First College Hockey Game Attended

[Sean Pickett]

I was just recalling a BU exhibition game from 1990 on the 2015-16 schedule thread (maybe it was slightly off topic ) and that got me to thinking about the first college hockey game I ever saw. Since my other summer thread got some interest I though I would start one posting about the first college hockey game attended.

My first game was a date with my then future wife on 1 Nov 1985. BU hosted Maine at Walter Brown Arena and we sat down on the glass to the left of the Maine bench. I remember Maine wore jerseys with Maine in block letters (the last season they wore that style lettering?). I don't recall much else about the game (it was a date after all), but I liked it enough to want to go again. My second game was 2 weeks later when BU hosted BC at WBA. The place was packed and rocking, and this time we were in te upper rows of section 14 in the corner. BC won in overtime when the puck deflected into the BU net off of a BU player's skate (I think it was Brad MacGregor, but I'm not sure).

Sean

 

[Greg A]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

I was just recalling a BU exhibition game from 1990 on the 2015-16 schedule thread (maybe it was slightly off topic ) and that got me to thinking about the first college hockey game I ever saw. Since my other summer thread got some interest I though I would start one posting about the first college hockey game attended.

My first game was a date with my then future wife on 1 Nov 1985. BU hosted Maine at Walter Brown Arena and we sat down on the glass to the left of the Maine bench. I remember Maine wore jerseys with Maine in block letters (the last season they wore that style lettering?). I don't recall much else about the game (it was a date after all), but I liked it enough to want to go again. My second game was 2 weeks later when BU hosted BC at WBA. The place was packed and rocking, and this time we were in te upper rows of section 14 in the corner. BC won in overtime when the puck deflected into the BU net off of a BU player's skate (I think it was Brad MacGregor, but I'm not sure).

Sean

First college game for me was the first round of the Beanpot in 1965, my senior year in high school. I honestly don't remember who played who but I remember that BU had Fred Bassi and goalie Jack Ferreira. My guess is that I saw both Jerry York and Jack Parker playing but, of course, it didn't mean anything to me then. I will say that the atmosphere at the Garden hooked me and when I went off to college the next year I tried to get to as many games as I could at the Boston Arena. Quite honestly, it was a hard sell with my friends because none of them were really interested. They were all Celtic guys, as was I. I wound up with a new set of friends by the time I was a junior.

First game for me at UNH was December, 1970 when I was a graduate student there. Also first date with my wife. John Gray scored five goals in a 14-5 (think that is the score) rout of Army. Army's goalie was Dan Scioletti from Lynnfield. First UNH game made me a Wildcat fan forever.

 

[stuckinwi]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

I've honestly no idea.... as I'm sure I was carried in and won't remember

My parents have had season tickets to Michigan Tech games since they were students in the early 80's. I was born in '85 and winter has always meant going to Hockey games on the weekends. I'd guess it would be the first home game of the '86 season as I'm not sure Tech had any home games after March in '85.

 

[alfablue]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

I don't remember which was first:

Ohio State vs. someone that I don't remember at the old rink. Where met Woody Hayes who sat almost next us (I was very young, and was in the Mite program who played on that rink)

or

Michigan Tech @ Bowling Green- Dad was a tech grad, so we drove up to see the game.

No idea what happened at either game.

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

I've honestly no idea.... as I'm sure I was carried in and won't remember

My parents have had season tickets to Michigan Tech games since they were students in the early 80's. I was born in '85 and winter has always meant going to Hockey games on the weekends. I'd guess it would be the first home game of the '86 season as I'm not sure Tech had any home games after March in '85.

My daughter went straight from the hospital to a BU-BC game at Conte Forum.

So, what was the first game you remember?

Sean

 

[BBDiehard14]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

Senior Day of Maine's 42-1-2 season, I think the Bears were playing BC. I was only seven at the time but that was the team that got me into hockey. PK9, Garth Snow, Jimmy Montgomery, Cal Ingraham, et al. I think the final was 9-1 or something like that. Like many games at the Alfond that season, it wasn't close.

