BGSU hockey (14-6-6, 11-4-3) closed out their weekend series against BIG 10 opponent Notre Dame (5-18-3, 1-13-0) with a 2-2 draw at the Slater Family Ice Arena. Following regulation and overtime, which produced no winner, Notre Dame would eventually claim the shootout win after eight rounds in a game that will be listed as a draw by the NCAA.
One major factor of the game on Saturday night was the sold-out Slater Family Ice Arena and the fans that packed the arena.
“It’s amazing, all season long the fans have brought it, and we really appreciate it. We gotta do what we can on the ice to make them happy so they keep coming back, but tonight was unbelievable, and it’s something I’ll never forget,” said freshman defenseman Brayden Crampton.
Said head coach Dennis Williams about the crowd, “I was talking to Curt (BGSU associate head coach Curtis Carr) after the game, and he said to me because he knows probably how I am a little bit, and he’s like ‘hey, I need you to take a breath here’. He said, ‘I’ve been coaching here for however many years,’ and he said, ‘I’ve never seen the rink in my seven years like that. That electric, that filled, the crowd, the students, the energy, and he said, ‘it’s phenomenal. I’ve never, in all my time here, seen that type of environment in this rink.’ It’s something we want to continue to build off, we’re thankful and grateful. I wish we woulda delivered a win instead of a tie, but I think it was an entertaining game.”
“The atmosphere has been probably the best all season,” said a current BGSU student and Bleacher Creatures member who chose to remain anonymous. “Probably the best since the three years I’ve been a Bleacher Creature.
“You can’t hear the announcer; they need to turn the gang on the mics up,” said BGSU alumni and BGSU hockey superfan Rick Crowe. “The volume in here is incredible.”
Another BGSU student explained that the atmosphere was “electric. Insane. It’s really fun to be around.”
As for the reasoning behind wanting to come to this specific game, fans gave different answers but mostly centered around the excitement of BGSU hockey.
“We came to family weekend and went to the exhibition game, and we had so much fun. We bought tickets that day to come to tonight’s game,” said BGSU parent Amy Schopperth.
Said the anonymous Bleacher Creature previously interviewed for this article, “I’m a bleacher creature, I come to every game. Definitely wouldn’t miss this one. Been looking forward to it all year. We knew it was gonna be electric, especially when it’s sold out. The Big 10 games are always something that you can’t miss.”
As for what fans enjoy so much about Falcon hockey to sell out the Slater last night and consistently bring big crowds, many fans explained their favorite part of attending BGSU hockey games.
“Everything,” said Schopperth. “It’s just loud, and it’s fun, and there are fights sometimes.”
“The energy that’s in the building, the atmosphere of the people. It’s fun, exciting, and it’s action,” said fans Richard and Kathy Brown Cogley.
“The game, the game of hockey,” another fan put simply.
BGSU will be back at the Slater Family Ice Arena next weekend when they return to CCHA play and host the St. Thomas Tommies (17-8-3, 14-4-2) at the Slater Family Ice Arena on Feb. 6 and 7.
