a w v wU wV w w w w w w 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 U U /I1177P7"t. #t! -_= lf~af ih7= =_ _==ilaad w/ nnflflflm 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