Games @ Michigan State

Is anyone else interested in heading out to East Lansing in November? I know it's very early to be planning roadtrips, but the reason I'm bringing it up this soon is because I'd like to buy tickets to see the Wisconsin @ Michigan State football game that's also that weekend, and I'd imagine those will sell out much further in advance than tickets to the hockey games (or airline tickets, for that matter).

And in case anyone was curious, no, I will not be taking any standardized tests on this trip to Michigan.

A few friends and I are tentatively planning on going. Because of the odd schedule of games, we were looking for Saturday entertainment. We were contemplating going to see some non-Big Red hockey by watching Notre Dame play W. Michigan in Kalamazoo Saturday night, and showing up in Cornell jerseys. Anyone else have any good ideas for entertainment?

[Q]Ben Rocky 04 Wrote:

A few friends and I are tentatively planning on going. Because of the odd schedule of games, we were looking for Saturday entertainment. We were contemplating going to see some non-Big Red hockey by watching Notre Dame play W. Michigan in Kalamazoo Saturday night, and showing up in Cornell jerseys. Anyone else have any good ideas for entertainment?[/q]

Going to Lawson sounds like fun to me; the WMU fans were cool.

Bumped for Robb's benefit. I'm pretty interested in going, but has anyone looked into hotel rooms?

D'oh...

[Q]has anyone looked into hotel rooms?[/Q]
I booked the Marriott Town Suites in East Lansing back in April for $71/night, but it doesn't seem to be available now. Since we have friends in the area and I wasn't sure whether we'd be spending Sat. night closer to Detroit, I booked one room for two nights (which I'm using) and another for just Friday night, which I can make available to someone who wants it. It turns out that my friend, an MSU grad, will be in NYC for a seminar that weekend, but the good news is, I'll be using his football tickets.

But the bad news...did you see them play Rutgers last weekend? They might be as bad as Syracuse this year. Seriously, it'd be a blast to see a Big11 football game. Have fun.

I'm considering it. Seeing a "western" rink would be cool and we need to make sure there's some red among all of that green. Getting there from CA might be a pain for me, at least if I want to be back at work on Monday.

From the MSU web site (http://www.msuspartans.com): tickets@msu.edu, 1-800-GO-STATE. Nothing there about individual tickets. Season ticket renewals were due Sep. 3, so maybe there will be additional info soon. Their first game is Oct. 10.

I agree that WMU might be a fun Saturday activity.

Robb: you obviously need to waste more of Uncle LM's time reading the forum over the summer.

Individual game football tickets went on sale Aug. 2. at $42 each. See
[msuspartans.collegesports.com]

I'm in if anyone wants to give me a ride.

I'm interested in going, and am willing to drive other people from campus, but I might need a lot of help in figuring out logistics. This would be my first big hockey road trip (I don't count RPI and Brown), so I'm a bit clueless.

Just called the MSU ticket office. Mens hockey tickets go on sale on Sep. 27 "based on availability". I didn't ask for clarification on that last point - might mean they hope to sell the whole place out for season tickets.

No idea when the road team allocation goes on sale at Cornell.

I'm also interested in going, but I would need a ride

I'm sure some of us who've done a bunch of these would be happy to help you out, Liz. Fire away with any questions you might have.

I looked into hotel rooms about two weeks ago and the two sensible options I saw (depending on your priorities) were a Red Roof Inn about 2-3 miles from campus at $54 per night and a Marriott 1/4 mile from Spartan Stadium and Munn Arena at $179 per night.

I have to imagine there will be few enough Cornell folks making the trip that it won't be THAT hard to get tickets out of CU's allotment, but I've been wrong before (see: any time I go to Princeton).

While hotel rooms are tough, and while MSU's football team is bad (and by the way, how 'bout those Scarlet Knights? ), it's still a Big Televen football game, and I still feel like getting tickets to that is the most time-critical thing if people are interested in that.

Speaking of which... anyone interested in going in on that?

I wouldn't worry too much about picking up football tickets. The stadium has over 70,000 seats, so the odds of something being available are very good. Even if it sells out - not likely - you'll probably find someone on game day selling tickets outside. Big 10 football is an entirely different beast. By all means go, and enjoy!

We should ALL go to the Notre Dame @ WMU game that Saturday night. We should form a giant Cornell cheering section, just for the heck of it. Hey, it'll be funny! Also, it'll give my ego a boost, since I'm the one who came up with the idea (I'm one of the friends Ben Rocky 04 was talking about).

