How I Discovered My Love for Hockey at Princeton

I never thought I would fall in love my freshman year at Princeton, but nothing could stop hockey from stealing my heart. From the jaw-dropping athletic talent of the players to the ecstatic fans and the fun time with friends in between our busy schedules, hockey has become something I look forward to every winter.

It all started during fall break of my freshman year. On a late-night trip to Wawa, my friend Maria Olivarez ’28 and I heard loud music coming from Hobey Baker Rink. Moments later we found ourselves sitting on the bright orange bleachers overlooking the shiny white ice of the rink. 

I quickly became fixated on the players clad in orange and black jerseys with padding that made them seem larger than life. They were so fast, dashing back and forth on the ice. I was astonished. Until then, my only experience with ice skating was the occasional visit to a pop-up ice rink in my hometown, Reno, Nevada, where the surface was usually more slush than ice. 

Every few minutes the players would rotate out, and we realized that there were players from the men’s and women’s teams. Without knowing it, we’d wandered into the Baker Bash, a free preseason event for fans of the men’s and women’s teams. It is a perfect opportunity to see intrasquad scrimmages, and at the end the kids in the audience can get their favorite player’s autograph or picture. 

With the hockey season starting in early November and ending in late February (plus playoffs in March), the games soon became a thing to look forward to during the harsh winter months. Even when there is a foot of snow outside and the temperatures are below freezing, the hockey team will be playing. 

Maria and I catch up on each other’s lives and have our own running commentary about the games. “It became a routine or thing to do to have a really nice break from everything,” she said. “The sport is really accessible, in the way that other sports are more difficult to understand since you need to know the rules of the game.” 

The games soon became a thing to look forward to during the harsh winter months. Even when there is a foot of snow outside and the temperatures are below freezing, the hockey team will be playing. 

Very quickly we understood that the aim of the game was to get the puck into the net at any cost. Players will smash into each other or push each other into the wall with ferocity that seems unreal. “How is that even allowed?” is a question my friend Sarah Thomas ’28 frequently asks. I, as her unofficial hockey tutor, often don't have an answer. 

Every game I frantically search the crowds for other undergraduates, but usually my friends and I are pretty much the only ones. Occasionally the Princeton band will make an appearance in their orange plaid outfits to cheer on the team. But at most of the games I have gone to, more fans show up for the opposing team. In the recent men’s hockey game against Cornell, the seats were filled with fans in red and white. No matter. The Princeton fans will always show them up in energy, banging on the glass to encourage the home team. 

In recent games people have shown up in baker costumes, in honor of the rink’s namesake, Hobey Baker, Class of 1914. When there is a pause in the action, the DJ puts on what my friends and I have titled “dad rock” — songs like “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor and “Heat of the Moment” by Asia. And when Princeton scores, the rink turns into a rave with strobe lights hitting the ice, a signature upbeat tune playing, and the audience erupting in applause. 

“I feel more like a Princeton student,” Sarah said during the latest game against Cornell — a 4-2 Tigers win. “Me too,” I told her. 

Princeton men’s hockey hosts Union in a best-of-three ECAC quarterfinal series March 13-15. Princeton women’s hockey faces Connecticut in State College, Pennsylvania, in the NCAA Tournament’s first round on March 12.