The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Men’s Hockey: Husky fans swarm to Michigan

By Andrew Parente, News Staff

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. ‘- Despite being 835 miles away from Boston, fans and alumni showed up in numbers to support the men’s hockey team in the NCAA tournament, their first appearance since 1994.
A bus load of students left Northeastern early Friday morning and made the 14-hour trip to Michigan where they were greeted by alumni, parents and other supporters of the team.
‘ An event like this isn’t necessarily easy to plan for the Athletics Department, especially with short notice of where the team was headed.
‘We had a meeting on Sunday afternoon and decided how we were going to travel here,’ said Chris Marshall, marketing and promotions coordinator for NU athletics. ‘Monday morning we were right at it with the hotel and bus companies. Tuesday we found a place, we sent some NU stuff out here to decorate and it’s worked out pretty well.’
Marshall was not alone in planning the event and was quick to thank the other workers in the Athletics Department including Philomena Mantella, who is senior vice president for enrollment management and student life.
‘It was great to have her full support and it was evident by her traveling for an event like this,’ Marshall said. ‘George Gardner [associate athletics director of external affairs], Mark Harris [assistant director of development], JB Robichau [hockey administrative assistant]’ and John Gruppo [assistant athletics director, business operations] also deserve big thanks.’
About 75 Northeastern fans showed up to Z’s Restaurant in downtown Grand Rapids for a pregame gathering before the Huskies battled with the Cornell Big Red.
Among them was Chad Provencher, a 1999 Northeastern graduate who has been following the team closely.
Provencher, who was sporting his new black NU jersey, was positive that he was going to head to wherever the Huskies were playing in the tournament.
‘As soon as I saw them start off real well, I decided I was going to wait and see what regional they went too,’ he said. ‘It didn’t matter where they were, I was going.’
The longtime Husky fan said he didn’t miss a game during his time at Northeastern, and while living in the Boston area after graduation he went to every game at Matthews Arena up until 2001 when he left the city.
Former DogHouse leaders Dan Paredes and Andrew Sullivan also made the trip. Both graduated in 2006 but have still followed the team ever since.
Sullivan was sure that he was going to Grand Rapids.
We all like to go together, and it’s definitely a way for old friends to connect,’ he said. ‘We all talked after the selection show happened and we knew we were going.’
Paredes agreed, and talked about the thrill of finally being able to witness an NCAA tournament game.
‘The fact that I was in 5th grade the last time Northeastern made the tournament, I think it’s a big deal for the school and a big deal for alumni and anybody that’s ever followed the team,’ he said. ‘Coming from where we were I think it’s a great thing for the school and the program to be in the tournament.’
‘ Northeastern Athletics Director Peter Roby was also in attendance and addressed the crowd in a 7-minute speech. He was introduced by Charlie Bame-Aldred, the fan-favorite and highly energetic PA announcer for hockey games.
‘I want to thank the students, the band and the DogHouse for not only being here this weekend but also for what’s been done at Matthews Arena all season,’ Roby said.
Roby also extended a thank you to the alumni and parents that were in attendance.
‘I also want to thank all the alumns that have been involved with the program all this year and through the years,’ he said during his speech. ‘This is the first time in 15 years that we’ve had this kind of success and one of the things that makes us feel so good about watching this team is knowing the number of alumns that have been so loyal and all they’ve ever wanted to do was see Northeastern be successful.’
Roby also acknowledged the seniors on the team and said how proud he is of them after the losing seasons they had experienced in the past.
‘The thing that makes me feel good about the year that we’ve had is those seniors in particular that started off their careers and really struggled but have been the cornerstone of this program,’ he said. ‘I just want us all to salute the coaching staff and our players but in particular those seniors for their leadership.’

More to Discover