A better suggestion for the weekend

So what are you going to do this weekend? If you're the typical student, you'll probably sit in some stranger's bathroom with your head in the toilet, muttering obscenities.\nBut what about a few hours before that? Sit around with your friends and talk about how many phone numbers you'll get that night? I have a better suggestion.\nThe IU hockey team has home games Friday and Saturday. Historically, its opponent, the University of Dayton, has been a doormat for the Hoosiers, but this year promises to be a much more exciting contest.\nDayton and IU are both members of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League, one of the toughest Division II leagues in the country. While the Flyers are 0-2 in conference play after two early-season losses to the University of Miami (Ohio), this series is not a shoo-in for the Hoosiers.\nDayton tied and defeated Indiana University (Penn.) last weekend. IUP is one of the better Division II teams. Dayton was robbed of a victory at the last minute Friday, then blew out IUP Saturday.\nOf course, the Hoosiers are not exactly a cakewalk for opponents, either. IU is 9-4 on the season, 6-0 in MCHL play and 3-2 at home, with its two losses coming against Life University, arguably the best Division II team in the country. The Life series was the first time the Hoosiers had been swept at home in four years.\nIn addition, IU is coming off a huge weekend at the Chicago College Classic Thanksgiving Tournament, in which it upset the University of Rhode Island and the University of Illinois, the No. 11 and No. 9 Division I teams, respectively. These teams feature some players who will probably play for NHL teams in a few years, but that didn't stop the Hoosiers from spanking Rhode Island 4-1 or slipping by Illinois in a triple-overtime thriller.\nStill, the best reason you can go see the Hoosiers this weekend is because you haven't been going the past few weeks. In the home opener against Kentucky Oct. 27, Hoosier fans packed the stands and rooted the Hoosiers on to an 11-5 rout of the Wildcats.\nBut in the Nov. 17 and Nov. 18 games against Life, the stands were dismally empty. Most in attendance were families, with probably less than 50 students total in the bleachers.\nTo add insult to injury, in the Nov. 17 contest, the Hoosiers were tied with Life entering the third period, only to watch their lead slip away. That isn't supposed to happen to the home team, but because of the dismally vacant seats, the Hoosiers failed to find the motivation and ultimately fell to Life University.\nSo before you go out and kill off valuable brain cells this weekend, swing by the Frank Southern Center, 1965 S. Henderson Ave., located just behind Bloomington High School South. Both games begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be over around 10 p.m., unless they go into overtime.\nIn which case, you will really need to be there.\nOne last thing: Dress warm. The Frank is cold, sometimes even colder than it is outside. Bring jackets, hats and a willingness to cheer the Hoosiers to victory.