As summer starts, my thoughts are about the beginning of the 2008-2009 season with the Sioux vs. BU at Aggainis (i.e. at the "Ice Breaker"). So I thought I would provide some thoughts on differences between Agganis (home of BU) and The Ralph Engelstad Area "The Ralph" or "REA" (home of The Fighting Sioux).
From an arena standpoint, hands down, The Ralph is the best hockey facility in all of DI. However, from an atmosphere prospective....Agganis has it beat. Don't get me wrong, The Fighting Sioux have the best fans in college hockey (e.g. Sioux party in Denver 2008). However, when it comes to watching a game at The Ralph; it does not have the same atmosphere as others.
Below is a copy of a post I made on the Sioux Sports .com about the Ralph. I also added a few links to videos of the fans at Agganis.
I love the Sioux but I will have to say I have been very disappointed with the atmosphere in the REA. Because I live in Boston, I follow Hockey East as a season ticket holder to BU. I go to every BU game dressed in SIOUX. Each year I make a pilgrimage to the REA to watch the Sioux play and I have to say each year I get more disappointed. The atmosphere in the Ralph can be at times like be like watching a Chess match with tons of commercials. When I compare the two, the crowd at the Agganis is twice as loud ( it’s half the size of the REA) and the fans including the students are always cheering and appear to be having fun during the game. Their “ Fan antics” including the “ole, ole ole ole ole” chant during a BU penalty kill with a count down at the end of the kill 10, 9, 8…..or the chant to “stand up” towards the end of a close game to have the whole arena stand and cheer. Yes I admit sometimes they can go over the top (e.g. "The Song")but it’s the students enthusiasm, and witty chants that make it fun to watch BU play. My favorite chat from 2007 related to a bunch of younger kids cheering for the opposite team when the students started to chant “It’s past your bed time”. The fans at BU love the SIOUX . They have nothing but great things to say about them and always ask about the REA and how they hear it’s a great hockey facility. Most fans say they would love to see a game at the REA. Here are my thoughts on the REA:Yes, I do believe the students and the band should sit in the lower bowl they should be behind each goal so they can stand, intimidate the opposing team and be heard. They should be the ones getting the fans going; not the big screen. Let’s keep in mind this is a college hockey game and the students should have better treatment. Need to tone down the commercials on the big screen during the game. I was at the Wisconsin series last year at the REA. Saturday night game it was close, the SIOUX were down 3-2 with a few minutes – key time of the game, the place started to get into the game and began to cheer when “BANG” a video message was flashed on screen, not relating to the game, and the place went silent to hear the message and the wind was sucked out of the arena. I tried to continue to stand and cheer only to be yelled at to sit down. I guess Bobby Fischer was about to make his checkmate move. I think the cheerleaders make it fun – it beats having a mascot.. PS this post was brought to you by BOBCAT……………
I would love any comments ...good, bad or indifferent.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
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2 comments:
You must be talking about the spa comerical. I am annoyed as well by some of the crap that goes on in the REA. I realize that they have to make money but holy cow.
I remembered that I had posted this on Siouxsports.com back in March 2004. --SiouxFanInBoston
"I had the fortune of inadvertantly sitting right next to Mike Euzione at a local BU hangout (T's Pub) before a BU game last season. We spoke for about 3 minutes (tops), but when I mentioned I was from North Dakota, we started comparing arenas. Mike (who is on the BU arena committee) said that a big consideration for their plans was making sure they had an arena at BU where the fans seemed to be on top of the players for the intimidation factor. He said that he had visited REA in his tour of arenas, and that they wanted to have a lower ceiling and more fans closer to the ice to make sure the home ice/sound factor helped the home team. He obviously had many complimentary things to say about UND hockey fans in general and REA, but I think he thinks the bigger rink sort of takes away from the intimidation factor for home ice advantage. He finished by saying that, after BU's new arena is finished, North Dakota would have the best arena in the West, and BU the best arena in the East -- without saying which one he thought would be best overall.... (Of course, I drilled him on .... "Will there be leather seats?" "No." "Marble floors?" "No." "TV's in the bathrooms?" etc., etc.) It was fun meeting him...."
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