ALBANY, N.Y. - With MSU out of the race for a national title, Spartan fans who stayed for Saturday’s NCAA Championship hockey game had to pick which remaining team would get their support.
Many Spartan loyals made their decision while mingling with opposing fans at FanFest, a three-day celebration in front of Pepsi Arena.
Fans put MSU’s 2-0 semifinal loss to North Dakota behind them at the festival and watched local bands perform, sampled carnival food and played on the inflated obstacle course.
But the question quickly became “Who’s more worthy of Spartan spirit, North Dakota or Boston College?”, which was crowned this year’s champions, beating the Fighting Sioux 3-2 in overtime.
For George White, a 1982 MSU graduate who now lives in Old Chadham, N.Y., the answer was decided simply on color basis.
“We figure we’ll root for the green team that beat us,” White said, as his 5-year-old son, Connor, waited at FanFest while a clown tied him a balloon animal.
And most MSU fans who stayed had equally unique reasons for why they would root for either Boston College or North Dakota.
Brian Murley and his son Gabriel, both of Lansing, stayed in town because they had planned the trip for their spring break vacation. They decided to root for North Dakota as well, but for more serious reasons.
“We’ve found some of the Boston College folks to not be the most hospitable,” Murley said. “There’s been some trash talking here and there.”
For the younger Murley, the Fighting Sioux support was a result of Boston fans’ disrespectful actions.
“I don’t like Boston College very much because they painted some of a horse statue by the state Capitol,” he said. “They painted it red and yellow.”
But other Spartan fans thought the Eagles’ fans were the better of the two.
Cal Flegal, a retired MSU animal science professor, brought his grandson Timmy Magee to the Frozen Four for his first time, expecting MSU to finally win. The last time MSU won the title was 1986, the only time Flegal didn’t attend the game.
“Every time I come we lose,” Flegal said while watching a magician at the festival. “I just shouldn’t come anymore.”
But because they were there, they were rooting Boston College, a decision Magee made after some fun at FanFest.
“We’re Boston College because when we were out here the other day, he made a friend with a young kid from Boston College,” Flegal said. “But I still think we’re number one.”
As did advertising senior Brian Wilson, who found it hard to pick between the two remaining teams.
“I put all my money in this for my senior year,” said Wilson, a season ticket holder for four years. “This was going to be the most exciting thing in my four years - even more so than graduation.”
But Wilson finally decided to root for the Eagles because they beat intrastate rival Michigan.
Although, he said, he saw some positive qualities in North Dakota.
“The Wolverine fans are never very nice, but the Sioux, they made some smart remarks about MSU losing,” Wilson said. “But at least the North Dakota fans were a little wittier.”
