While Rensselaer boasts several highly competitive varsity sports teams, it is no secret that the pulse of RPI athletics is set by the Division I hockey teams, especially the men’s team. Sadly, fans have been somewhat disappointed recently; both the women and men have been hurting in recent matches. Even more disheartening, however, has been the way some of those fans have reacted to this trend of poor results. They have been unhappy—and they’ve shown it by taunting and insulting the Engineers on the ice.
Things came to the head this past weekend at the most anticipated sporting event of the year, the Big Red Freakout! Just as tradition calls for, everyone donned their red shirts and face paint; by the time the puck dropped, the air was electric. All was going well until Princeton University scored one goal. At that point the crowd gave up hope and the cheers started to turn ugly.
When the Tigers scored their third goal about halfway through the game, a chant erupted from a section of the fans calling for RPI’s third-string goalie to be put on the ice. Engineer netminder Jordan Alford ’08 had been doing quite admirably, however; allowing only three goals from 40 shots against one of the league’s top teams is no small feat. This negativity did absolutely nothing to raise the morale of the home team, nor did it give them the boost they needed to pull through to victory.
We at RPI have long been known for our aggressive cheering, but when did we turn on our own team? We are supposed to be there for our players; how can we expect them to do their best if their own fans are tearing down their morale?
When you go to the Houston Field House, go with all your enthusiasm. Be ready to scream your heart out and even to hurl insults onto the ice—but make sure you target the opposing team. Save your cheers and encouragement for the Engineers. We may be faced with tough times, but the cherry and white can still pull through to a very positive showing in the remainder of the season and into the playoffs. They’re going to need all the help they can get from you, however. Princeton dealt a sore blow to our pride on Saturday; let’s pay them back in kind in the postseason, and show them what true RPI fans can do for their team.
