The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday-- April 5, 1993 - Page 7
The Best and Worst
" Top leazue in college hockey
has more to offer than talent-.==
of the CCHA
by Brett Forrest
Tim Rardin
and Chad A. Safra.
Daily Hockey Writers
Now that the Michigan b ckey team's sea-
son is complete, we feit it was time to give you
our Best and Worst list of the. Central
Collegiate Hockey Association season. While
the CCHA boasts probably the best overall
talent in the nation, it has its fair share of
interesting attractions - of both the must-see
and must-miss varieties - as well. The
following encompasses all those attractions, as
well as the Best and Worst CCHA games
involving the Wolverines:
BAND
Best: Lake Superior. Don't get us wrong
on this call. The Laker band is not the most
talented in the CCHA, they are just a real
band, complete with guitars, bass and a full
drum set. When the band breaks into a
rendition of Radar Love - a crowd favorite -
Lake State's Brian Rolston has been known to
quiver with adrenaline.
Worst: Illinois-Chicago. It is not really a
band, per se. The twelve members who decide
to show up for the games resemble a collection
of the worst street musicians found in the
Windy City. The drummer stands out in par-
ticular, continually failing to keep time with
the other members of this motley crew. The
Flames even used pre-recorded music more
frequently than live entertainment while action
was stopped.
CROWD TRADITION
Best: Miami's Baby. It is'a ritual that
would make the Yost faithful jealous. As the
William Tell overture blares from the Goggin
Ice Arena sound system, a man in the bleach-
ers places his infant daughter on his shoulders
and bounces up and down as if he were the
Lone Ranger. Although this routine was
repeated four or five times, it remained
charming. Chalk one up here for originality
and creativity.
Worst: MSU's National Anthem. The
Spartan faithful need the lyricsto Francis Scott
Key's little-known aria scrolled on the mes-
sage boards encasing Munn. In addition, some
of the words on the screen were out of order.
Just add this to the ever-growing list of Michi-
gan State jokes in your memory bank. This
makes number 1,265,398.
FANS
Best: Miami. An arena that seats only
2,200, Goggin turned away more students than
actually saw the game againstMichigan. These
fans were loud, probably in part because they
had to wait outside in the cold for an hour.
Goggin is small, so, unlike all other CCHA
rinks, the students are allowed to stand directly
behind the boards. When they start pounding
on the glass in unison, take our word for it, it's
loud. And that doesn't even include when they
start yelling.
Worst: Ohio State. It's kind of tough to
have the best fans, or rather to not have the
worst fans when you only have four or five to
speak of. That includes the ticket taker.
GAME
Best: vs. Michigan State (11-1 at Joe
Louis Arena Jan. 30). Anytime Michigan
beats Michigan State, it's a good game. But to
completely dominate the Spartans in every
conceivable aspect is a great game. The
Wolverines skated by, around and through
every person with a green and white jersey in
this one.
Worst: vs. Western Michigan (8-4 at Yost
Ice Arena Oct. 31). A completely ugly
Wolverine effort opened up Michigan's CCHA
home schedule. Anytime a team gets outscored
by four, allows eight goals total and sieves it
on the first two shots of the game, it does not
matter where the game is played, it's
unsightly. The fact it was at home, though,
made this Halloween game particularly
frighteing.
ICE RINK
Best: Munn Ice Arena. Munn is the most
modem facility in the CCHA, a venerable rink
when compared to many of the dilapidated
arenas that dot the conference map. Sightlines
are ideal for fans as no steel girders rise up
from the seats. Another revolutionary feature
at Munn is the seats - they have backs and
cushioning. The only negative - Munn is lo-
cated in East Lansing.
Worst: The Ohio State Ice Rink. This
"rink" defines one of the reasons college
hockey is not an immensely popular sport. The
1,400-seat eyesore of a venue turns away more
spectators than it attracts. It is small, outdated
and more suited to a pee-wee game than one
between two Division I schools of over 30,000
students.
The Buckeye version of the vestibule is tiny
and crowded - perhaps due to the large pop-
corn maker and five video games. The ice sur-
face constantly receives complaints from play-
ers for its quality and from fans for its protru-
sion from under the corner boards and into the
spectating area.
MASCOT
Best: Lake Superior's Shanker. He is
cute and furry, kind of like that adorable bear
on the Snuggle fabric softener commercials,
except he's a bird. Works well with kids and
does an admirable job of riling up those pesky
Laker fans. He even gave us an autograph,
presumably to ensure his selection in this story
as the best mascot.
Worst: Ferris State's Bulldog. Ugly, ugly,
his momma says he's ugly. U-G-L-Y, he ain't
got no alibi. He skated - and boy could he
skate - between periods when the Zamboni
was on the ice. Had he been run over by the
resurfacer, we probably would've given him
Best Mascot. But of course, he wasn't.
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MICHELLE GUY/Daily
Michigan senior forward Dave Roberts and the rest of the Wolverine hockey team are done
for the season, but one thing still remains -- the Best and Worst awards around the CCHA.
Bouncing, including How to Spot a Fake 101
and Intimidation 212, while attending Michi-
gan State.
Worst: Ferris State. Night life in Big
Rapids consists of grabbing a couple of burri-
tos at Taco Bell, going back to the motel and
S watching television. And you'll have plenty of
time to watch your favorite shows, because
when you return from your 'Run for the Bor-
der,' it's only 7:30 p.m.
For real excitement the next night, you can
go nuts and grab your supper at Kentucky
Fried Chicken. If it's closed, Burger King is
usually open. However, TV watching may get
boring after a while (the town is getting cable
next year) so head to that good 'ole one-screen
movie theater where they still show Star Wars.
