road trip of a lifetime

[judy]

[Q]A-19 Wrote:

2) I was disappointed in Minnesota's fans. First, they weren't even able to pack their own rink both days (cue Jacob's "I drove 19 hours from Ithaca and you can't even sell out your own rink?"). Second, none of them stayed for the OSU game. Third, they appear to have no student section- at least not @ the regionals. Accordingly, no one in the entire rink starts ANY minny cheers except their cheerleaders. Fourth, no creativity whatsoever. Only cheers: "Let's go gophers," "M-I-N-N.." with some unintelligible grunting and lasso-waving that accompanied the goals, and a major U-Mich penalty box ripoff. Fifth, classless. Two examples: When Cook took a slapshot to the throat and hit the ice, they booed for delay of game, and when we lost they personally verbally attacked Cornell fans when filing out of the rink (the "Cornell sucks" variety).

[/q]

"M-I-N-N-..." the rouser. I'm thankful I didn't fall asleep Saturday night to the rouser on repeat in my head.

that "whoop! whoop!" on the penalty...reminds me of an aerobics instructor I once had. Certainly didn't feel it belonged in a hockey game


"M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A! Mediocre! Mediocre! Go Golfing!" - thank you ben. Sadly, we're golfing, not them :`(

[bhan]

if that was you, classy move shaking the hands of gopher fans on their way out - further up the steps, a number of them were commenting on how impressed they were

[A-19]

[Q]bhan Wrote:

 if that was you, classy move shaking the hands of gopher fans on their way out - further up the steps, a number of them were commenting on how impressed they were[/q]

thank you.

the ones that did come up to us were very nice to speak with. it's the many that mocked us in the stands (well after the game) and cursed at us in the rink and pahking lot that soured my views of their fanbase as a whole

and i almost forgot:

9) for all those that think they had a particularly bad day sunday (myself included)...
we stopped for snacks/bathroom break at a gas station outside st paul right after the game. we looked pretty pissed off, so our cashier asked us how we were doing. he told us that his wife walked out on him with their kids and car that morning, and kicked him out of the house for good before he started his 12-hour work shift that day. i felt pretty happy to be a in a cornell jersey in the car with friends on the way home.

[Josh '99]

[Q]A-19 Wrote:
9) for all those that think they had a particularly bad day sunday (myself included)...
we stopped for snacks/bathroom break at a gas station outside st paul right after the game. we looked pretty pissed off, so our cashier asked us how we were doing. he told us that his wife walked out on him with their kids and car that morning, and kicked him out of the house for good before he started his 12-hour work shift that day. i felt pretty happy to be a in a cornell jersey in the car with friends on the way home.[/q]Ugh, that's rough.  Nothing like a little perspective, right?  :-/

[Big Red fan stuck in MN]

Thanks to all those that drove out to MN and making these the most fun hockey games I have attended in a long time.  So how long was that drive?  Glad you all made it back safely.

To the loud guy with the big hair, great job leading the cheers!

Also, good job to the 3 female band-members getting paper pom-poms and being our cheerleaders.  Next time, they should take the instruments and beat the Gopher cheerleaders silly so I don't have to see them at a hockey game.

To append A-19's thoughts:

1)  I agree.  Aren't these supposed to be neutral site games?

2)  Most are not true hockey fans.  Xcel Center (a great NHL rink in St. Paul) wasn't packed for the WCHA finals.  Don't really think they needed a student section for the games as it was pretty much the rest of the arena.  I found it idiotic that they placed the Maine section next to ours.  I think the teams' sections are usually placed in opposite corners.  Agree on the cheers.  I have to listen to them whenever I go to WCHA final 5 games.

3)  I did hear complaints about the old guy throwing candy though (being rude to nearby Minny fans) and the guy that yelled out before the end of "the moment of silence."  Thanks to the old guy for the Snickers (especially on Saturday)!
Supposedly, I was on the tube for a few seconds on the ESPN telecast (supposedly in the 3rd period).  If anyone saw an asian guy with a dark blue pullover with red Cornell letters, that would be me!