[Q]Will Wrote:

We should ALL go to the Notre Dame @ WMU game that Saturday night. We should form a giant Cornell cheering section, just for the heck of it. Hey, it'll be funny! Also, it'll give my ego a boost, since I'm the one who came up with the idea (I'm one of the friends Ben Rocky 04 was talking about).[/q]

Judging from our experience in 2002, I expect Lawson to receive us better than most arenas would. The ushers were downright friendly to us after the second game, even though our team had just beaten theirs in overtime, and we'd been making a ruckus for two nights. The people we interacted with, at least, understood friendly in-game rivalry and post-game camaraderie. I'd also be prepared to root for WMU as long as they don't have Thunderstix that night.

I guess I only have two real questions.
The first is, do I need to worry about anything other than transportation, lodging, and tickets?
The second, and perhaps more important, question is, what is the timetable for all this? In other words, it seems I need to think about lodging now, but when will I be able to get tickets to the games? Should I be worrying about that now, or will I be able to pick them up on my way out of town from the Cornell box office? I got tickets at RPI and Brown (the only other away games I've been to) at the box offices there, but I suspect that's not the best idea when you're making a 10-hour one-way trip.
Basically, any advice is appreciated - from answers to the above questions to what emergency supplies I might want to bring along in my car for this trip to what the (travelling) Faithful do outside Ithaca.
(what a perfect smiley!)

Whether or not you need to worry about tickets in advance depends on the rink you're going to. Looking at MSU's attendance figures last year, it looks like they get 6500 pretty consistently. Not an exact number every time, which might indicate sellouts. But it still seems llike you should get tickets in advance, esp. considering the trip.

As for lodging, check the cancellation policy at any hotel you look at. If you cancel without penalty then just go ahead and reserve a room now and feel free to make changes later as necessary.

So I'm not going to get season tickets this year or even tickets at Hahvahd. But at least I am definitely going to see Cornell in East Lansing. Got airline and game tickets and didn't even have to stand in line...

Jeff Newman and I are planning to go from Chicago. We have to come back in between games, though. If anyone wants to stay in Chicago, I'd be happy to host a couple of people.

- Elliot

I am also definitely going to both games at MSU, and just today ordered tickets for the Notre Dame @ WMU game Saturday night. Just wanted to post in case the fact that more people are going might convince still more people to go... Let's remind those midwesterners that we were the ones who taught Michigan to cheer!!!

Received tickets in the mail today from the Cornell Athletic Ticket Office. Seats are in Section F. From the MSU website it looks like half of Section F is set aside for visitors.

I ordered tickets through MSU, because they went on sale earlier and I wanted to have tickets in hand before shelling out for airfare. I imagine that I'll end up sitting (or actually, standing, I hope!) with whatever looks like the largest group of Cornellians - gotta achieve critical mass to really get the cheers going.

I had heard that Cornell was getting 200 tickets per game from MSU. Don't know how many were set aside for the team and parents, nor how many might remain available at the Ticket Office.

Talked to them today. About 30 are left at our Ticket Office.

Our group's tickets for the MSU games and WMU vs. Notre Dame are purchased. Very few tickets are left at the Cornell box office, and even fewer are left for the WMU game on Saturday. Where are other people sitting in Lawson?

[q]...and even fewer are left for the WMU game on Saturday.[/q]WMU is close to selling out? OK, now I'm confused. I checked attendance numbers for last year and saw a 1000 difference between games against teams Notre Dame (the opponent for 11/13) and the likes of Michigan. I just checked their website and see Lawson's capacity olisted at 3667, which is much lower than the numbers they had for Michigan and MSu last year. Unless those games were at another arena. Then again, the WMU web site lists their largest ever crowd at 5168, "fill[ing] the arena beyond capacity". Like I said, I'm confused...

Granted, I couldn't purchase in the student section. In the side of the arena where guests and townies sit, every section along the length of the rink was filled. We ended up in section 6, row 4, which is about the equivalent of Sec. J in Lynah.

