Pucks and Pins

This past weekend Dan and I went up to Orono, Maine for the UNH vs. Maine hockey games at Alfond Arena. Dan actually went to see Maine vs UNH (since he was a Maine graduate).

Temperature in the Orono area was a balmy 6 degrees. We had planned to take a shuttle bus from the parking lot near the Collins Center (on the other side of campus from the arena). However, on Friday night the shuttle was non-existent, so we had to walk to and from the parking lot (about a 10 minute walk). It actually wasn’t bad and ended up being much better than standing around in the cold and waiting for a bus

Alfond Arena was packed as usual on both nights. Even as “the enemy”, I appreciate the passion of the Alfond faithful.

Friday night’s game was scoreless for the first two periods. About 4 minutes into the third period, Cam McDonald put the Cats up 1-0 on a beautiful breakaway goal. The UNH defense and goalie Kyle Chauvette stood on their heads for the rest of the game. Final Score: CATS 1 – Maine 0.

On Saturday morning we went to Ocean State Job Lots so Dan could replace the gloves that he lost. After that we went over to try our luck at the Hollywood Casino. I was down about $35 of my budgeted $40 on some unfriendly slot machines. I then headed over to the roulette machine and put $1.00 on the number of our Captain, Morgan Winters (26), and two of our Assistant Captains, JP Turner (16) and Marty Lavins (6). JP Turner’s number came up and brought me back to break even.

We had an early dinner at Pat’s Pizza then headed over to the arena. We caught the shuttle bus (avoiding another walk across the frozen tundra) and checked out some of the Alfond renovations, which are amazing). The Maine Student section trolled the Cats during warmups by swinging “cat toys” from the balcony. Even as a UNH fan, I found that hilarious.

Maine took a 1-0 lead early in the first period on a goal by Josh Nadeau. Nick Ring tied the game up a few minutes later. JP Turner broke the tie 9 minutes into the second period, and Josh Player added to the lead with his first collegiate goal, making the score Cats 3 – Maine 1.

Maine cut the lead to 3-2 early in the third period. I spent the rest of game wishing that the play clock would speed up. No lead is safe when you are playing the Black Bears on their home ice. Once again Kyle Chauvette stood on his head, and the UNH shut down the Maine offense by blocking shots with their sticks, skates and bodies. Maine thought they tied up the game with seconds remaining – referees signaled no goal, and the call was held up on review.

Maine won the game 3-2, sweeping a series in Alfond for the first time since 2008.

Other highlights of the weekend include

Congratulations to Mike Souza for this 100th career victory as UNH Head Coach. It was especially nice for it to be against his arch rival. Coach was a player on the 1999 Wildcat team that lost to Maine in the National Championship game.

It was great to see Marty Lavins back on the ice after sustaining an injury on opening weekend against Michigan State.

I stayed at the same hotel as team – so I was able to wish them luck as they boarded the team bus to go to the game. I also had the great fortune to meet some of the players’ parents. It’s nice to get to know them off the ice.

Alfond Arena has great hot chocolate for only $3.00

I always receive some good natured ribbing from Maine fans when I am at Alfond. Usually it’s the standard “We’ve got two, how about you”. I’ve always said that I’m going to buy a drink for the person who comes up with something more creative. This year someone came up to me and said “I bet you wish UNH had more medals than you do”. I burst out laughing – then went over, gave him five bucks (I had originally planned to get a $5 Dunkin gift card) and said “buy yourself a drink”. He didn’t know what to think, but eventually had a good laugh and we had a great conversation. Turns out his son is one of this years “Naked Five”.

Sitting two rows behind the bench gives you an interesting perspective of the game. I resisted the urge to tell Coach he was blocking my view. I did get to see the interaction between the players during the game. They have each other’s back and are coming together as a very cohesive unit.

It’s back to the Whittemore Center on Sunday for the “Battle of New Hampshire” and a game against nationally ranked Dartmouth.

Seriously, this was one of the best college hockey weekends ever.

Here’s proof that mixed sports marriages do work. One of the best rivalries in college hockey is Maine vs. UNH. As you can see, I follow the UNH Wildcats while my husband is a Black Bear fan through and through. I think I take it a bit more seriously than he does. I usually have to issue a pre-emptive apology for any of my behavior before our teams play each other.

Dan is a very good sport about all of this. I have caught him cheering for UNH when they aren’t playing Maine. He has come on several road trips with me – usually when they involve arenas that are on our bucket list (such as Munn Arena at Michigan State), or trips that involve good food. Last year he came to the game at RPI in Troy, NY since the arena is really close to Dinosaur BBQ. He also came down to the games at Princeton because of the Jersey Diners.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do cheer for Maine when they aren’t playing UNH (most of the time).

Going to a college hockey game usually involves getting something to eat before, during or after a game. Here are some of the places that are worth mentioning.

BEST OF THE BEST – – the Baked Potato Bar in the Alfond Arena at the University of Maine. They had massive baked potatoes along with all the fixings — from butter to bacon, cheese, chili and veggies. Sadly the baked potato bar is no more, and it is missed by the Alfond faithful and visitors alike.