4)  I was sitting near the area and was totally confused by the incident.  What's the big deal with a cowbell?  The band did a good job in the 3rd period substituting for the cowbell.

6)  Was he the player trying to get the whistle before the goal occurred?  I was confused as to his actions.  He had 5 seconds with no pressure on him.

[Q]A-19 Wrote:

1) It is inexcusable that any school should be allowed to host a regional tournament on its own ice.

2) I was disappointed in Minnesota's fans. First, they weren't even able to pack their own rink both days (cue Jacob's "I drove 19 hours from Ithaca and you can't even sell out your own rink?"). Second, none of them stayed for the OSU game. Third, they appear to have no student section- at least not @ the regionals. Accordingly, no one in the entire rink starts ANY minny cheers except their cheerleaders. Fourth, no creativity whatsoever. Only cheers: "Let's go gophers," "M-I-N-N.." with some unintelligible

3) I was very proud of the Faithful on location. The creativity and constant noise we generated surprised most of the Minny fans around us. Many of you would be pleased to

4) The cowbell incident is ridiculous. I felt that this was just one more example of the

6) I was pretty surprised to see so much O'Byrne bashing when I first checked this board upon returning. At the game, no one so much as mentioned his name around me when we lost. Then again, the action was at the far end of the ice and hard to see. But still, it

[Big Red fan stuck in MN]

[Q]A-19 Wrote:

the ones that did come up to us were very nice to speak with. it's the many that mocked us in the stands (well after the game) and cursed at us in the rink and pahking lot that soured my views of their fanbase as a whole
[/q]

Well, I have attended a bunch of Gopher games (via WCHA final 5) and the fans' behavior pretty much support what you have observed.  In a Denver/MN game, there were these Minny fans cursing at a few Pioneers' fans trying to watch the game.  I've swore to always cheer against the Gophers after all my observations.  There are nice intelligent fans, but the numbers are rather small.

[Will]

[Q]Big Red fan stuck in MN Wrote:

Well, I have attended a bunch of Gopher games (via WCHA final 5) and the fans' behavior pretty much support what you have observed.  In a Denver/MN game, there were these Minny fans cursing at a few Pioneers' fans trying to watch the game.  I've swore to always cheer against the Gophers after all my observations.  There are nice intelligent fans, but the numbers are rather small.
[/q]

Why do I get the feeling that a lot of those asshole Gopher fans end up posting on the USCHO forum, probably creating their accounts in March?  ::nut::

[Liz '05]

[Q]Big Red fan stuck in MN Wrote:

 Thanks to all those that drove out to MN and making these the most fun hockey games I have attended in a long time.  So how long was that drive?  Glad you all made it back safely.
...
6)  Was he the player trying to get the whistle before the goal occurred?  I was confused as to his actions.  He had 5 seconds with no pressure on him.

[/q]

6) Yes, that would be O'Byrne.  But I can't really comment on what was going on, as from that distance I could barely pick out player's numbers and the puck, let alone figure out everyone's motives.  I admit, I didn't care at all about hockey freshman year (my loss), and only really got into it last year, so my game/play remarks tend to be clouded with inexperience.  

That drive...well, on the way there I made it in 16 and a half hours, non-stop.  Most stopped in the Chicago area for the night.  On the way back, we left around 6 pm cst and got into Ithaca around 1, 1:30 pm est, making it...18, 18 and a half hours?  

This was easily the longest, craziest roadtrip I've been on, making it also the most fun.  We may have lost, and that's a bitter, bitter pill to swallow on a 1100-mile drive home, but we managed to annoy Gopher fans a good four sections over (meaning we were heard!) as well as earn grudging respect from a few near us for coming and being unafraid to take on 9500 Minnesotans at home.  We met more Faithful, made new friends, cheered our hearts (and voices) out, got to feel superior to Minnesota's fans with their unintelligible cheers (and empty seats, and spelling prowess), and saw a win.  Although I wish it had been two wins, I'll look back on this experience as good.

