Adventures in Hockey Land

Well, I set out to got the full Yost experience on Saturday night last weekend, and the Yost faithful and the Michigan Hockey squad did not disappoint. What I hoped would be a good game turned into a very good game that saw the Wolverines come out victorious 2-1, earning a well-deserved weekend sweep of the Buckeyes.

Not a bad view, eh?

You can view my full photo gallery here.

I had been to Yost a few years ago as a fan, so I had a little bit of an idea of what to expect. Of course, being a blogger and having a media pass (many thanks to Matt Trevor and the media staff) I had my computer and camera in-tow. A few of my highlights from the night:

• As usual, I got there early. It was fun to see the other folks who were also there early huddled around the few TVs in the main concourse to catch the end of the Michigan basketball game. Put it this way, I was driving down State and listening on WTKA Michigan was up by 20. So when I saw on the screen that Michigan was up by 3 with under 30-seconds to play, I realized quickly why so many people were trying so hard to see the TV.

• I was very surprised to see how close the media sits. I knew that Yost was an intimate venue, but the media are almost literally on top of the ice. The balcony is a great spot to sit. Covering primarily football games, I'm used to sitting far away and being behind thick glass. It was really cool to be so close and have nothing between you and the game.

• It goes without saying, but the fans at Yost are unlike Michigan fans at any other event. They're loud, into the game all the time, and everyone in the building (especially the students) know all the chants, and aren't shy about it. If the crowd at a football game could be half of what a hockey crowd is, it would easily be the hardest venue in college football...easily.

• I really liked the 2nd period intermission "Blues Brothers" band theme song and the dance the student section does. I recall this being done at the Big Chill back in December, but being intermission and being up in the pressbox, I missed it completely. My video from Saturday night at Yost:



• As far as the game itself was concerned, my highlights are probably the same as anyone else. The goals were great. I thought Hunwick played very well in goal...and I had a great view of him for 2 periods. Probably the biggest moment of the game was the 5-minute penalty kill early in the 3rd period for the major misconduct penalty on Chris Brown (which the fans wholeheartedly disagreed with).

• I would be re-missed if I didn't mention that the shooters went 3-for-3 in Score-O! The last one was a little kid who shot from about 10-15 feet out...and when the puck slid under the board and into the net, it might have been the loudest cheer of the night. Okay maybe not, but it was still awesome.

All-in-all, it was a great night. The team played well, the fans brought their A-game, and in the end Michigan earned a sweet weekend sweep of Ohio State. Great event. I hope to get back to Yost again soon.