Image courtesy of Bree Bohle.
The long-awaited club hockey Coast Guard versus Connecticut College game made its return to Dayton Arena on Feb 19, 2022. Normally one of the most popular sporting events at the College, it had been canceled in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year the game was able to return in a smaller capacity; fewer tickets were available in order to ensure that the game would follow the guidelines set in place by the College relating to COVID safety.
Students lined up in the Crozier-Williams Student Center at 12:15 PM on Wednesday, Feb. 17 in hopes of acquiring a ticket to the game, stretching all the way out the back door by Sprout Garden. By 12:22 PM, the Office of Student Engagement had run out of tickets.
Even before the game, excitement (and possibly gas) filled the air. Students arriving earlier than the expected 7 PM start time were told to wait in the Athletic Center while the New London Fire Department investigated a possible gas leak. Once the fire department gave the all-clear, the game was set to commence. The stands quickly filled with rowdy students from Connecticut College and Coast Guard alike. The excitement manifested in proud chants across the stands, viewers banging on the protective barriers as their favorite players skated by.
The game began with all-female acapella group the ConnChords performing the national anthem, before moving on to celebrate their seniors: Conn students Jake Corcoran (captain), Matt Guittari (alternate captain), Brady Young, Zach McCrystal, Dareious Linss, and Matt Park.
Even the players couldn’t resist the energy surging through the crowd. After a tough first period where Coast Guard pulled ahead, Conn fought back in the second period managing to score a goal. By the third and final period, the score was close as the cadets raced across the ice to keep their lead against the Camels. The tension was palpable, and at one point seemed to burst during a pile-on between the two teams where the officials needed to get involved, tearing bodies away from one another.
The game’s final score was 4-3, Coast Guard.
“We’d like to thank our coach Andrew Tomarchio, for committing his time to us every week and showing up when we needed him most,” said Young.