As our final sign said (drawn in Ithaca),
"BEING LYNAH FAITHFUL: PRICELESS"

[Jacob '06]

On top of Mike, Ryan, and Liz's comment...
After the first game at dinner we met a bunch of the players' parents. They were very nice and very surprised that we came all the way out from Ithaca. Most of them came over and thanked us, and at the beginning of the Minnesota game to take a picture of the group that made the road trip. I think that made my trip a little nicer than it already was.

As far as the fans go, I was really really pissed about the fans booing when Cook got up from being hit by the puck. Otherwise, I was surprised at the number of fans that came up to us after the game and said "good game, thanks for coming" etc. It is kind of sad that with a rink that can get so loud when the fans cheer that their fans don't do it more often. It was an amazing road trip, and thanks to everyone for going along and making it fun.

[Ben Rocky '04]

I'd just like to echo Ryan, Liz, Jacob and Mike. It was a great road-trip to take, despite the never-ending drive back, stomach aches from Red Bull and other assorted energy drinks, the few Minnesota fans who were jerks, and the terrible terrible never-ending flatness of the midwest.

My two favorite highlights were:
The Fireworks-Cheese store we drove by as soon as we passed into Wisconsin & the St. Cloud St. fans that told me that the entire WCHA, save for Gophers fans, were rooting for us.

My feeling on the Minnesota fans is that they see gopher hockey as representing their entire state, and the "Minnesota" "SUCKS" cheer was taken much too personally by them.  They were silent through most of the game against us, most of their cheering coming when there was an icing call.  They desperately need a student section and need to be less shocked when opposing fans get loud.  As whole, they were polite to us and very impressed by the faithful, with a few notable exceptions who were total classless jerks.

I'm very glad we showed that schools in the east can play serious hockey, and thankful for the amazing season we've had.  Thanks again Class of 2005!

[ben03]

[Q]A-19 Wrote:
1) It is inexcusable that any school should be allowed to host a regional tournament on its own ice.

2) I was disappointed in Minnesota's fans. First, they weren't even able to pack their own rink both days (cue Jacob's "I drove 19 hours from Ithaca and you can't even sell out your own rink?"). Second, none of them stayed for the OSU game. Third, they appear to have no student section- at least not @ the regionals. Accordingly, no one in the entire rink starts ANY minny cheers except their cheerleaders. Fourth, no creativity whatsoever. Only cheers: "Let's go gophers," "M-I-N-N.." with some unintelligible grunting and lasso-waving that accompanied the goals, and a major U-Mich penalty box ripoff. Fifth, classless. Two examples: When Cook took a slapshot to the throat and hit the ice, they booed for delay of game, and when we lost they personally verbally attacked Cornell fans when filing out of the rink (the "Cornell sucks" variety).

3) I was very proud of the Faithful on location. The creativity and constant noise we generated surprised most of the Minny fans around us. Many of you would be pleased to know that we were a very classy bunch. No anti-Hirsch insults at all, though I had to fight hard against the urge to break into Aerosmith's "Crazy" etc etc etc. Cornell fans know how to win and to lose with class. We definitely left a favorable impression upon those at the game, with regard to the overall dedication and wit of the Cornell fan base. How were Cornell's fans portrayed on TV?

4) The cowbell incident is ridiculous. I felt that this was just one more example of the "god-forbid-anyone-should-be-allowed-to-cheer-against-us-in-our-own-rink" approach. Other incidences: no signs for us allowed. Oh, unless you come in a Minnesota jersey. No flags allowed. Oh, unless you bring a Minnesota flag. No Cowbell allowed...if you're playing us.  No shots allowed to be counted on the board. Unless you take a shot in a Minnesota jersey (which could be wider than...). The "we were massively overshot" argument which has surfaced alot on these posts has to be tempered. I was sitting there and can recall many occasions where I would see a Cornell shot land in Briggs' glove and never register at all.

5) The reffing was poor for the second game, though a few icing calls that would have been unfavorable to CU were missed. I felt like the refs were looking to give penalties on us so easily. In one incidence, the ref slipped on the ice and landed on his ass. The second he's back on his feet he calls a penalty on O'Byrne down the ice. To clarify, I don't think the reffing is the reason we lost the game. But a few more minutes of 5x5 hockey in the late second and early third periods would have been favorable for Cornell.

