Northeastern fans bring it, with cheers, chants, songs and a blanket of red, black and white that turns the TD Garden into the Huskies’ DogHouse from Matthews Arena.
Forty members of Northeastern University’s Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity bounded into TD Garden in Boston Monday night to show their Husky pride at the Beanpot.
“The Beanpot is the biggest thing we have at Northeastern. This is our Super Bowl,” said fraternity member Bobby Palazzi, a second-year computer and math student wearing a black Northeastern hockey jersey.
“We have a lot of energy. It’s such a great vibe,” said Nicklaus Ohlweiler, a second-year business and finance student showing his pride in a red Northeastern sweatshirt.
Northeastern has had great success at the Beanpot in recent years, winning five of the last six tournaments.
“Hockey is such a big sport at Northeastern. And the Beanpot is a big thing for Northeastern,” Ohlweiler said.
Last year, when Northeastern defeated Boston University in the Beanpot championship, 4-3, in overtime, Ohlweiler was watching in his London apartment with 30 fellow students studying in the U.K.
“Hockey is such a big sport at Northeastern. And the Beanpot is a big thing for Northeastern.”Nicklaus Ohlweiler, a second-year business and finance student at Northeastern University
“Hockey is such a big sport at Northeastern. And the Beanpot is a big thing for Northeastern.”
This year, he was thrilled to be in attendance at TD Garden.
Another fraternity member, Max Mayer, a second-year computer science and math student who transferred to Northeastern this year, said he was attending his first Beanpot and his first-ever hockey game.
“I’m really excited. I’ve heard so much hype about these games,” Mayer said. “So I’m very excited to see them play and be a part of it.”
Izzy Patrizio, a first-year psychology major, attended the Beanpot with her friends, first-year cellular molecular biology student Sarah Meek and first-year neuroscience student Sofia Iacono.
“We’ve been to every home game,” said Patrizio, who added she would love to be a DogHouse leader someday.
“We consider ourselves the biggest fans. Northeastern has the best fans, we have the most school pride of all the schools, and the best chants,” said Patrizio, who was wearing a black Northeastern hockey jersey.
One of their favorites, the three friends said, is the “co-op chant.”
The co-op chant goes:
“Give me a ‘c.’ Give me an ‘o.’ Give me an ‘o.’ Give me a ‘p.’”
Then, “What’s that spell?” … “Co-op.”
And, “What’s that mean?” … “Get to work.”
Yes, even the raucous hockey fans recognize that experiential learning provides great career opportunities.
“The entire student section is always cheering and yelling together,” said Meek.
“It’s electric,” Patrizio added.
Meanwhile, on Northeastern’s Oakland campus, the big screens above the fireplace in Rothwell Student Union broadcast the game.
In the crowd enjoying free pizza was 2019 electrical engineering graduate Sofia Benitez Quevedo, who works at Lockheed Martin and drove from Mountain View to watch the game with friends.
“I really like Beanpot. It’s the only sporting event I really like following,” she said. “When we found out there were going to be events in the Bay Area I was like, let’s go!”
Quevedo attended Beanpots at TD Garden and enjoyed the rides back to campus on the MBTA, especially after a win. And the Huskies won often during her time on the Boston campus, claiming Beanpot titles in 2018, ’19 and ’20.
“Not only do you win and you’re cheering in the stadium, but it continues on the way home,” she said.
Evie May Buford, a health sciences major from Vermont, came out hoping for a third straight Husky win. Buford played hockey for 10 years before coming to Northeastern.
“Beanpot is known as some of the best college hockey,” she said. “It’s just fun to watch.”
Northeastern Global News writer Kate Rix contributed to this report.