Last Sunday, Mar. 8 the Chargers Pep Band and the Sports Industry Club came together to sponsor a trip to see the Bridgeport Sound Tigers play the Hartford Wolf Pack at Harbor Yard. This was a great collaboration that brought hockey to the entire campus. All were welcome to sign up for the trip and a total of 37 students attended.
This trip gave students a chance to get off campus right before midterms and thus have a break between studying and have a chance to go out before we all separate for spring break.
Students were able to look around the rink before the game started and a group even took a picture with Storm, the Bridgeport Sound Tiger’s mascot. After about 45 minutes it was time for the game to begin!
After about two minutes the Sound Tigers scored their first goal and the crowd erupted with cheers. The first period ended in a tie score with one goal apiece.
During the time between periods the fans were occupied by staff throwing t-shirts out into the stands and also using air guns to get them out to the people in the back. There was also a blimp that flew over the stands dropping coupons. A fan had a chance to win a new Mercedes, but couldn’t make the slap shot through the small opening afforded to him. Then it was time for the second period to begin.
The second period was just as exciting as the first with the Sound Tigers pulling ahead of the Wolf Pack. The final space between periods featured “Chuck a Puck.” For $5.00 fans could buy a bag of six foam hockey pucks and throw them onto the ice in the hopes of getting a puck on the target and winning money or tickets to another series of hockey games. Sadly, no UNH student won anything but one lucky person did get their puck onto the bull’s eye of the target. The third and final period was even more exciting than the one that preceded it.
At one point in the period, the Sound Tigers were ahead by four points with a score of five to one. The Wolf Pack put up a valiant effort to come back, but the game ended with the Sound Tigers winning five to three. There were some brawls throughout the third period, but it wasn’t until there were only about three minutes left in the game that emotions were really high. There was a fight on the ice resulting in one of the Sound Tigers players being put in the penalty box for three and a half minutes (longer than the time left in the game). A Wolf Pack player was sent to the penalty box a little later and would also be out for the rest of the game. The Wolf Pack player proceeded to bang his stick against the walls of the penalty box, breaking it and drawing more attention to himself. This player was forced to leave the game.
This event was exciting and a great way for students to interact and meet each other. Both the Chargers Pep Band and the Sports Industry Club should sponsor this event or another like it in the future.