6) I was pretty surprised to see so much O'Byrne bashing when I first checked this board upon returning. At the game, no one so much as mentioned his name around me when we lost. Then again, the action was at the far end of the ice and hard to see. But still, it was just a tough fast rush that we weren't as prepared for. Being as I'm the one who started one of the "Is O'Byrne a liability" threads a while back, I have to say that seeing the last few games in person, I think he played pretty disciplined, good hockey.

7) The first Minny goal seemed a little soft for McKee. Very unexpected. The second was a bad break for us. He played well for us and stopped so many quality shots this weekend. CU's defense and goaltending kept us in the Minnesota game, while our offense kept us in the OSU game. The Iggy goal was amazing to see in person by the way, and I would love to see a larger pic. of it.

Few moments were cooler in my hockey-going experience than scoring the first goal against Minny in their own house. Pegs really is a workhorse.

All in all, a great road trip, though it's disappointing to come back from 2,000+ miles of driving with a loss. Now to the off-season to tend to the post-Albany, post-Minnesota coughing up blood as a result of cheering issue. Much love to all my roadtrip companions, those at the game, and the makers of the chemical Chloraseptic.

-Mike '04
Edited 1 times. Last edit at 03/29/05 12:17AM by A-19.[/q]
1a) Agree 110%. This rule needs to be changed now. I say this not only as a fan of the Big Red but for any team that has ever had the “privilege” of playing an NC$$ playoff game @ Yost. Home locker rooms, home ice (literally), and 8,000-9,000 home fans make any opposition a very tough thing. It’s not like a game at Excel would have been have been less of a home game for the Gophers.
1b) The NC$$ needs to mandate that all tournament game be played on the same size piece of ice (200’x85’?). In no other sport can I readily think of, do the dementions of the playing surface change within the tournament. Different sized sheets makes absolutely no sense and should stop

 2) Concur on their inability to sellout in their own barn. Down right pathetic! The lack of a student section can be attributed to “NC$$ neutral site” rules  and their spring break. The pro-gopher bias concerning everything else completely nullified my last statement and was appalling. There was nothing neutral about this weekend, absolutely nothing. The Gopher fans lack knowledge of the game and class was surprising to say the least. For fans who “claim” to know the game they didn’t seem to understand 95% of the calls made during game. Among others already mentioned booing legal body checks and icing calls, saying “the ref owed us that one (referring to penalty calls).” Apparently games are called in this fashion out west.

 3) Agree 100%

 4) Insanity, plain and simple. The first night was ridiculous and the second was just as absurd. The UM Police were as unprofessional as I have ever seen a law enforcement offer behave in my entire life. As the one who delt with the grump old usher and “green shirt” a$$hole, they seemd to subscribe to "the you're showing us up in our own barn mentality" mike alluded to and were just as unprofessional as their campus police. Not sure this was mentioned but the second night the Canadian flag was threatened to be confiscated if it were held up. Classy, real classy way to act.

 5) It was a 50/50 call on the referee. With a CCHA ref I figured we’d get screwed and with a  HEA ref I thought we had a decent shot at getting a fair deal. As a side note, the Minnesota skaters took more dives in those two game than I’ve ever seen in a pair of hockey games. It was sad to see a team with that much talent having all the things going for it they did, need to resort to that type of gamesmanship.

 6) Agree. In person, OB wasn’t as bad as I have seen him in the past. I too was in the “liability” camp earlier this season but think he’s played much better down the stretch and hope this improvement continues.

 7) He made 99% of the saves we could ask him to make and played his heart out.

 :-D

[cornelldavy]

[Q]ben03 Wrote:

 In no other sport can I readily think of, do the dementions of the playing surface change within the tournament.  [/q]


How about Major League Baseball, where every stadium's dimensions are different, and teams consciously build their rosters with their home field in mind (and sometimes even build stadiums with star players in mind)?

