Midnight Mania rocks Walter Brown

After a heartbreaking end to last season, the Boston University men’s hockey team didn’t waste a minute getting back onto the ice for practice.

Freshman goalie Stephen Siwiec led the team onto the ice of Walter Brown Arena to begin practice in front of 1,200 fans chanting “Go BU!” as the clock struck midnight last night.

Signaling the beginning to what the Terriers hope will be an even better season than their last, the practice, dubbed “Midnight Mania XIV,” was clearly an exhibition for the fans.

“This is a good place to go out and have a good time with your friends, as well as a chance to support the team,” said College of Arts and Sciences senior Jeremiah Cushman.

Most of the crowd was in the arena at 11:30 p.m., with music from the pep band and giveaways for Terrier Hockey prizes to keep them entertained.

“I was surprised at such a good turnout,” said CAS freshman Sean Parenti, getting his first taste of the BU hockey atmosphere.

“On a Sunday night I didn’t expect to see many people here. I guess people already did their work, or just aren’t doing it,” Parenti joked.

Not all the fans were happy with the turnout, which was more than 2,000 people short of capacity.

“Hopefully this event will help generate some buzz to increase turnout throughout the year,” said BU alumnus Tim Gaige. “Last year’s turnout was disappointing as well.”

As the players took the ice, there was one notable absence from the team. Sophomore Ryan Whitney, recently selected fourth in the NHL’s Entry Draft, was on the sidelines with an ankle injury. He is expected to miss three weeks of action.

After a quick skate around the ice, Parker briefly spoke to the fans, thanking them for their support.

“We have the best student support of any teams in the league,” Parker proclaimed. “I hope to see you at all the games.”

After the first introductions of this year’s team, students started to head for the exits.

Those who stuck around to the end were able to see the team take part in stretches at center ice that had female fans screaming when the players bent over to touch their toes.

The team ended the 40-minute practice with a four-on-four scrimmage, highlighted by goals from juniors Mark Mullen and Frantisek Skladany, as well as senior John Sabo and freshman John Laliberte.

While there were no big hits from the players, the fans still were able to enjoy a sneak peek at this year’s edition of the Scarlet and White.

“I’m very optimistic, after a NCAA tournament showing last year,” Cushman said. “I’m hoping for a good year from the senior captains, and a lot of improvement from the junior class.”

In the NHL’s Entry Draft during the summer, seven current Terriers were selected. The incoming freshman class contains four of those players: Laliberte, Dan Spang, Jekabs Redlins, and David VanderGulik

“I’m excited to see the new additions to the team take the ice,” Gaige said. “It gives great credibility to this team that there were so many incoming freshmen taken in the draft.”

It was also a chance for senior Freddy Meyer to make his public debut as the captain of this year’s squad.

“Meyer has learned a lot from his predecessors,” said radio hockey analyst and College of Communication junior Noah Coslov. “He has had good leaders to learn from, and commands the respect of all the guys on the team.”

After a record of 25-10-3 last season, the Icedogs lost in the Eastern Regionals of the NCAA Tournament to the University of Maine.

After losing seniors Jack Baker and Mike Pandolfo, the biggest question mark for the team seemed to be who would replace the two top offensive players from a year ago.

“Losing the top two scorers, people think there is a reason to worry, but there are a lot of guys on this team who can score,” Coslov said.

“This team has more depth than in recent history,” Coslov continued. “There are eight freshmen and six will dress every night.”

The freshmen will make their debut as part of the Terrier team as the Icedogs take on Concordia in an exhibition game Friday at 7 p.m. at Walter Brown Arena.