Justin Roller on Perseverance
[Justin is a 2010 UAH graduate currently in law school at NYU.]
My favorite Charger hockey memory will always be my first road trip to Niagara. In the fall of my freshman year at UAH, you could pay $80 for a 16 hour bus ride to Niagara Falls and two tickets to the weekend series at Dwyer Arena. Not to mention the relaxed drinking age across the border!
I still remember the quizzical looks on the faces of the Niagara faithful. Into Dwyer Arena stormed 100 blue and white-clad Charger fans, faces painted, flags in tow. A true home game for UAH–850 miles away from home ice, and just a stone’s throw from the Canadian border. Caught amidst raised eyebrows and whispers of “what the hell,” we marched to our seats as we chanted “It’s great! To be! A UAH Charger!” I’m convinced Dwyer Arena hasn’t been that loud ever since. The Niagara fans passively cheered on the “Purple Eagles;” we actively jeered the “Purple Pigeons.” The Niagara fans sat and politely clapped; we stood and stomped on the bleachers. The Niagara fans passively watched their team skate to a 7-3 victory; we screamed throughout a disappointing loss like it was the last UAH game we’d ever see. And in the second period, when Grant Selinger took a pass from Cale Tanaka and zipped a shot past the Niagara goalie to bring the Chargers within one score deep in the second period, he made sure to take a celebratory slam into the glass, right in front of us–the home crowd.
But this is just one memory among four years of exhilarating Charger hockey experiences. And it’s a shame that the short-sightedness of a few is bringing down the tradition built by so many. To think: the people dismantling this program are citing lack of fan support, just a short time after USCHO witnessed our invasion of Niagara Falls and opined that “no fans in college hockey are more underrated and under appreciated as the Charger faithful.” That probably explains why, in March 2007, a dozen of us crowded around a single laptop to watch the PPV broadcasts of the CHA tournament (and Dave Nimmo’s heart-stopping short-handed goal to knock off Robert Morris for the championships). Or why, weeks later, we made the trek to Grand Rapids, where it took #1 Notre Dame two overtime periods to climb Marc Narduzzi’s brick wall. Or why, over the next three losing seasons, we still went to the VBC every weekend (blasting Brett “P-Box” McConnachie’s “Chargers Gettin’ Rowdy”, mind you).
This is an extremely sad time for Charger fans. Fight and do all you can to save this team. We were always a dark horse, but we always put up a fight. And if we come up short, just remember what Coach Ross said after we nearly shocked the world in the 2007 NCAAs: “I’m proud of them, extremely proud of them, and I think they ought to walk out of here with their heads high.”
[Ed: If you want to tell your story, email it to me at g@saveuahhockey.com. --GFM]