Bucks tie down Blue But Yost fans win with class Chris Grandstaff The Grand Scheme The greeting Ohio State received on Saturday night from the Yost Ice Arena faithful was appropriate. One week earlier the Wolverines had been subjected to ridiculous behavior from patrons of Ohio State's Value City Arena, and the Michigan faithful had every right to take revenge. Even before the Wolverines' hated rival from the south had completed its trek down from the lockerroom to the players entrance, the boos had begun. And before the Buckeyes reached center ice, the boos reached fervor pitch, obscenities from the witty to the ridiculous were tossed and taunting makeshift signs were raised (My favorite: "How's it feel to be in 11th place...Sluts!"). But unlike last weekend in Columbus, no one threw anything. No one clambered down behind the visiting bench in an attempt to steal sticks or harass players and coaches. No one was tossed from the game while flipping off the visiting head coach right in front of the Fox Sports cameras. No one was out of line. And while the crazies of Yost are certainly no angels, they are also certainly not stupid - which in my experience, cannot be said for the Ohio State faithful. This goes far beyond the debacle at Value City last weekend, when the Ohio State fans littered the ice with Yoo Hoo, beer and garbage, and a select few attempted to liberate those sticks from the Michigan bench after the Wolverines scored their sixth goal. This is a trend that extends across the entire board of Ohio State athletics. I've seen several events at Ohio State - none of which have been pleasant. I've had bottles thrown at me. I've had my car, distinctively marked with a Michigan bumper sticker, almost run off the road by an angry Buckeye fan. I've had a seemingly innocent elderly woman belch out the words "Bucks Bitch!" to my face. Now, for Ohio State fans, these types of actions may be considered par for the course. But at Michigan, fans tend to slander and taunt with a little more tact and wit than the simple Neanderthal approach of the Buckeyes. Besides, the Buckeyes fans are going after the wrong people. Do they really think that spilling their beer on any member of the Wolverines bench is a smart move? Do they realize the peaked intensity level hockey players already have? Reaching into the Wolverines bench to steal a hockey stick is about as smart as diving your hand into a bowl full of piranhas - the instinct to attack is already there. Of course they don't realize what they're doing. These are the same fans that still think they have a reason to talk smack about a school that consistently beats them in almost every sport - especially when it counts the most. And their players are the same way. After the game on Saturday, the Buckeyes marched back up to the lockerroom from the north end of Yost Ice Arena - hooting and hollering after a 1-1 tie. That's just the type of attitude that goes along with being a Buckeye. But it was the Wolverines who should've been cheering. The Michigan players waited patiently for their rivals to clear the area and listened as the public address announcer revealed that Michigan State had lost. Michigan forward Krikor Arman silently pumped his fist - Michigan was still first in the CCHA. But there was no reason to gloat about it, especially to the Buckeyes and their fans who sit near the league's cellar in 11th place. But at Michigan, fans tend to slander and taunt with a little more tact and wit than the simple Neanderthal approach of the Buckeyes. Besides, the Ohio State fans are going after the wrong people. Do they really think that spilling their beer on any member of the Wolverines bench is a smart move? Do they realize the peaked intensity level hockey players already have? Reaching into the Wolverines bench to steal a hockey stick is about as smart as diving your hand into a bowl full of piranhas - the instinct to attack is already there. Of course they don't realize what they're doing. These are the same fans that still think they have a reason to talk smack about a school that consistently beats them in almost every sport - especially when it counts the most. And their players are the same way. After the game on Saturday, the Buckeyes marched back up to the lockerroom from the north end of Yost Ice Arena - hooting and hollering after a 1-1 tie. That's just the type of attitude that goes along with being a Buckeye. But it was the Wolverines who should've been cheering. The Michigan players waited patiently for their rivals to clear the area and listened as the public address announcer revealed that Michigan State had lost. Michigan forward Krikor Arman silently pumped his fist - Michigan was still first in the CCHA. But there was no reason to gloat about it, especially to the Buckeyes and their fans who sit near the league's cellar in 11th place. Michigan's Mark Mink and Mike Cammalleri make things difficult for Ohio State's Mike McCormick in Saturday's 1-1 tie. The overtime tie was Michigan's first of the season as they closed the season series with Ohio State at 3-0-1. Originally on page 1B in the 1-31-2000 issue of the Daily.