Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

[owslachief]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

State looked like a worn down team the last half of this game. You had to figure once Miami got that first goal things would REALLY get tough and they would raise it another notch. Not for nothing is this the #1 team Spartans faced. But I think all MSU needed was a crack - just one or two good shifts to bury it and boy did they get them at the end.

P.S. Don't look now but Western's 4-0!

 

[owslachief]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

Another good game tonight. Gritty effort by Miami to rally in the 3rd, but that was a heck of an OT tally by I believe Forfar? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, congrats to Jarod Palmer on becoming Miami's newest member of the 100 point club. Well deserved by a good guy.

Palmer had a monster of a game.

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

Palmer had a monster of a game.

Was in the building tonight, and it's pretty simple. All the credit goes to MSU tonight. They frustrated Miami all night, they took away the middle of the ice and forced Miami into bad passes and turnovers. Palmisano was spectacular in net making great saves on some good redirects.

Miami didn't necessarily play bad, but the hung their goaltender out to dry on all three goals. First PP goal Hartman was hurt and they were practically down 5-3, second goal was a great pass out of the corner to a wide open player in front and the GW was just a great individual effort walking 2 Miami forwards.

Sparty EARNED the split this weekend and will challenge for home ice in the playoffs ( and get it IMO ). Tonight was just a fantastic college hockey game to watch in which MSU carried the play the first two periods, but Miami really turned it on in the third and it was all sparty could do to try and hold on but both Miami goals were wonderful plays.

Good luck to MSU the rest of the way, great weekend by your boys.

 

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

Couldn't watch the game, as I was at the football stadium, but, needless to say, tonight was a huge, huge win.

I didn't think there was any chance in hell we would get out of Oxford with any points, much less, three. To play blow-for-blow with the best team in the country in their barn, and to leave with points - it's a great, great thing.

Now the real question: Will this, combined with the .667 start, bring people back to Munn for the Western game on Friday? (My preliminary answer is "no," though I'd like to stay optimistic.)

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

Couldn't watch the game, as I was at the football stadium, but, needless to say, tonight was a huge, huge win.

I didn't think there was any chance in hell we would get out of Oxford with any points, much less, three. To play blow-for-blow with the best team in the country in their barn, and to leave with points - it's a great, great thing.

Now the real question: Will this, combined with the .667 start, bring people back to Munn for the Western game on Friday? (My preliminary answer is "no," though I'd like to stay optimistic.)

Well if people don't get on board now they are foolish. MSU played well, but for me it is more of a testimant to their head coach than their talent. Comley had a great game plan and it frustrated Miami and took them away from their game. Coach Blasi made some great adjustments in the third period and we saw that result but the GW was just due to lack of effort from Miami. At the collegiate level you can not let a guy toe drag around you and not touch him twice in a row.

Hats off to sparty, they deserved it and it was two great games. But in this conference you would expect nothing less.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

Well if people don't get on board now they are foolish. MSU played well, but for me it is more of a testimant to their head coach than their talent. Comley had a great game plan and it frustrated Miami and took them away from their game. Coach Blasi made some great adjustments in the third period and we saw that result but the GW was just due to lack of effort from Miami. At the collegiate level you can not let a guy toe drag around you and not touch him twice in a row.

Hats off to sparty, they deserved it and it was two great games. But in this conference you would expect nothing less.

Accolades to our coaching appreciated. I sure as heck have to be careful lest I tempt the gods of fate - but leading up to this season the heat from casual and even die-hard former season ticket holders has been turned up on Comley to point of absurdity. (There are those in this thread that can attest to this) He has made the necessary adjustments to personnel - and tweaks to his own coaching philosophy that have led to what MSU fans and some others have seen so far. He himself has admitted to being caught flatfooted last season, and it looks like he's done what it takes to make the Spartans a winner again.

Time will tell. We certainly look like a better product. We were 4-2 last season and went on an 11-game winless streak. That won't happen again but there's a long way to go.

 

[MCB]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

Now the real question: Will this, combined with the .667 start, bring people back to Munn for the Western game on Friday? (My preliminary answer is "no," though I'd like to stay optimistic.)

Not a chance. The building was empty the year after they won the national championships. Most people in Lansing don't even know they won a championship. They don't know the building isn't sold out every night and there isn't a waiting list years long. MSU doesn't do a very good job of marketing the hockey program.

