Like any true Mainer, New Englander, and French Canadian, I love hockey more than any other sport. I grew up watching all my male classmates play hockey. I watched the brave girls who took to the ice after pushing their way on to the boys’ peewee team. My high school’s team was always a contender for the state championship, and the annual tournament against our local rivals kept the student section filled and rowdy for all three periods.
Although I grew up in Maine, all of my schooling took place in New Hampshire, about 20 minutes down the road from the University of New Hampshire. Wildcat Fever infected my classmates and me as early as kindergarten. Most of them were the offspring of alumni, and many of them would eventually become Wildcats themselves.
Once hockey season hit, weekend nights would be spent in the Whittemore Center Arena, where loyal fans sported blue and white from face to foot and recited the legendary (and often crude) cheers. I distinctly remember when my two best friends and I, decked out in extra large jerseys, performed an elaborate UNH cheering routine to the tune of “We Will Rock You” for our third grade talent show. To me, what state college football is to the South, state college hockey is to the North.
Now I’m at Boston College, a school with a hockey program that’s the envy of almost every other Division 1 team and its fans. I have many sentimental ties to BC as well, such as memories of watching games on NESN with my dad (a BC alumnus) during the winter. I came to Chestnut Hill ready to cheer the demise of my old favorite along with the rest of the Eagles in the crowd, excited to learn the traditions of another great team and expecting many triumphant mid-game calls to my friends at UNH.
When the first game of the season during my freshman year came around, I dressed in maroon and gold gear and walked down to Conte, fearing that I wouldn’t be able to find a seat in the sure-to-be-packed student section with game time 30 minutes away. To my surprise and dismay, I was one of the first students there, despite the fact that the game was the home opener of the defending national champions. Although the crowds did eventually arrive about five minutes before the start, the cheers were unenthusiastic, and the student section began to clear out about halfway through the second period. I later found out that this was a fantastic showing for BC hockey fans. Since then, my expectations are lower and attendance is less frequent.
This past weekend, I visited a group of friends at UNH to watch our then-No. 5 Eagles take on the conference-leading Wildcats. As I walked into the arena 45 minutes before the start, I immediately began to question my decision to wear my bright, golden Superfan shirt; the student section was a sea of blue and white, packed to the very last row. I was immediately reminded why I came to love hockey. The fans’ energy didn’t waver for a moment. The cheers were loud enough to reach the opposite goalie. Most impressively, even when the ’Cats were down 3-0 in the second period, few fans decided to throw in the towel. Rather, the students led the alumni in ear-piercing, third-period cheers, the pitch rising with every goal made by the ’Cats until, with mere minutes left, the score was tied, and UNH had the Hockey East title in its grasp. This is what fans can do.
Too often I hear BC sports fanatics lament the poor performance of the current athletics program, pining away for the glory days of BC basketball and football, when Jared Dudley and Matt Ryan were icons, all the while ignoring our only team that is consistently ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation. We were national champions two years ago, and have a great chance to take the title this year as well.
Now, as many people constantly remind me, hockey is not everyone’s cup of tea, and many aren’t interested enough to make the effort to attend. To this, I would make the argument that the games are always short and fast-paced, they almost always fall in that sweet spot between dinner and parties on a weekend night, and I defy anyone to attend a great hockey game and not find themselves on their toes, straining to watch the puck’s every move.
What makes a game great, besides great players, is great fans. The energy of the crowd makes a visible difference in the state of play, changing a lethargic struggle into an electrifying comeback, which is exactly what happened at UNH.
This weekend, the Eagles will be hosting UMass in a best-of-three series in the Hockey East quarterfinals. Tickets for all three nights are just $10 for students. If you’re a regular attendee, recruit a group of friends to go with you. If you’ve never been to a hockey game before, there’s no better time than the present to show your support. Show that you can be true Superfans, for any and every sport.
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Phil B. '65