I thoroughly enjoyed the Midd-Norwich game on Tuesday. There was lot of good hockey played on both sides. Norwich has better players than Midd, and I'd hate to see them when they are really clicking. I was impressed by the effort from the Panthers. This year's version seems to be much more willing to work hard. They have a ways to go, but they could end up being a very good team by the end of the year and challenge for a NESCAC title. But they're not there yet.
I did find the atmosphere quite bland however. Time may have distorted my memories, but I remember these games as being much more physical on the ice and much more verbal in the stands. There doesn't seem to be the passion on either side. The was a good crowd, particularly for a Tuesday night, good student presence by the second period, and the Norwich faithful travel quite well. I think the environment contribuets to the subdued atmosphere. The Chip Kenyon arena, while an amazing facility, is a rather sterile place and is very well sound proofed. Aren't hockey rinks supposed to be noisy? While I'm happy not to be freezing my *** off, there was something more intimate about the cold, gloomy, old Duke Nelson area. And that old horse barn at Norwich was like playing hockey in someone's flooded basement with half the lights off. Those places got the juices going more than today's McShane and Beaney ice palaces. It's a different time and hockey is in a different place than it was back then, but I'd like to see everyone to have a more energizing experience at the game. Maybe if the Panthers had been able to tie it up late and send it to OT it would have gotten more raucous.
