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16B - The Michigan Daily - FACEOFF 2001 - Thursday, October 4, 2001
IW low
Hocktey
Alfresco
After the Wolverines and Spartans
do
battle outdoors, the sport of college
-..
hockey may never be the same again
By Steve Jackson
Daily Sports WNriter
The biggest Michigan sporting
event of the year is approaching, and
college hockey may never be the same
again.
On Saturday, the Wolverines will
battle their fiercest rivals on the road
in front of a record-setting capacity
crowd.
Over 70,000 fans are expected to
pack Spartan Stadium in East Lansing
for the "Cold War" game between
Michigan and Michigan State.
"I think this is a golden opportunity
that you don't get that often," CCHA
Commissioner Tom Anastos said.
"This is kind of the Woodstock of
hockey and gives us a great platform
that, we can promote college hockey
on ~
Just a few months ago, before the
logistics were worked out, before the
media blitz and before the tickets sold
out in just nine days the "Cold War"
was far from a reality.
"The whole thing started out as a
joke, but then it turned into reality,"
Mason said. "We never believed in
our wildest dreams that it would hap-
pen.
Members of this year's freshman
class were not really expecting to start
their collegiate careers in such grand
fashion either.
"I can't even tell you how I feel,"
freshman forward Eric Nystrom said.
"When I first heard about it I said
'there is no way that is going to hap-
pen,' but they kept talking about it and
it went through. I'm just thinking my
first real game here is going to be in
front of 70,000 people - wow."
But the energy and anticipation
generated by this event is felt by every
member of each team.
"Everyone is excited about this
game," senior defenseman Jay Vancik
said. "Any time you play Michigan
State it's a huge game, and this makes
it even bigger. It's the first game of the
season, it's a CCHA game. We need to
go up there and get two points."
Despite the initial excitement that
the game carried, Michigan coach Red
Berenson needed to be convinced of
one thing before the idea could move
forward.
"For the players' sake and for the
spirit of the competition, this has to be
a legitimate playing surface,"
Berenson said. "That was my first
concern and (Michigan State coach
Ron Mason) has reassured me at
length that this won't be a problem."
After Mason talked Berenson into
the event, one of college hockey's all-
time greats reflected on what this
game will mean to the sport which he
has been so close with for so very
long.
..~
This is an artist's rendition of what the ice will look like on Saturday night in Spartan
"I think that as you get older and
you've been around for a long time,
you see a lot of things and you think
that you've seen everything,"
Berenson said. "This could be a
breakthrough game for the sport. of
hockey.
"It may or may not be. But I am
it.."
But getting two premier hockey
programs to battle for in-state
supremacy outdoors in a football sta-
dium was no small undertaking.
The staging for the rink will be laid
down on top of the football field by
first placing a thin surfiice cover
open-minded enough to say let's try directly over the artificial turf and
INDOOR SOCCER
Fall 2 Season: Oct. 28th - Dec. 23rd
Courtesy Michigan State Athletic Department
i Stadium.
then a layer of plywood. This will be
followed by a staging platform on the
playing field with another level of
plywood on top of that.
The ice rink will be centered on
midfield of the stadium, extending
beyond the 20-yard lines. The ice sur-
face is to be supplied by the same
company that provided an outdoor
rink for the motion picture "Mystery
Alaska" and an NHL game hosted in
Tokyo, Japan.
The ice, frozen by a 281-ton refrig-
eration unit and a series of aluminum
plates, is capable of handling most
any type of weather conditions.
If rain or other inclement weather
does prevent the game from being
played, the make-up date would be
Sunday.
The game will be broadcast live on
Fox Sports Net Detroit at 7 p.m. and
tape delayed coverage will air on the
other Fox Sports affiliates.
Now accepting Registrations for Fall 2 Leagues
Registration Deadline: October 22nd j
Individual Registrations are welcome
Q
WIDEWORLD
SPORTS CENTER
Call (734) 913-4625 for Details
www. wwsports.corn
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YOST
HOST ITOTHE
2002 NCAA HOCKEY
WEST REGIONAL
IEARE A
I
PUBLIC SKATING
1
i i
Weekdays
Thursday
Saturday*
12-12:50 pm
8-9:50 pm
2-3:50 pm
7-8:50 pm1
2-3:50 pm
EAST LANSING
Who: Michigan vs. Michigan State
When: 7:05 p.m.
Tickets: All individual public tickets have been
sold.
TV: Fox Sports Net Detroit will broadcast live
and the game will be aired on tape delay on
the other Fox Sports affiliates.
The game can also be seen live by direct
brpadcast satellite owners and on tape delay
via canada's cTV Sportsnet
Records: The near-sellout all but guarentees
that the world record for hockey attendence
- 55,000 at Moscow's Lenin Stadium for the
1957 IIHF World championship match
between Sweden and the USSR-- will be bro-
ken.
Rankings: Michigan State was ranked No. 1
in the CHA by members of the media.
Michigan finished second place in the voting.
Corner of State and N. University
Hours: M-F 9-6 Sat 9:30-5 Sun 11-5
YOST ICE ARENA
www.umich.edu/yost
764-4600
*Saturday sessions cancelled during home
Michigan football & hockey games.
1November 17- February 16
1000 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Sunday
AT YOST ICE ARE