MSU Hockey Fans Face Extreme Cold, New Line-Up Rules Ahead of Minnesota Series at Munn
Michigan State hockey fans are known for their dedication, but this weekend, they'll have to adjust their game-day rituals as the Spartans host Minnesota at Munn Ice Arena. With bitter cold temperatures bearing down on East Lansing, MSU is putting health and safety ahead of tradition.
The Spartans take on the Golden Gophers this Friday and Saturday, but fans hoping to camp out early for prime spots in the student section will have to change their strategy. MSU has announced that no one will be allowed to line up outside Munn until just 15 minutes before doors open-5:45 p.m.
Friday and 4:45 p.m. Saturday.
The move comes in response to an extreme cold warning issued by the U.S. National Weather Service.
The alert runs from Thursday night through Saturday morning, with dangerously low temperatures expected. By Saturday’s noon tipoff for the Spartans’ basketball game against Maryland, the temperature is forecasted to be around 0 degrees, with a wind chill pushing it to minus 8.
Earlier that morning, it’ll be even colder-minus 9 degrees at 9 a.m.-with frostbite risks kicking in after just 30 minutes of skin exposure.
This isn’t the first time MSU has had to issue a cold-weather advisory. A similar warning was put in place back in December for the men’s basketball showdown against Duke, which also had a midday tipoff. The message is clear: Spartan fans are tough, but subzero temps are no joke.
Parker Hopkins, a graduate student in forestry, knows that all too well. He braved the cold Thursday night to attend the women’s basketball game, despite wind chills hovering around zero.
But for Saturday’s men’s game? He’s playing it smart-planning to drive and park close to the venue just before doors open.
MSU is making sure the message gets out. Members of the Munnsters, the passionate student section for Spartan hockey, received an email outlining the new policy. The message emphasized the importance of limiting exposure to the extreme cold and clearly stated that students won’t be allowed to line up at the arena entrances until the designated times.
Senior Dana Winslow, a game design and interactive media major who helps lead the Munnsters, shared the university’s announcement on the group’s Instagram story. While MSU hasn’t detailed how it plans to enforce the new rules, Winslow made her stance clear: “I believe that people’s health is more important than a seat at a hockey game.”
Still, not everyone’s convinced that the cold will keep die-hard fans at bay. Sophomore Noah Shinn, a student leader in the Izzone-the raucous basketball student section-expects some fans will test their limits.
“I think a lot of people will sit out there and just hope for the best, I really do,” Shinn said.
It’s a classic Spartan dilemma: passion versus prudence. And while the cold might change how fans show up, it’s not likely to cool their enthusiasm. The puck drops at Munn this weekend, and despite the arctic conditions, the energy inside is sure to be anything but frozen.