Fans make journey to watch Elis on the road

By Laurie Randell

LAURIE RANDELL/YH The cousins of Dan Lombard, SM '02, watched their favorite Eli stop Michigan's attack.

When the unranked Yale hockey team took the ice against sixth-ranked Michigan on Sat., Oct. 30, the capacity crowd was silent. Silent, that is, except for the small group of Yale fans clustered together at the back of the arena who broke into loud cheers at the sight of the Eli players. Alone among 6,400 rabid Wolverine fans, this stalwart group of about 60 Yale supporters was determined to make their presence known. When Eli left wing Nick Deschenes, MC '03, opened the game with a power-play goal just 1:37 into the first period, the Yale fans burst into song, belting out cheers in the midst of a suddenly quiet Michigan crowd. Even though Yale eventually lost the game 3-2, it was far from a crushing defeat for the undermanned Elis.

Yost Ice Arena on the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus is an imposing place to play under any circumstances, let alone those that Yale faced this weekend. The arena seats 6,343 screaming fans wearing maize and blue—not enough spots to hold Saturday's 6,379 fans—a dramatic increase from Ingalls Rink's capacity crowd of 3,486.

Eli fan support at athletic events has been called into question of late, with critics pointing to declining attendance at home matches in most major sports. Yale hockey, however, has been one of the exceptions to the rule, consistently drawing strong numbers. Nevertheless, despite selling out its final 10 home games last year, Yale was still outdrawn on the road by several hundred fans per game.

While the distance from New Haven to Ann Arbor is enough to discourage all but the most avid hockey fans, the small group that put on Bulldog attire to show support against Michigan was not lacking in enthusiasm. Prior to the start of the game, about 20 Yale fans descended from their seats to pound on the glass surrounding the Yale bench, attempting to tell the Eli players that while they were far from home, they were not alone. "We have a very close Yale hockey family," Associate Athletic Director Wayne Dean, who attended the Michigan game, said. "Sometimes it brings us closer together to have a group of the same people at all the games." Dean travels to all of the hockey team's away games; his young son spent Saturday's game on the bench with the Eli players, clad in a Yale hockey jersey and helmet.

Yale fans in Michigan spanned all walks of life, including alumni, friends, and family from around the country. Goalie Dan Lombard, SM '02, skated into one of the biggest games of his career in front of his parents, his aunt, and his three young cousins. The youngsters, attired in bright, new Yale clothing, didn't seem to mind that they had the worst seats in an arena full of Michigan enemies.

Presbyterian Minister Victor McKusick, DIV '91, was not the only alumnus cheering the Elis in Ann Arbor, but he may have traveled the farthest to see them. McKusick has followed the Yale hockey team for 10 years, leaving his upstate New York home to attend most away games. "I go where they go," McKusick said. "We didn't know what would happen with this year, but it's really amazing what this group of players is doing."

Yale alumni from all over the Michigan area came out to support their alma mater. Craig Sutton, TC '93, and Kevin Wayne, TC '93, braved the imposing atmosphere of Yost Arena in their Yale jerseys. Sutton, a mathematics graduate student at Michigan, played junior varsity hockey for the Elis. "It's a little intimidating here," Sutton said. "But I try to stay in touch with what's happening with the program."

It is difficult to generate fan support on the road. Distance and expense discourage many current students from following the team. The situation is not helped by the fact that Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) schools are only required to supply visiting teams with 100 tickets for road games. Central Collegiate Hockey Association schools, such as Michigan, follow similar policies. The seats provided to Yale were "endzone seats," located at the top of the section behind one of the goals.

The attendance at home games can hardly be discounted as part of the Elis' success. According to Dean, whenever the national media mentions Yale hockey, they usually refer to how alive Ingalls Rink is with students and fans. Dean recounted the story of Harvard's trip to Ingalls two years ago, when over 300 cheering fans surrounded the incoming Cantabs' bus before crashing as one into the rink for the game. Now, with the Bulldogs' excellent play this year against Michigan and their ensuing 5-1 defeat of New Hampshire on Tues., Nov. 2, coaches have more to worry about than just Yale's fanatical fans.

Back to Sports...