Reason #5
Reason #4
Reason #3
Well it's the first day of classes which means we've got to be getting close to hockey season, right? The Top 5 Reason countdown is almost complete, but before #1 comes out, check out reason #2.
Reason #2 - The Dog Pound
So not at all an original reason for why this season is going to be ridiculous but it is ALWAYS be worth repeating - our student section is the best (no, really).
Nobody can really quite put their finger on it, why last year there was such a turn around, but honestly who cares. We all became better fans and that's all that matters. Nothing can compare to those away games last year. Nothing can compare to how much louder we got. The best part is that everyone else takes notice of it, too.
Before I get into this year, why not reminisce a bit.
vs. BC - Bus + making a whole section plus ours + Superfrauds checking out early = our house
vs. Harvard - Sitting on top of the team + coming from behind + ChrisCo scoring (this is way more sexual than intended) = our house
vs. Providence - Losing track of which sieve chant you're on + an angry Friar - all students that attend PC = our house
vs. Northeastern - The whole thing = our house
vs. Minnesota - Lots of Gopher fans that don't know what chanting is + being mic'ed up + 20 or so of the loudest BU fans = our house...none for Charlie Coyle
Then of course there was Merrimack and Lowell and even that Vermont trip (and StuVi party back in Beantown), all of which have their place in Dog Pound Domination history.
That's cool. Now how about this year?
Well no need to spoil the fun for any of the new guys, the student section will speak (or chant) for itself. Just know that there's been preparation (aka facebook messages about nothing at all hockey related at 2 AM) for this year starting way back in May. People are going above and beyond what has been done in the past and the season hasn't even started yet.
The biggest complaint (and yeah, it's been one of mine) is how dry Agganis can be. How un-Walter Brown Arena it is. For the first time, I am completely confident it's going to be different this year. First of all, the people that inhabit the 118 and the 108 are more stupid (in a good) than they ever have been. They're closer (in every way imaginable) than they ever have been. There's no reason not to scream your ass off when you're surrounded by 2,000 of your best friends.
Secondly, the team is so apprecitive of us and what we do. I'm sure we all remember the post with quotes from the team (KEVIN. GILROY.) itself thanking us for everything we've done. That is just going to feed into how loud and how obnoxious we can get. If we can do it away there's no reason not to do it at home.
Thirdly, we've all got so much to prove. Let's just say it, last year frickin sucked. And we aren't even on the team. The emotion and energy that will be at this year's games are way more than usual. If your blood isn't boiling before you even enter those doors, something is seriously wrong with you.
Fourthly, and this is for all the haters, if you want it to be more WBA-esque, why don't you plant your ass there and watch a women's ice hockey game? I'm so sick of the argument that people miss that place but don't show up to it when they can. If you step foot in there and scream like you know you can, you're going to get that feeling again. Those old feelings of being in a rink, not an arena. The excessive noise, even the excessive cold. And I guarantee once you taste that 1) you'll want to do it again and 2) that'll transfer to Agganis. Ask anyone who's done it and I promise you that they will agree.
So this is it. The year it finally all comes together. Everyone that made last year happen is going to want to see it done again. All the progress made last year is just going to make us want more of it this year. I know that once people start to really see that we can't be messed with - at our permanent home or one of our vacation homes - it won't stop. This student section is going to get back to where it was in 2005 when it was recognized as the best in college hockey.
When we all start realizing that this is one of only three teams that can compete for conference hardware this year, we're all going to go absolutely insane. And once we all really believe what Parker said ("I think they think they help us win, but I don’t think they know how much they help us win") this is going to be one of the best years of Dog Pounding (you laughed) in years.
33 Days.
