From the Sidelines: Our job: working Yalies into a frenzy

By Al St. Germain

COURTESY AL ST. GERMAIN

Chalk one up for the men's ice hockey team and the band that loves it. For those of us on the other side of Ingalls Rink, the hockey season was magical. It was thrilling to see such huge numbers of rabid Yale fans at every game. We all shed a tear when the student section did the goalie-sieve-funnel-vacuum-black hole cheer that we have loved for so long.

Still, we were even more thrilled when we got to tag along for the team's playoff ride. We would have followed those guys to Beirut. Despite the disappointing outcomes, the trips provided quite a few memories. Just as the team was venturing into uncharted territory, so too were we.

Our first "trip" was actually back to New Haven. Several members of the band cut their spring breaks short so they could support the Bulldogs in their quarterfinal series against St. Lawrence. What we got was an incredible, down-to-the-wire series, featuring two improbable comebacks and the loudest Ingalls Rink anyone has ever heard. Before the start of the third and deciding game, President Richard Levin, GRD '74, told members of the band that they were responsible for the game-tying Yale goal the night before. We were pretty sure it was Jay Quenville, SY '00, who scored it, but in any case we thanked him for his support. The game-ending rendition of "Down the Field" was louder than ever as Yale wrapped up the series with a convincing 4-1 victory. We bid a fond farewell to our friends on the Zamboni staff, knowing that Lake Placid was our next stop.

Thanks to the Yale Hockey Association finding room for us on the back of its bus, we were able to make the seven-hour journey to Lake Placid. Despite the size of the arena, the eight billion Clarkson fans all wearing the same green hats, and the two-Zamboni curse, we were as loud and excited as ever. Even a combined Clarkson-Harvard band (you can never trust those guys) fell before our almighty power. The Princeton band was again nowhere to be found. President Levin joined us again, this time coming up with some interesting interpretations of the bass drum part of "Sympathy for the Devil." We were fortunate enough to stay at the lovely Holiday Inn-Lake Placid, which had one hell of a hot tub. But we would have gladly traded our beloved whirlpool for a couple of Yale victories.

When we found out that the hockey team was headed to Ann Arbor, Mich. for the NCAA tournament, we thought our season was done. But on Fri., Mar. 27, 22 of us found ourselves on a flight to Detroit. The University of Michigan was like an entirely different world. As we prepared in their band room, we could only stare (and in some cases drool) at their awards and banners, and the gigantic picture of them at the Rose Bowl. However, they treated us with the utmost respect, and served us a mean batch of punch and cookies.

We could not help but feel the stares of the Big-10 fanatics as we entered Yost Arena. We were guided to our seats somewhere between the lights and the roof and proceeded to play as well as we possibly could. Even the Ohio State fans couldn't help but shake their collective thangs to "Boom, Boom," and the arena was a bastion of good feeling when we belted out "Love Boat." We gave it our all right up to the bitter end of Yale's 4-0 loss, and although we didn't want to leave, we reluctantly stepped out of the arena only to run into the Princeton Band (where the hell did they come from?). We tried our best to enjoy the rest of the weekend in Ann Arbor, but it was not easy. No hot tub was going to make us feel better.

We in the Yale Band never laced up a skate or taped up a stick, nor did we ever hip check an opposing player into the boards. We did try to buy a few refs (they always refused our money). But we could not help feeling that we lent some sort of hand, however minuscule, to the success of the Yale hockey team. Whether it was working the crowd at The Whale into a frenzy or trying our absolute best to turn a hostile rink into a more friendly confine, the band always gave its absolute all, from that very first home game against Clarkson to the final seconds of the NCAA playoffs. We thank everyone who made it possible, and we can't wait to do it again next year.

Al St. Germain, BK '99, is the drum major of the Yale Precision Marching Band.

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