Merrimack College, North Andover, MA: there used to be a Fuddruckers that was directly across Route 114 from the rink that was a great location for a pre-game gathering. Delicious burgers and fries, a topping bar for the burgers, and great milkshakes. There was also a limited but decent selection of beer. There is now a Dunkin Donuts attached to Lawler Arena, which is a great place to hang out before the game (because I love their iced tea).

Orono, Maine – no trip to Orono is complete without a trip to Pats Pizza, and no trip to Pats is complete without going “downstairs” at Pats. My “go to” pizza was a 9 inch double dough with pepperoni and sausage. Pats is still operating but “downstairs” is now only a fond memory.

Whittemore Center (UNH, Durham, NH) – has great chicken tenders and fries. Their brownies are also good. When teams like BU, Northeastern, or UConn come to down (dog mascot) they offer “Dollar Dog nights”

Conte Forum (Boston College) – they have a stand offering really good BBQ sandwiches (beef or pork) which includes a side. The Mac and Cheese is great. Their pretzels are also soft and salty.

Sacred Heart (Connecticut) has some of the best local donuts that I have ever tasted.

Boston University – Before Agganis Arena the Terriers played at Walter Brown Arena. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s it was one of the only places where you could buy a beer. I also recall that they had a stand where you could buy sushi. Why someone would buy sushi at a hockey rink is beyond me.!!

If you’re going to BU, it’s also worth going to Cornwalls in Kenmore Square. They have a great beer selection. But it always seems to be closed when we try and go.

There is a short video at each UNH home game which shows one of the players attempting to draw the opposing team’s logo. Here are some examples of the artistic abilities of some of the Wildcat players

University of Maine

Boston College #1

Boston College #2

University of Massachusetts

UMass Lowell

Merrimack

Mercyhurst

Quinnipiac

University of Vermont

It is so nice to be able to watch players that you saw and got to know in college playing professional hockey. I have had the great of seeing two UNH alumni play in the ECHL.

In 2021 my friend Julie and I went up to Portland to see Patrick Grasso and the Adirondack Thunder play the Maine Mariners. This year I went up to watch Robert Cronin play for the Maine Mariners. Both times we brought signs, which they saw and acknowledged (with a big smile). We also were able to meet up with them after the game. They were very happy to see us and thanked us for coming. Robert Cronin still plays for the Mariners. Patrick Grasso is currently playing for the Belfast Giants in Northern Ireland.

Another great tradition in college hockey is the UNH Fish – when UNH scores their first goal, a fish gets thrown out on the ice in the direction of the opponent’s goalie. I used to work with someone who played hockey for Northeastern. He told me that he was almost hit by the fish when he was up in Durham!!!

Copied from the UNH athletics web site is some information on the history of this tradition

Throwing out the Fish

UNH has a long history of successful hockey programs. Dating back to Charlie Holt in the ’70’s to present day coach Dick Umile, it has had great support and is a figurehead among the university community. A prominent tradition within the program has been the throwing of the fish. After UNH scores its first goal, all fans turn their attention to the opposing teams net. Up and over the boards, a fish is thrown onto the ice. The crowd erupts in excitement.

VIDEO: NESN Feature on Throwing out the Fish

According to Bob Norton, a former UNH assistant coach, the fish-tossing tradition began in the early 1970s. “It goes back to when we were playing a Division II team, and our program had gone way past theirs. I remember (the UNH fans) threw out this little dinky thing and they called it a Division II fish. I guess they were trying to tell them they weren’t worthy of a first-rate fish.”

This tradition caught on as a local fraternity made it a ritual to throw out the fish after UNH’s first goal. The fish was used to resemble the visiting team, “fishing the puck out of the net.”

One of Umile’s favorite fish incidents occurred in the early 1990s. At that time, the home team received a penalty if fans threw objects on the ice. “At all these different rinks people were throwing things–tennis balls, newspapers –and it was really holding up the game,” Umile recalls. “It’s the Maine weekend, and the cops won’t let the kid in with the fish. I’m in the office before the game, and the students come to get me. So I go down there, get the fish from the cops, and we’re walking in with the fish in the bag. The kids say, ‘But coach, we’re going to get a penalty.’ I say, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ll kill the penalty. Just throw the fish.’”

There are some great traditions in college hockey. One of the best can be found at Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine. Meet the “Naked Five”. They can be found running around the arena whenever Maine scores a goal. I first met the Naked Five at the 1995 Frozen Four in Providence, Rhode Island. I used that picture as my Christmas card that year, much to the dismay of my mother.

The second picture was taken at the 2004 Frozen Four in Boston. The last picture was taken earlier this winter at one of the Maine/UNH game up in Orono. Even though I was “the enemy”, these kids were great sports when I asked to take a picture with them.

Recently the Naked Five celebrated their 30th anniversary. Here’s to having them fill the steins to dear old Maine for another 30 years

The ‘Naked 5’ Celebrate 3 Decades of Inspiring UMaine Hockey Fans

Someone once asked me “Of all your pins, which is your favorite?” It was very interesting because I had never through about it before. It didn’t take me long to figure out which one was my favorite.

Years ago I met Dick Umile, the long time coach of the UNH Wildcats men’s ice hockey team. When I met him, I actually was following the University of Maine Men’s ice hockey team (how I became a UNH supporter is another interesting story). I mentioned that I collected pins, did not have any from the University of New Hampshire, and asked if he would be able to get me one. This is the one that Coach Umile sent me.