易胜博官网

Wildcat hockey is huge at 易胜博官网 and throughout the state. Friday and Saturday night games typically draw thousands from campus and the surrounding communities to the Whittemore Center Arena, where 易胜博官网 fans are famous for making things鈥�well鈥�very uncomfortable for visiting teams.

This is especially true of the loud and vocal 易胜博官网 student section that has perfected a dozen or so chants over the years that are mercilessly directed at opposing players who have received penalties and at opposing goalies.

Goalies get it especially bad. In fact, the most cherished tradition takes place after 易胜博官网 scores its first goal. A fish is thrown on the ice just in front of the opposing goalie鈥檚 net.

The passage of time has obscured the exact meaning of this gesture. Some say it means 鈥測eah, that鈥檚 right. Go fish the puck out of the net.鈥� Others reference the 1970s, when legendary coach Charlie Holt led the Wildcats over a Division 2 team and a student tossed out a small fish, as if to say, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 what you get for daring to swim in our big pond!鈥�

But, really, who cares how it got started? The tradition endures and it also delivers a supreme moment of bonding for thousands during the chilly months of winter.

鈥淭he fish thrower has always been a member of Zeta Chi fraternity,鈥� explains senior business major Mike Albert, who grew up as a 鈥渇ootball guy鈥� in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and plays rugby at 易胜博官网. 鈥淲e own the tradition because Head Coach Dick Umile was also a Zeta guy.鈥� Albert attended Bishop Feehan High School and 鈥渋nherited鈥� the fish tossing from a Zeta brother who also graduated from Bishop Feehan.

鈥淚 guess that means I get to pick my successor, huh?鈥� Albert muses.

Whoever the next tosser is, s/he will need better aim than Albert had in his first time around. 鈥淲e were playing Michigan. It was breast cancer awareness week and the players were wearing pink patches on their jerseys, so I tied a pink ribbon around the fish. That was a nice touch. The problem was that the fish came up short and almost cleared 易胜博官网 winger Kevin Goumas into the boards.鈥�

Heavy rests the crown on he who throws the fish.