Just got back home from the Whale. A couple of observations. One, I've been to scores of Yale games, but I don't think I've ever seen more fans in the Whale than this afternoon. The box score says 3500, which is stated capacity, but an usher told me he thought they had sold 1000 standing room tickets. The place was seriously noisy, too. I have also never seen more kids in the two student sections at the Yale offensive end of the rink. The band was also there in full force. It was pretty impressive.
The game itself was great, too. I've said before and I'll say again, Yale has a big bull's eye on its back and everyone is going to be "up" to play them. No matter what kind of season you are having, no matter what kind of post-season prospects you've got, how can you not get up for an opportunity to knock off the top ranked team in the country? And the longer Yale's winning streak goes, and the longer they are top ranked, the more they'll have to deal with some tightness. It makes for excellent atmosphere and when Brown scored first goal this afternoon the intensity just doubled.
The truth is: Yale is a very very good team. They are fast, they are very well-conditioned, they cycle and cycle and they just wear you down. Brown played the best they could and kept it close for two periods (2-2 at the end of the second) notwithstanding being out shot 2 to 1. But Yale's relentless attack wore Brown down and the dam broke in the third period. You have to believe Keith is telling them to never give up, never let down, to turn the temperature higher and higher and challenge the opponent to stay with them. I think very few teams will be able to do this but I think the games down the stretch will be wonderful to watch as everybody draws a bead on that bull's eye. It is and it will be a season to remember.
