8E - Tuesday, September 3, 2013
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The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
FOOTBALL
New ticket policy
By GREG GARNO gan State University and Pennsyl-
Daily Sports Writer vania State University, as well as
national programs like Alabama,
APRIL 22, 2013 - For some Notre Dame and Oregon.
students, it may be time to put the In 2012, the athletic depart-
red Solo Cup down earlier on Sat- ment created the H.A.I.L. mobile
urdays and head to the Big House. application to incentivize atten-
Monday, the Athletic Depart- dance at athletic events, including
ment announced that it will no getting to the Big House on time.
longer assign seatsto student tick- Many students have expressed
et holders, instead opting to have mostly negative opinions regard-
student seating as general admis- ing the change on social media. A
sion. In an announcement on the petition through CSG's UPetition
its website, the Athletic Depart- site had over 2,600 signers as of
ment will give students general- early Tuesday morning.
admission tickets on a first-come, A group of students has already
first-serve basis as an incentive to voiced their displeasure about the
arrive prior to kickoff. announcement via Facebook. The
Ticket prices will be $295 for group had more than 1,500 likes
seven home games, or more than in less than three hours since its
$40 a ticket per game. For the creation.
2012 season, students paid $205 "The goal of the page was
for six home games - just over to raise awareness and gather
$34 per game. The new cost is enough followers to voice our
40-percent less than the general displeasure though petitions, in
public season ticket price and hopes of overturning the new
doesn't include a required pre- policy," said LSA junior Josh Spie-
ferred season donation. gel. "We feel the policy destroys
According to associate athletic the tradition of working your way
director, Dave Ablauf, the average closer to the field through years of
number of "no shows" per game studying and work."
was 5,434 in 2012 and 4,376 in Central Student Government
2011 president Michael Proppe, a busi-
"We are concerned about the ness junior, has already taken
decrease in students showing action to discuss the newly imple-
up and decided to change our mented changes.
policy to create a culture of arriv- "Why didn't the Athletic
ing early to provide our football Department ask for any student
student-athletes with a home input before implementing this?"
field advantage prior to kickoff," Proppe said. "In my first resolu-
Ablauf said. "This move is similar tion as student body president
to what has already been done at ... I am calling for U-M Central
Crisler Center and Yost Ice Arena Student Government input on any
for student season ticket holders. ticketing policy changes made by
Both are decisions that have been the Athletic Department."
metfavorably." The Wolverines open against
Ablauf noted that the atten- Central Michigan on Aug. 31
dance policy is similar to fellow before they host Notre Dame for
Big Ten teams including Michi- its second-ever night game.
Matt Slovin:'M' redeemed itself
By MATT SLOVIN After one shaky, how-did-that-
Daily Sports Editor not-go-in first period, the Wol-
verines came out in the second
MARCH 25, 2013 - DETROIT period and took the pressures that
- Jeff Jackson woke up the morn- come with manning a program so
ing of March 10 and exhaled, accustomed to postseason suc-
The Notre Dame coach cess and shoved them down the
checked the score of the previous RedHawks' throats.
night's game between Michigan Somewhere along the way,
State and Alaska, saw that the Michigan redeemed itself. Coach
Spartans hadsurvived, and let out Red Berenson saidhe beganto see
one massive sigh of relief. a change in early February, when
Michigan State's win, stretch- the Wolverines played at Notre
ing into the wee hours of Monday Dame. The signs of improvement
morning, meant that his Fighting were there, but the results weren't
Irish would avoid playing Michi- - Michigan gave up 13 goals on
gan in the CCHA quarterfinals. the weekend and was swept.
Jackson was relieved then. This weekend, the Wolverines
He's relieved now. Nobody want- held two of the best offenses in
ed to play Michigan - not in the the CCHA to two goals apiece,
quarterfinals, not in the finals, not minus an empty-netter.
in the NCAA Tournament, where This hockey-loving university
the Wolverines would have land- didn't yet forgive them after that
ed with a win in Sunday's title February series for a season that
game. was, more often than not, mis-
The Fighting Irish dodged a erable. Perhaps for some, that
bullet in Fairbanks. They dodged forgiveness didn't come until
a more dangerous one on Sunday. Trouba's play, an overwhelming
*** display of grit that signified just
Jacob Trouba stopped the how far the Wolverines have truly
puck, tantalizingly close to cross- come.
ing the goal line for Miami (Ohio) Inevitably, this team will be
fans, gravely near it for Michigan known as the one that broke the
fans, calmly with his stick. That streak. When the pride and joy
puck would've crossed a few short of the program expired after
months ago. Sunday's 3-1 heartbreaker, that
And had Trouba arrived to the became reality.
puck a split-second later in the But because of the turnaround
first period of Saturday's CCHA that nobody saw coming, nobody
semifinal against the RedHawks, will blame them for that. After all,
Michigan might nothave reached Michigan won't be gone from the
Sunday's stage where the Wolver- NCAA Tournament for long. And
ines faced an all-or-nothing game teams out there would give up
for the ages. anything for 22 out of23.
Win, or the 22-year NCAA ***
Tournament appearance streak Lee Moffie broke off from
- the one that predates the birth the line of his teammates.; They
of all but two of Michigan's play- had been tortured far too long
ers - would be over. by then, straddling the blue line
I
I
PATRICKBARRON/Daily
Freshman forward Andrew Copp returns this season to wear the 'A' patch.
at Joe Louis Arena, watching
as their now-former conference
rivals accepted the Mason Cup.
Before the playoff trophy could
disappear, bound for Toronto, the
Hockey Hall of Fame and poster-
ity with a quick detour in South
Bend along the way, Michigan
dipped into the tunnel.
But not before Moffie said
goodbye to the Wolverine faith-
ful, who hoped to see a team
that was once 10-18 punch its
ticket to the NCAA Tourna-
ment. That would signal that the
group Berenson repeatedly called
"vulnerable," and once, a "train
wreck" midway through the sea-
son was now magical.
Moffie skated a quick circle,
waving his stick to the Michigan
fans who remained in Joe Louis
Arena.
All of their last-ditch efforts,
like goalie Steve Racine turn-
ing on a dime on his way to the
bench and diving back toward the
crease to stop the empty-net goal
that sealed the Wolverines' fate,
had fallen short.
Moffie's goodbye as he stepped
off the ice for the last time in
maize and blue might aswellhave
been a white flag, but he didn't
do it until after the game. Most
everyone else, besides the play-
ers and coaches, had waved one in
surrender months ago.
Everybody except for the peo-
ple in the locker room gave up on
this team.
Don't feel bad for them. Beren-
son said all year that this team
was going to earn its fate. If the
Wolverines didn't make the
NCAA Tournament, they'd have
nobody toblame but themselves.
But how can we blame them?
Because for the last month and
a half of this season, when Michi-
gan's unbeaten streak that ended
at nine games began, the Wolver-
ineshadeverybodybelievingthey
were going to catch lightning in a
bottle. Even Jeff Jackson.
It was just a little too late.
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