To the fans of Ohio University hockey:
Two years ago, following my first visit to the Bird Arena, I wrote to school administrators, taking the university and Bird Arena management to task for a perceived lack of security during the Penn State-Ohio games. I also ripped into the Ohio fans for their boorish behavior and several verbal assaults on the parents of Icers players.
A lot has changed in the intervening two years.
This past weekend fans of both teams were treated to two exceptional contests between two outstanding college hockey programs. The fans were as boisterous and as bawdy as ever, but I did not see any evidence of anyone on either side stepping over the line that separates fanaticism from hooliganism.
Prior to Friday's game, I saw the man who cracked us all up last season with his dead-on impersonation of Icers head coach Joe Battista. It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but why not this year?
On Saturday night I was with the coach when he met last year's Gang Green leader (sorry, but I didn't get his name), who has since graduated but told JoeBa he wouldn't have missed this past weekend for anything.
I also spoke at length with Coach DanMorris about the rivalry that has developed between the two schools. We both agreed that it equals many of the major rivalries between NCAA Division I hockey programs. As Coach Battista told us in our pre-game interview, for the most part, both teams have a healthy respect for each other and have gone beyond the goon hockey style of rivalry that both teams expect from other opponents.
I would be remiss if I didn't thank Marcus Marazon and his excellent staff at the Bird for all of their help. Anything we need, all we have to do is ask. It has been a pleasure to get to know Marcus since our first meeting. OK, the scaffold still shakes, but it gives us one of the best seats in the house.
To the players of both teams, thanks for leaving it all out on the ice in four thrilling games this season. To the fans, thanks for supporting your teams. To the schools, thanks for two outstanding college hockey programs.
See you at Nationals!
-Steve Penstone is the Penn State Icers play-by-play announcer. Send him an
e-mail at stevep@psuplaybook.org.
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Letter to the Editor