If anyone needs Friday lodging, I've got an extra hotel reservation for Friday night only, at the Marriott TownPlace Suites, $71+tax, which is about a 4 to 5 minute walk from the east side of the MSU campus. I had booked one room for two nights (which I'm using) and one for just Friday, as I wasn't sure if I'd be spending Saturday night visiting friends in Detroit. Anyway, I'm posting here just in case someone needs the room - let me know and I'll call and get the name changed on the reservation. Otherwise, I'll just cancel it on Monday before I forget to do so.

I asked a buddy of mine who's an MSU alum ( and who still goes there for football games and to visit his son) for recommendations on a possible gathering spot for Cornell hockey fans. He suggested the Harrison Roadhouse (corner of Harrison and Michigan) which is on the NW edge of the campus and a few minutes walk from Munn Arena. www.harrisonroadhouse.com
He said it was "a good place for hockey types" - that would be us. Since the local Cornell Club apparently hasn't organized anything, I suggest this as a possible meeting place for the Faithful. I'd probably be there around 5:15, but it would obviously depend on traffic, etc.

Sounds great - thanks for taking the initiative, Jeff. My party is leaving the DTW airport around 4:30 pm (EST), so we should make it there in time to join you Friday for at least an appetizer. Definitely up for some hockey gathering time after the game(s), though!

My crew of 5 will try to see you guys there. LGR!!!

Hope to meet some of the Faithful at the Harrison Roadhouse pre-game on Friday. I had posted recently received info regarding a post-game reception on the "Michigan State Roll Call" thread, but since that's currently on page 2 as I write this, I'll post an abbreviated version here, excerpted from an email I received.
[Q]Join Cornell Alumni, Parents, Fans and Friends
Friday, November 12, 2004
7:00 p.m. Cornell Big Red vs. Michigan State Spartans
9:30 p.m. Post-game Reception with the Coach and Team
(immediately following the game)

Centennial Room AB
Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center
South Harrison Road
Michigan State University

Tickets ($20 each) for both games are available through the Cornell Ticket Office at 607-254-4247.

In order to plan for food, please RSVP to Rachel Mraz '03 at Rachel_Mraz@ml.com

We hope to see you on November 12!

Children (ages 12 and under) $10 each
Cornell alumni and families $15 each
Other Big Red hockey fans $20 each
If you would like to sponsor a coach or player $15 each [/Q]
It looks like the Harrison Roadhouse is on the NE corner of Harrison and Michigan and the Kellogg Center across the street just south of Michigan, with the rink a short walk from both - so you could park once and go to all three.

We're getting into Detroit sometime between 3 and 4, not exactly sure of the time, but we'll drop by if possible.

Blurb in Lansing newspaper:

[www.lsj.com]

Looks like tickets still available.

"The trap" surfaces again.

[Q]Al DeFlorio Wrote:

Blurb in Lansing newspaper:

GW

Looks like tickets still available.

"The trap" surfaces again.[/q]

MSU athletics site claims there have been continuous sellouts at Munn Ice Arena since the mid 1980s. So what are we, chopped liver?

And what gives naming a hockey rink for a football coach? And why not use his first name? Maybe "Biggie Rink"?

[Q]billhoward Wrote:


MSU athletics site claims there have been continuous sellouts at Munn Ice Arena since the mid 1980s. So what are we, chopped liver?
[/q]
I think some long-time MSU season-ticket holders felt that MSU had become "chopped liver."

The team bused (530 miles?) or flew? That is a long bus ride, although Brock Yates (maybe it was Pat Bedard) once opined that any trip of less than 9 hours in a motor vehicle is usually competitive if you include getting to the airport, changing planes, getting luggage, getting back from the airport to your hotel or home. And that column was written before 9/11 style security checks.

This is a home and home, so MSU comes to Ithaca for a pair next year?

As you probably saw, the local and student run papers seem more hyped about soccer playing #1 Indiana in the Big Ten tournament, field hockey playoffs, signing a star Missouri HS running back, the basketball pre-season and, oh yes, playing a top ten hockey team.

Could you imagine hockey being so unimportant in the pecking order that the student run paper at MSU would assign (it appears) one freshman to follow the team? It's possible he's the grandson of Grantland Rice and we just don't appreciate his evolving writing skills, or it could be MSU has bigger interests than ice hockey.

That's kind of a wimpy signboard for Cornell to hold up:

"MSU: Nobody cares. The student paper has a rookie covering your team. PS, You suck."

[Q]This is a home and home, so MSU comes to Ithaca for a pair next year?
[/Q]

Yup, that should be fun.