Beanpot University 101

Boston University is a hockey school.

There’s no football or baseball team, and as much as it pains the hoopsters, they know the truth as well. When one team is ranked in the top 10 in the nation every year and the other struggles annually for an invitation to a 64-team tournament, there is no doubt which is the bigger draw.

After all, all the Icedogs have done is win 25 of the 51 Beanpots ever (the Beanpot is an annual tournament among Boston’s four Division I hockey schools: BU, Boston College, Harvard University and Northeastern University). BU will try to capture exactly half the ‘pots on the first two Mondays this February, first against Northeastern and then most likely, BC. The Terriers have also won four national championships along the way, most recently in 1995.

So when the average freshman steps into Walter Brown Arena on Babcock Street for Midnight Mania or the first game, that’s what he or she is stepping into. That little, old, dingy box with the low ceiling trapping and all that tradition.

‘BU Hockey made my freshman year,’ said College of Communications sophomore and Section 8 face-painter Jonathan Goldberg. ‘I’ll never forget the first time I sat in Section 8 it was absolutely insane. All of the songs and chants and the traditions were incredible, but the best part about it was the fact that everybody in that arena loved Boston University. If you want school spirit, you need to go out and get it, and you get it in full force at the hockey games.’

There’s something about what goes on in there that will make you want to move right out of you cramped double in Warren Towers or West Campus and pitch a tent in Walter Brown.

‘Just get out to one game and you’ll be back for more,’ said recently-graduated former Daily Free Press sports columnist Anthony DeVita, who plans on keeping his season ticket for Section 8, row E, seat 15. ‘When I came in as a freshman I wasn’t too happy about the athletic situation on campus, but the energy that can be packed into a BU hockey game really will satisfy your thirst for sports.’

There are a few more things freshmen should know before entering the loud red rink. When you step up to the ticket window in the lobby of Case Gymnasium and hand over your BU ID with the SportsPass (trust me, you have it, even if you don’t think you do) that will get you a free ticket to any home game, make sure you ask for Section 8. That’s where the fun is. If they can’t do that, then settle for section seven, but be prepared for some heckling from the Section 8-ers.

When the game starts, people yell all kinds of things in unison. At the beginning of power plays, students hum the fight song, with some vulgarities about Boston College not-so-quietly inserted into the middle. On penalty kills, you’ll hear the famous soccer ‘Olés’ all the way through the kill. And at various other times, everyone tells the other goalie that he sucks.

And there are plenty more spontaneous chants some of which cannot be printed in a newspaper but it’s easy to catch on.

‘Early on just keep your ears and eyes open and take the lead of the people around you,’ DeVita said. ‘A lot of fans are into routines that have been in place for a long time, so early on it’s good to sit back and learn from those people then join on in.’

The avid fan will get to know the players quickly and recognize them around campus all the time (insider’s tip: go to T Anthony’s right after away games). But for a head start you’ve got captain Mark Mullen, a center who won Hockey East’s best defensive forward award last year. Sean Fields is the senior goalie who appears immortal at times and is divinely important to the Icedogs this year. Six-foot, four-inch junior defenseman Ryan Whitney is a huge presence on the ice, and despite some early struggles a year ago, he is hoping to live up to his potential as the fifth overall pick in the NHL draft after his freshman year.

And of course there is Jack Parker. To say Coach Parker is a legend would be a severe understatement. Parker is entering his 31st year behind the bench. He played as an Icedog in the late 1960s before becoming coach in 1973. He is the third-winningest coach in college hockey history with 680 wins, next to just 339 losses. The BU faithful love Parker and give him a good share of the credit when anything good happens.

Once the average sports fan is sucked into Walter Brown for every home game (tickets go on sale every Monday at 9 a.m. for that week’s games), he or she will usually want to extend him or herself elsewhere to follow the team. The obvious trips include the Beanpot at the FleetCenter Feb. 2 and 9 and two quick jaunts down the B-line to BC’s Conte Forum on Dec. 5 and Jan. 16.

‘My advice to BU freshmen is this: simply go to the games,’ Goldberg said. ‘People don’t know that BU is a powerhouse in a major Division I sport. Duke is to college basketball what BU is to college hockey, plain and simple. I’ve known people who have never been to a hockey game in their life, arrive at BU, attend a hockey game and become addicted.

‘It is also the perfect social event,’ he added. ‘Have a great time screaming your head off on a Friday night from 7-10, and then you’ve got a big bad playground at your disposal all night long. It’s perfect.’

Other dates to mark on your calendar include Feb. 27 at Northeastern’s Matthews Arena. If you’re really ambitious, pile in the car and head up to Orono, Maine on Nov. 1 or Durham, N.H. on March 6 for key Hockey East battles against the University of Maine and the University of New Hampshire.

And this year, the Frozen Four college hockey’s version of the Final Four — will be held at the FleetCenter. With a little luck and a lot of student support, this year’s team has a real shot at playing for the national title right in its own city.

For a freshman who just got the hang of BU hockey, that would be the ultimate reward.