FLAGLER: My visit to Matthews

When you check the hockey box scores on a weekend morning and see a 1-0 final, you may assume the pace of the game was slow and deliberate, with neither side really putting much together. You might picture the fans gazing vacantly at the ice after a period or two passed scoreless, more interested in their french fries or chicken fingers than the action in the rink.

‘ ‘ ‘ But even though the Boston University men’s hockey team lost to Northeastern 1-0 last Friday, that picture comes nowhere close to describing the atmosphere at Matthews Arena. Matthews may be the toughest Hockey East arena to play in. It’s the oldest surviving hockey rink in the country, so when it gets loud, it has the acoustics of a high-school gym with 4,000 screaming fans. The NU students in the rafters seem like they’re right on top of the ice.

‘ ‘ ‘ Even though it was an early season game between two teams with losing Hockey East records, many of NU’s Dog House faithful showed up wearing ‘Beat BU’ t-shirts and heckling the Terrier fans who had made the trip. On a couple occasions, a plastic bottle clanged against an empty seat in the BU section. A pair of underwear even fluttered down into the aisle beside me.

‘ ‘ ‘ For most of the game, BU outplayed the Huskies. But freshman goaltender Chris Rawlings turned away chance after chance and kept the game scoreless until NU finally broke through on a power play midway through the third period. With about 4 minutes to play, NU defenseman Mike Hewkin drew a 5-minute major for hitting Terrier forward Alex Chiasson from behind. Both fan sections, which had been loud all game, exploded. For a moment, I though the 100-year old arena might crumble from all the noise. Although BU never broke through with a goal, the electricity in Matthews for that final stretch was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in a November game.

‘ ‘ ‘ I don’t want to suggest that the experience of going on the road to places like Matthews is better than watching a game at Agganis. I still believe BU has the best hockey fans in the country. Nothing can beat screaming with a deafening crowd at Agganis to give the Terriers the extra push they need to pick up a win. But going on the road to play the villain in a packed house full of hostile fans, especially after winning the national championship, is something every Terrier fan should experience.

‘ ‘ ‘ But not all road destinations are the same. Part of BU’s payoff for winning last year’s national championship will be games at two of the most iconic locations in all of sports. The Terriers will take on Cornell University at Madison Square Garden Nov. 28 and play Boston College at Fenway Park on Jan. 8. These games will be a rare opportunity for BU hockey fans to support the Terriers in these legendary venues, but don’t confuse these with road games just because you’re venturing outside the confines of Comm. Ave. Sure, there might be a fair amount of opposing fans there. You might even hear an always-original ‘Sucks to BU!’ chant. But the hostility won’t come close to what you’ll face going into an opposing arena.

‘ ‘ ‘ The Beanpot is the only environment that is somewhat similar to the road experience. The sheer number of students that come out to the Garden and the importance of the tournament always make tensions run pretty high. Winning the Beanpot is a huge goal every year for every BU, BC, Northeastern or Harvard University fan.

‘ ‘ ‘ But the crowd is still so split that you don’t get the satisfaction of feeling like the villain. The one thing that you can’t experience at the Beanpot is seeing your team score a goal to stun and silence an opposing crowd, like Nick Bonino’s empty-netter to seal a victory at Conte Forum against BC last season. It wasn’t better than winning the Beanpot or the Hockey East Tournament and it certainly wasn’t better than winning the National Championship, but it was one of the moments from last year’s season that I’ll always remember, and it was an experience that every BU hockey fan should have.

‘ ‘ ‘ BU will go to Conte Forum in January, and then wrap up the regular season at Matthews in March. Even if the team’s struggles continue, these will be can’t-miss games, because the opportunity to swagger into these places as defending champs doesn’t come around too often.

‘ ‘ ‘ The two games will both offer their own slightly different advantages. I don’t have to explain the details of the BU-BC rivalry. It’s without question the most heated in college hockey. Both teams circle the dates against each other before the year and step up their level of play in every matchup. But that intensity on the ice isn’t matched by the intensity of BC fans. Maybe it’s because they’re more interested in football or basketball, but given the success of the hockey program, the Eagles fans at Conte are surprisingly apathetic.

‘ ‘ ‘ Northeastern fans are the opposite. The rivalry on the ice between BU and Northeastern is nonexistent. There’s a reason we don’t chant ‘Rough ’em up! Rough ’em up! NU sucks.’ But rivalries don’t have to come from two teams dominating their sport. They simply have to be between two teams that hate each other, and the constant losing has bred a hate for BU within Husky fans that is unmatched.

‘ ‘ ‘ So whichever arena you choose to venture out to, wear that white and red hockey jersey with pride. No matter what happens this season, we’re still the defending champs. Don’t miss the opportunity to go into someone else’s home ice and remind them of that.

‘ ‘ ‘ Just watch out for falling boxers.