If you know anything about Rochester Institute of Technology then you should know that hockey is a huge thing here. I’m a second year undergrad at RIT and had never been to a hockey game before. That all changed the evening of Oct. 21, 2023.
The game started at 5:05pm but I was there by 4:45pm so I could get everything I needed to make sure I wouldn’t miss any of the action. My friends Kyra, Leah, and I went to the concessions and got our fill of everything we wanted. Fries, chicken fingers, pretzels, hamburgers, hotdogs, and even more. You name it, concessions probably had it, and we ate about half the menu. After getting our smorgasbord of food, we headed to the seats that my friend Daijya had saved for us and waited for the game to begin.
Even if you weren’t paying attention you would know when RIT comes out onto the ice. The crowd cheered like I had never heard a crowd cheer before. They also had a variety of different cheers ranging from screaming/signing RIT repeatedly to saying that the opposing team sucks sausages. When I first heard the cheers I was confused. I thought, “did they say the other team sucks sausage?” was a weird cheer to make, but about 20 minutes in I found myself chanting the same thing.
Now if I’m being honest, the food left a lot to be desired. But while I was watching the game, food was the farthest thing from my mind. I didn’t think I would understand anything that was happening but it was actually pretty easy to follow along with everything going on on the ice. Whenever the puck moved, so did my head. The crowd was booing? I was right along with them. Cheering? I was one of the loudest.
I found myself enthralled in a game I had never even thought much about. I finally began to understand why people were so passionate about sports, and why our goalie was nicknamed “The Llama”. I screamed so much that my throat hurt and I never regretted it once. When the other team scored I booed and when we scored I cheered like my life depended on it. I cheered so hard I got on the ritathletics Instagram, pretty good for my first game.
About halfway through the game I found myself knowing all of the cheers. As soon as the music started I would know exactly what to say and even the claps that went along everything. I even learned how to say RIT in American Sign Language while at the stadium.
It’s safe to say that I like hockey now. I wouldn’t say I’m a die-hard fan but I did find myself looking at the hockey schedule as soon as I got back to my apartment. Though it took me a while to attend one, I’m glad to say I attended my first ever hockey game at RIT. I will definitely be at the next game, whether it be men’s or women’s.