I don't have a problem with making Cornell play on a big sheet; Minnesota will face the flip side when they play on a small sheet in the Frozen Four. I'm not even outraged that Minnesota gets to play on its home ice as the host school (although this is a little annoying). My problem is more with the seeding process overall (not how it was implemented this year, because it went more or less as expected), because somehow Cornell was in effect penalized for being the best of the #2s by being placed in such an adverse situation. Somehow the seeding process should be fixed to try to avoid situations like this. It's probably fair to say that Schafer would rather have faced a better #1 seed such as CC or DU at a neutral site than a "lesser" #1 in its own barn, and unfortunately by finishing so strong, the Red made things harder on itself by forcing the committee to seed it in Minny. That seems kind of wack.

[Liz '05]

[Q]ben03 Wrote:

 2) Concur on their inability to sellout in their own barn. Down right pathetic! The lack of a student section can be attributed to “NC$$ neutral site” rules  and their spring break. The pro-gopher bias concerning everything else completely nullified my last statement and was appalling. There was nothing neutral about this weekend, absolutely nothing. The Gopher fans lack knowledge of the game and class was surprising to say the least. For fans who “claim” to know the game they didn’t seem to understand 95% of the calls made during game. Among others already mentioned booing legal body checks and icing calls, saying “the ref owed us that one (referring to penalty calls).” Apparently games are called in this fashion out west.
[/q]

[Minor quibble:] The lack of student section can be attributed to the NCAA and Easter, perhaps, but not to spring break.  I stayed at the Alpha Phi house there and came away with the following impressions:
1. Their spring break was two weeks ago and I'm jealous of their tans.  B-]
2. Everyone goes home for Easter, unless they live more than, oh, 4 hours away.  Then again, a lot of them live in Twin City suburbs, so they could (and did) easily come back.
3. Gopher hockey is more of a community thing than a University-only or student-only thing.  The girls I talked to were barely aware there was a NCAA regional going on a few blocks down the street - the one that could intelligently discuss college hockey said she grew up watching Gopher sports.

For what it's worth, I consider myself a huge fan of Cornell hockey.  I've got a fairly good working knowledge of the rules, but when a penalty is called, I usually can't tell you what it was until I hear or see it, and in situations that are borderline-legal, I usually have to wait and see how the more knowledgable fans around me react.  I never notice offsides.  If 3000 fellow fans are booing, the average fan would probably join in (I would).  I'm working on it, but my point is, you can be more than a casual fan and still not know a lot about the game.  Those that DO know a lot about the game are far more easily drowned out in Mariucci than Lynah, and especially with the number of children there, there are probably a lot that are similar to me, in that they're still learning.  Then again, they are in the "state of hockey" ;-)

I'm writing far more than intended...whoops.  Just articulating my "I see too much of myself in what ben03's criticizing" thoughts.  I still think they should've been able to sell out their rink, and I agree with everything else, Ben!

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

I am so glad I made the trip to Minny.  Not because I was in the state of hockey, but because I saw the never say die attitude of our team and our fans.  The thing that struck me was the Faithful near me passing around throat losenges so they could continue to cheer long after their vocal cords were shot.  That's dedication.

I think part of the problem with Minnesota hockey fans is that they are so invested in their team because they compete with the big boys in other sports and they suck.  Do you think Gopher football or basketball will ever win the Big Ten let alone a national championship?  Of course not.  All they have is hockey.  If they lose, they have nothing.  And they're still stuck in flat, boring, cold Minnesota.

We can take pride in the fact that we are competing on a national level despite not paying our players and not having a 10,000 seat arena.  Our arene is full of students, not corporate suits.  We don't need to take cowbells from students, win by home ice advantage in what should be a neutral-ice tournament, and restrict the ability of our opponents fans to enjoy the game.  

We are "old time hockey."  And we will be competitive for a long time to come.

Let's Go Red!

[Scersk '97]

Speaking of neutral ice:

http://www.uscho.com/schedules/?type=d1

Those schedules used to say "Maine vs. Minnesota" and "Cornell vs. Minnesota."  Good to see the staff at USCHO is detail oriented.  :-)