 

[Ralph Baer]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

My game program collection claims that the first game I attended was a game between RPI and Carleton (Ontario) on 11/21/64 at the RPI Field House. Although I didn't always buy programs my first two years, that must have been the first because it was the opening game of the season.

 

[joecct]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

December 1972 ECAC Holiday Tournament at MSG my senior year in HS
3rd place was Clarkson - St. Lawrence (CCT won)
1st place was Notre Dame - St. Louis with the Billikins taking home the hardware.

 

[stuckinwi]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

My daughter went straight from the hospital to a BU-BC game at Conte Forum.

So, what was the first game you remember?

Sean

That's a tough one... I remember lots of bits and pieces of things, but I can't put my mind on a particular game. Here's a few of those... Not all of them are home memories either.

So many skate with the Huskies after games... I remember a couple really well. I was pretty young and couldn't skate that well and was using a chair. One of the players and I still remember his name, Randy Stevens, came over and convinced me I didn't need it. He got me skating without it after a while and I've not needed to use one since.

Tech used to do a thing where players would go to local families for a home cooked meal, after each one it'd always end up with NHL on the original PlayStation with the guys. Those nights were awesome. 4v4 with actual hockey players getting into the video games with my Dad, my brother, and I.

Having the equipment manager give my brother and I sticks after a game when we were hanging around the tunnel where the players come out. I'm right handed, but was given a lefty stick. My brother is the opposite, but those sticks were ours and there was no way we were switching when my Dad pointed it out. And that's why I shoot left handed...

Going to Duluth for the games and being TERRIFIED of the upper deck in the DECC. I still hate heights, but I had to be carried to my seat and didn't move from my seat. Felt like those stairs were vertical to me... haha.

Speaking of Duluth... The maroon loon and the husky dog fake fighting on the ice. Why don't mascots travel anymore?

Running up and down the escalators at the Bradley center during a Final Five in the early '90s while everyone hung out after the game. Tech was the 10 seed that year and upset #1 CC to get there. Jamie Ram carried us, lots of stories from the end of the season get brought up. I distinctly remember the pep band being the upper deck and us beating NMU in the first game. "We're number 10!" being chanted... Any win in those days was an upset and Northern was a much better team (it pains me to admit it. They suck.)

We always used to go to the NMU series in Marquette as well until they moved to the CCHA. Funny thing is.... I had no recollection of Lakeview arena until I visited in college to see a game of my wife's brother playing with the Rangers there. I walked in and immediately remembered being there. Waiting for the players to come out of the locker room after the game on the lower level, etc. Crazy how the mind forgets, then can remember with a hint.

And finally... Getting to shake Mike Eruzione's in a elevator at the '94 frozen four. My parents had tickets and were supposed to go and leave us kids at home, but my Mom ended up sick and I got go with my Dad instead. We were getting in the elevator to go back to the room after breakfast and my Dad asked me if I knew the guy in the elevator with us. I had no idea. He told me to shake his hand and that he'd explain who he was later. (Another story I've heard many many times is how my Dad and Mom stopped on the Seney stretch to hear the miracle on ice game before they lost it on the radio. And how there was a group of cars parked in the exact same spot doing the same thing)

That same trip is where I learned to spell Minnesota... My parents friends who are Gopher fans insisted I learn just in case they scored. I still have the pins I collected from hockey-l members, the Friar one is my favorite. And finally getting my face painted with a Laker anchor for the final by the LSSU cheerleaders and then watching a UP team win a national title 9-1 was amazing. Sorry about bring that up Sean


I guess I don't remember particular games that well from being a kid, but I'll be ****ed if I don't have a ton of great memories from Tech Hockey

Is it October yet?

 

[sshablak]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

Colgate in 1961...not sure who.

 

[Waite21]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

My father took me to my first college hockey game. I can remember that the game was played on a Saturday afternoon at the RPI Field House (not known as Houston Field House at the time). Northeastern was the visiting team. RPI won easily, scoring double-digit goals. I can remember that one of the RPI players was named Trevor Kaye - I remembered his name because his last name was the same as that of a popular entertainer of the time (Danny Kaye) and his first name seemed so quaint to me, because you didn't encounter a lot of people named Trevor in upstate New York.