 

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

Not a chance. The building was empty the year after they won the national championships. Most people in Lansing don't even know they won a championship. They don't know the building isn't sold out every night and there isn't a waiting list years long. MSU doesn't do a very good job of marketing the hockey program.

Well, I could have told ya' that.

That's part of the reason as to why my preliminary answer was "no." It's a marketing issue, and a bit of a perception issue. I think there's still some definite wounds from last season - like the Kampher incident, the Winston incident, and last season's overall horrendous performance - that may not heal for a very long time.

I think a lot of people walked out of Munn for the last time after the final game against Notre Dame last season.

That, and for some reason, the're a large group of MSU fans that seem to really look down upon Miami, regardless of how good they are. In the minds of those individuals, if anything, a split's probably a huge disappointment and grounds for Comley's dismissal.

 

[Pirateasaurus]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

Well, I could have told ya' that.

That, and for some reason, the're a large group of MSU fans that seem to really look down upon Miami, regardless of how good they are. In the minds of those individuals, if anything, a split's probably a huge disappointment and grounds for Comley's dismissal.

Well they're not even a big 10 school! Can you imagine Tom Izzo losing a game to Miami!? We should be walking all over these out of conference cupcake teams!

 

[Arwen22266]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

Not a chance. The building was empty the year after they won the national championships. Most people in Lansing don't even know they won a championship. They don't know the building isn't sold out every night and there isn't a waiting list years long. MSU doesn't do a very good job of marketing the hockey program.

Maybe they haven't done so in the past, but they are trying to do a better job with the various promotions this season. Give them a chance.

If anything, the promotions are angering long-time fans who stuck with the team during bad times. I've heard some of those people say, 'What are they going to do for us?'

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

Accolades to our coaching appreciated. I sure as heck have to be careful lest I tempt the gods of fate - but leading up to this season the heat from casual and even die-hard former season ticket holders has been turned up on Comley to point of absurdity. (There are those in this thread that can attest to this) He has made the necessary adjustments to personnel - and tweaks to his own coaching philosophy that have led to what MSU fans and some others have seen so far. He himself has admitted to being caught flatfooted last season, and it looks like he's done what it takes to make the Spartans a winner again.

Time will tell. We certainly look like a better product. We were 4-2 last season and went on an 11-game winless streak. That won't happen again but there's a long way to go.

Well they are well deserved, and I too don't see an 11 game skid at any point with this team unless for some un for saken reason the injury bug hits again.

How is the student support at MSU for the hockey team? Here at Miami it doesn't matter who we play we have issues with the season ticket holders showing up consistantly. But the great thing here is that the student support is AMAZING. They sell standing room only tickets and half way through the first period standing room only ticket holders can sit in any open seat, unless the ticket holder shows up. That has been the big thing ticket wise and the university has handled it properly which is why we sell out every game.

 

[Pirateasaurus]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

How is the student support at MSU for the hockey team?

I actually feel like the biggest student section we have ever had was last season. Well, there was always a "student section" but the official Slapshots group was always really really small. I feel like it was bigger last year than i ever remember it but due to last season, it seems to have shrunk again but it is still much better than it was 4 or 5 years ago. But the thing is, is that as far as students go, hockey takes a back seat behind football and basketball. Like, a really really far back seat. Like a school bus.

Buuut Allenpolleriez or however it's spelled would be the best to answer for the students. He's in the know when it comes to such things.

 

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

I actually feel like the biggest student section we have ever had was last season. Well, there was always a "student section" but the official Slapshots group was always really really small. I feel like it was bigger last year than i ever remember it but due to last season, it seems to have shrunk again but it is still much better than it was 4 or 5 years ago. But the thing is, is that as far as students go, hockey takes a back seat behind football and basketball. Like, a really really far back seat. Like a school bus.

Buuut Allenpolleriez or however it's spelled would be the best to answer for the students. He's in the know when it comes to such things.

I guess this is my cue to cut in...

Our biggest section was after the national championship in 2007. Technically, it was around 1,200 or 1,300 students, but the "cheering group" part of the student section - those "Slapshots" who paid an additional $20 for a jersey and bad seats - consisted of about 120 kids. Teeny tiny, no organization, no real traditions, not much to write home about. Traditions and chants were developed over the season, but still, there wasn't much carryover to the other 1,000 kids who were subjected to Munn's strict "sit down and shut up!" status-quo.

