As New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady attempted to save the Pats in the final 30 seconds of Super Bowl XLII, ice skaters at Agganis Arena stood still, eyes glued to the giant screen in the middle of the rink. When Brady threw an incomplete pass, securing a New York victory, Giants fans all over Agganis jumped from their seats — one skater with a Giants jersey and hat even dropped to his knees on the ice.
As Boston University draws its student body heavily from both the New England and the New York areas, there was sure to be both big disappointment and elation last night at The Biggest Super Bowl Party BU Has Ever Seen, which drew about 2,100 students, both dedicated and indifferent, to see the Giants’ 17-14 victory over New England.
Free ice skating, cash prizes and giveaways — provided by the Programming Council, Student Activities Office, Agganis Arena and the Dean of Students Office — brought the crowd, but a historic football game provided the excitement.
“It’s a great event,” College of Communication freshman Alex Petrucelli said. “It accommodates all types of personalities.”
Although she confessed to having no interest in football, College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Rebecca Mandel, a Myles Standish Hall Resident Hall Association representative, said she came to the event hoping to secure the $1,000 cash prize that would go to the RHA with the most students in attendance.
“It could do great things for our programming,” she said.
Other prizes up for grabs included flat-screen televisions, Xbox 360 game consoles, iPods and, of course, Patriots paraphernalia.
PC has hosted an annual Super Bowl party, but PC co-president Kate Guastaferro said when the Patriots made it to the big game they had to “kick it up a notch.”
When the Patriots were in the Super Bowl in 2004, PC found success in hosting the Sunday party, which prompted them to return once more to Agganis, Guastaferro said. To draw a target crowd of 2,500, the event combined the free skate, a popular PC event, with football and freebies.
Although attendance was slightly shy of this goal, students agreed that the night was a success.
“It’s so much better than watching the game in the dorms,” CAS freshman Halima Boukraa said. “And there is enough going on that you can bring your friends who aren’t fans.”
Security guards made their presence known by standing in the aisles as Giants and Patriots fans watched the last two minutes of the game, when the win was still up for grabs.
Although PC did not plan on closing the event at a specific time, hoping to keep fans in for a pancake breakfast and prizes raffled, many fans left soon after the game.
Outside Agganis, Boston Police secured Kenmore Square in anticipation of any possible raucous behavior. Little trouble transpired in the well-policed area, however, said BPD spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll.
“We’ll continue our presence out there for the rest of the night,” she said. “It was an evening that went without incident.”
