games will play a championship game in the evening, while the other two teams will skate in the afternoon.
The next year, the schedules change up some, with the Bulldogs hosting the Wolverines and WMU having Sparty in as well. The Thursday nite games would be locked in as the big rivalry night on the schedule, with MSU-Michigan and Ferris-Western the dancing partners those nights. That would get one in state school into your own barn on a regular rotation for Ferris and Western. Michigan and State might even be willing to let them lock the Tuesday night games as always Ferris and Western host them. That would lock in a instate Big Ten every year for Ferris and Western, but that might be pushing it some with the Big Ten schools.
And with setting it up where the rivals play Thursday nights, you leave the options open on Saturday for them to somehow have another meeting on Sunday.