Turnaround has always been a problem - freshmen would buy student admissions, not have fun because of the building's boring atmosphere, feel restricted by the gray hair's pre-established building culture, and would opt in their sophomore year to not buy student tickets. Those same students would never come back to Munn again.

That, and students who'd buy single-game admissions would not get tickets into the core student section would get tossed to wherever there's an empty seat in the arena - normally with the gray hairs. They too would never return to Munn. (And sadly, this is a seating method our ticket office still uses to this day.)

The start of the 2008 season saw the athletic department combining both sections together, and some things from the old Slapshots carried over - the goal chant, the flag run (which the athletic department is now trying to stop), and some chants. The sections size shrunk a bit past the national championship afterglow, but the decision was good - it shed some inhibitions and helped with the creation of a more pro-student culture.

Problem is, the disaster that was 2008 obliterated future interest.

I know know of the exact student section size now, but it's apparently shrunk a ton. (If I had to guess, we're under 400 kids now.) The good news? There's a bunch of familiar faces in the student section now - kids are, probably for the first time in a while, having fun at Munn.

So, removing the historical context and about 350 words: Numbers are way down, enthusiasm is way up.

 

[MCB]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

Maybe they haven't done so in the past, but they are trying to do a better job with the various promotions this season. Give them a chance.

If anything, the promotions are angering long-time fans who stuck with the team during bad times. I've heard some of those people say, 'What are they going to do for us?'

The only problems with the promotions is the only place I've seen them promoted is at the game where 80 or 90 percent of the people already have season tickets.

 

[owslachief]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

The start of the 2008 season saw the athletic department combining both sections together, and some things from the old Slapshots carried over - the goal chant, the flag run (which the athletic department is now trying to stop), and some chants.

Pretty sad - but with the cutback in staff (now not enough people to man the aisle entrances) the U's probably worried there's not enough staff to ensure no one blindly walks into the path of the flag-running crew.

 

[redhawkman10]

Re: Michigan State at Miami 10/23-24 -- On The Road Again

I guess this is my cue to cut in...

Our biggest section was after the national championship in 2007. Technically, it was around 1,200 or 1,300 students, but the "cheering group" part of the student section - those "Slapshots" who paid an additional $20 for a jersey and bad seats - consisted of about 120 kids. Teeny tiny, no organization, no real traditions, not much to write home about. Traditions and chants were developed over the season, but still, there wasn't much carryover to the other 1,000 kids who were subjected to Munn's strict "sit down and shut up!" status-quo.

Turnaround has always been a problem - freshmen would buy student admissions, not have fun because of the building's boring atmosphere, feel restricted by the gray hair's pre-established building culture, and would opt in their sophomore year to not buy student tickets. Those same students would never come back to Munn again.

That, and students who'd buy single-game admissions would not get tickets into the core student section would get tossed to wherever there's an empty seat in the arena - normally with the gray hairs. They too would never return to Munn. (And sadly, this is a seating method our ticket office still uses to this day.)

The start of the 2008 season saw the athletic department combining both sections together, and some things from the old Slapshots carried over - the goal chant, the flag run (which the athletic department is now trying to stop), and some chants. The sections size shrunk a bit past the national championship afterglow, but the decision was good - it shed some inhibitions and helped with the creation of a more pro-student culture.

Problem is, the disaster that was 2008 obliterated future interest.

I know know of the exact student section size now, but it's apparently shrunk a ton. (If I had to guess, we're under 400 kids now.) The good news? There's a bunch of familiar faces in the student section now - kids are, probably for the first time in a while, having fun at Munn.

So, removing the historical context and about 350 words: Numbers are way down, enthusiasm is way up.

That is sad to hear. People always ask us why we built a new arena and it only seats 3,700. And for me it is because the atmosphere is a lot better with that amount and half of it being students than having 5,500 and only a third students.

I guess its the difference of being in the big ten, Miami is now a hockey school. Football stadium is 1/3 full and students are camping out to get into hockey games. Their is no admission for students but they have a limited number of those tickets available so it is a first come first serve basis. Our student section wraps from blueline around the net to blueline on the visiting side of the ice where Miami shoots twice and it is hostile.

That is why I asked, because for me the students are what makes the atmosphere and could make a difference. There is no reason people shouldn't support your program, even after a down year. It happens, I hope the support picks up because there is a good product in east lansing people need to see.