When I was in undergrad, the place was routinely empty. We were bad. As we suffered through 11-1 losses to UNH and Dave Hymovitz was the only one who could consistently score, you hoped there was light at the end of the tunnel. In walks Marty Reasoner and Brian Gionta two years later and we are consistent national title contenders.
After that, it was packed houses and students coming out in droves. Men named Bridge and Quinn starting yellow-shirted faithfuls who raised hell in Durham (needing a police escort to leave) and caught the ire of Northeastern fans at Matthews ("Do you have any hot sisters?" Derek?) and made "E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles, Eagles, Eagles!" a sign of pride. Where has that pride gone?
Basketball and football get all the press. Since moving to the ACC, before this year, we had one of the top winning percentages in league play in basketball. The football team has won 8 straight bowl games and been in 9 straight. Troy Bell, Jared Dudley, Matt Ryan, and Matthias Kiwanuka have become names in BC lore that will go down for years. The yellow-shirted Superfans go to these games and make a great impression on TV. But how many of them remember that is was the hockey fans that started that group with a little donation from the Pike's Peak club.
Though I love the success of the other clubs, the hockey team has been more successful. Since 1998, they have won a national title, been to seven Frozen Fours, five finals, won more Hockey East titles than any other team in the conference, and won three Beanpots (which is no small feat considering the record BU has in those contests). They are the most successful team on campus. Now, despite another good season, no one is coming to the games.
On Friday night, we were 12-2-2 in the sixteen games leading up to that contest. We had just won one of the most exciting Beanpot finals in years, and no one was there. The students at the Beanpot were loud, enthusiastic, and very much into the game. There weren't more than a few hundred students at the game Friday. The weather was fine. It was a normal game-time. It was only the beginning of a three-day weekend and not the start of Spring Break. Yet no one was there. With the alumni as quiet as usual (and I attribute their lack of attendance more to the start of February vacation then anything else), the building was way too silent.
Crowd noise affects a team. A loud crowd can lift it and a bad crowd can make a difference. The outnumbered Lowell fans were louder than the BC students. When I was a junior and Michigan State came to BC, we beat them on our home ice and they were number two in the nation. Me and some guys I was sitting with got very loud that night and were getting the rest of the fans into it as well. That week in the Heights (BC's student paper), Jerry York thanked the loud fans who came out because he said it gave his team a real boost to hear the support. Maybe he was exaggerating, but I don't think so. They are college kids and to have a loud crowd supporting you has to feel great and give you an emotional lift more so than even a professional athlete because they are just kids. We need that kind of crowd back. One that cares and not just one that goes to see the girls and find out where the party is later that night.
The worst part is that I see this hurting our recruiting. Though our national success helps, Maine has had nearly as good a run over the past 10 years as we've had and their building is a great place to see a game. If you have never been to Alfond, I highly recommend the trip to Orono as I could be the best home ice advantage in college hockey. Durham is almost as good as the regular fans get into it almost as much as the students. If I were a recruit, going to one of those buildings and hearing those crowds might make a difference to me. I want those kinds of crowds at Conte. I want fans that care that much. It would make a great atmosphere and our successful, nationally-ranked boys deserve it.
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