I would have thought that those details would have been sufficient to pinpoint the date of the game that I saw, but RPI's records show that they defeated Northeastern in Troy on Feb. 20, 1960, 10-2 and beat them again on Feb. 24, 1962, 11-0. Trevor Kaye was a member of both of those RPI teams, so I'm not entirely certain which of those two was the first college hockey game I saw.

 

[alnike]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

Will have to look this up, but an Alabama-Huntsville game in the Fall of 1984 as my brother played there for Doug Ross.

 

[defkit]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

Sean - yours sounds a lot like mine, but mine was a year later. Don't know the date, but it was the opener for the 1986-87 season. BU was pre-season #1 with John Cullen, Scott Young, Clark Donatelli and company expected to be a great team. Maine came down for a two-game series and swept the Terriers. I don't remember much, but I do remember Scott King mishandling a seemingly "length of the ice" shot and letting it in off of his glove. It was probably closer to being by our own blue line.

Not only were those two games my first college hockey games, they were my first two hockey games at any level (growing up overseas, mostly in the tropics, there was no hockey to be found). I was hooked!

 

[ritBLKnORGsuit]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

When I was a senior (2010-2011 season) my top two choices were Virginia Tech and RIT with Virginia Tech ahead since I visited Blacksburg during the spring football scrimmage. My dad decided I needed to see a hockey game at RIT. I knew RIT and Air Force were rivals and choose to attend one of those games. We got to Ritter Arena early and had seats just askew from center ice. It was my first time experiencing Corner Crews harassment of the other team which I thought was awesome. RIT and Air Force would go to overtime and Air Force would commit a boarding penalty that would lead to the winning goal scored by Adam Hartley. I loved the experience and I saw I could manage going to a college that didn't have a football team. All I cared about was it having an awesome student section like the Corner Crew. Now I'm in my final year at RIT as one of the student leaders of Corner Crew and can see that first game made a big impact on my life.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

My first NCAA hockey game was RPI vs. UCONN in October of 2004.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

2004 GLI, Michigan vs MTU. 4-2 loss, but shouldn't have been that close - Cam Ellsworth made almost 50 saves.

First at the MacInnes, 2006 Winter Carnival vs. Minnesota. IIRC, we were doing pretty well after one period, but it was Teslak's freshman year, and he was prone to following up a solid game with a 6-goal outing. It was one of those outings for him and we ended up losing something like 7-3.

06-07 was the first year I started attending games regularly. Lots of memories from that year. First from the original Pep Band deck, Oct. 2006 vs. UAA. My first win, a 9-0 shellacking of the Seawolves and a very frustrated Nathan Lawson. Feb. 2007, Wisconsin in town, watched Brian Elliott get pulled 1:47 into the game after giving up two goals on two shots (I have one of the two pucks). Upsetting CC in the playoffs again, etc.

 

[The Freds]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

Sean, you got me thinking. A little bit of memory, and a little bit of research helped me figure it out. I remember the first game I attended was a Providence College - Yale game at the old Rhode Island Auditorium, or the Arena, where Providence College played prior to Schneider Arena. It was a great old hockey barn and it also housed the Providence Reds of the American Hockey League. I remember Bobby Bellemore was in goal for PC. He is still affiliated with the Friars all these years later. The Providence College Hockey Media guide tells me the Friars only played Yale once at the Auditorium when Bellemore played - it was December 16, 1964. I was just a young lad. Oh, and I do remember those funny leather helmets and the game ended in a brawl. And for those who will ask, it was pre-Cooperall days for PC.

 

[MCgrad07]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

1992-93 East Regional in Worcester at the Centrum. I forgot who played first but Harvard, Northern Michigan, Clarkson and Minnesota played the first night with BU and Maine having byes. During the Maine / Minnesota game the lights went out.

 

[blackswampboy]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

Clarkson vs. Oswego State at Walker Arena, the opening game of the 1979-80 season.
Clarkson won, 8-3.

 

[RaceBoarder]

Re: First College Hockey Game Attended

NMU hosting Michigan in Dec. 2003... NMU won 5-2... I was checking out campus before making my decision... I stand by my decision