PA MUSIC
Best: Miami. If it weren't a hockey arena,
it would be a night club. This place was rock-
ing from start to finish. Even if you don't like
hockey, the music is good enough to keep you
entertained the whole time. No joke.
Worst: Notre Dame. If I were a Notre
Dame hockey player, I think I would transfer
- not only because my team sucks, but be-
cause I don't think I'd get too motivated to
play when some guy is ripping through hip-
hop disco jingles on a desperately out-of-tune
organ - for the whole game.
Somehow BeeGees tracks from Saturday
Night Fever don't have quite the same
adrenaline-pumping effect that Queen's "We
Will Rock You" does. And when played by
someone who obviously wasn't talented
enough to make the Hockey Pep Band - all
nine members of it - you've got problems. I
guess the fans were cheering for the music to
end, because the Irish hockey team sure didn't
do anything worth cheering about.
RESTAURANT
Best: The Antlers, Sault Ste. Marie. This
is the place in the bustling town known as the
Soo - which, admittedly, is not saying much.
However, it is a must-see, a must-eat and a
must-hear. The indoor decor is dominated by
gaming trophies and furs and it is an honor to
have a kill hung at the restaurant. The food and
service are both top-notch.
Most of all, though, the noises must be ex-
perienced. The bells, whistles and sirens are
U.P.-renowned and often cause customers to
lose their bearings - always a welcome
sensation in Saltstie Mary.
Worst: Grandma's Grease Palace, Kent.
We ordered number seven on the menu but it
looked like number two. The flapjack dish (as
Grandma called it) was serviceable except that
the pineapple ring drowning in Aunt Jemima
ruined its overall aesthetics.
ROAD TRIP
Best: Illinois-Chicago. The only good
thing about UIC is that it's in Chicago. One
weekend was clearly not enough time to ex-
plore all that the Windy City had to offer. A
visit to Chicago Stadium for a Blackhawks
game is a must for any hockey fan.
Don't forget about the Sears Tower and
Hancock Building observation decks, Nike-
Town - a four story shop that exclusively
sells Nike sneakers and clothing and a walk
down the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave.)
Worst: Ferris State. See Worst Night Life.
What positives can a visitor offer about a trip
to Big Rapids - none. It takes over three
hours to get to this unthriving metropolis, and
about three seconds to get through it. A trip
through downtown is over before you've
shifted into second gear.
The fine sites in Big Rapids include the
town public library, and of course the
buildings of Ferris State, which are all
perfectly rectangular. Frank Lloyd Wright
where are you? Imagine the UGLi - 100
times over.
A tourist brochure from Big Rapids (if
there is one) would resemble a leaflet someone
hands out telling you about University Towers.
When leaving Big Rapids, the most common
exclamation is "Thank God." And that's just
from the students when they escape for the
weekends.
UNIFORMS
Best: Miami. Rumor has it Calvin Klein
liked the Redskins jerseys so much that he is
incorporating them into his fashion lineup for
next fall.
On VH1's Fashion Television, Klein was
quoted as saying, "They're sweet, man. The
quaint yet bold blend of red and white brings
tears to my eyes. I especially enjoy the half-arc
configuration of 'Miami' on the front of the
jerseys and the miniature Native American
upon the lower crest of the shoulder area. They
just accentuate the overall aura."
Worst: Bowling Green. Imagine you vom-
ited on your uniform before you came out on
the ice and didn't have time to wash it. Imag-
ine you didn't wash it all season. Ahhh, that
lush combination of burnt orange and earthy
brown thrills the senses. The Falcon players
must be color blind.
The Ferris State Bulldog is the proud winner of
this year's Worst Mascot award in the CCHA.
NIGHT LIFE
Best: UIC. This is Chicago. One of the
greatest, vivacious cities in the world. There
are more restaurants, bars and clubs than
empty seats at the Hartford Civic Center for a
game between the Whalers and Senators.
The place to see and be seen is the Rush
Street district. For three blocks, nothing but
bars line the sidewalks. The drinks are cheap
and the music is loud. However, if you have a
fake ID, make sure it is a good one No New
Hampshire laminated licenses will work with
these fellas. The bouncers know what they are
doing. Most of them probably majored in Bar
Maine rallies to win first-
ever NCAA hockey title
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Senior
Jim Montgomery gave freshman
Paul Kariya some final advice as he
felt Maine's championship season
slipping away Saturday night.
The Black Bears, going for their
first NCAA title ever, trailed Lake
Superior State with a period
remaining.
"I said to Paul, 'We've done it all
year and we've got to turn it up a
notch.' So I told him to turn it up,"
Montgomery said.
Kariya was listening.
The Hobey Baker Award winner
as the nation's top player then made
assist passes to Montgomery for
three goals in a span of four minutes
and 35 seconds as the Black Bears
rallied for a 5-4 victory and the
NCAA championship.
"I said, 'Let's go after them and
get them on their heels,"' Maine
coach Shawn Walsh said. "Once we
rooting them on, the Black Bears -
in their first appearance in the finals
- came back.
"We just wanted to win, we did-
n't care who was the hero. We just
wanted to be the national cham-
pion," said Montgomery, voted the
outstanding player in the tourna-
ment.
Maine got within 4-3 at 4:19 of
the final piod when Kariya worked
the puck out from behind the goal
and slid it across to Montgomery,
who was in the left crease for the
score.
Montgomery scored the tying
goal when his shot deflected off a
defender at 7:40. Kariya made the
assist pass as he was being driven
into the boards.
One minute and 14 seconds later
on a power play, Kariya carried the
puck in on the left wing and fed a
crossing pass to Montgomery who
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