A few weeks into my first year, I took the plunge. Enticed by table-top advertisements and without anything legal to do on a Friday night, my roommates and I packed into the trolley and caught our first U.Va. men's ice hockey game on the Downtown Mall. It was an experience that, for many reasons, I will never forget.
The first thing we noticed, and the memory that has stuck with me the past years, was the smell of the game. Hockey has its own aroma -- a mixture of blood, sweat, tears and ice -- that only a hockey player could love. Still, by the time the puck hit the ice, I forgot all about the odor. I was enthralled -- here were the hard hits of football (harder, in some cases), the footwork of soccer and the stick-handling of lacrosse amped up to lighting speed. There is hardly a sport played at Virginia that is as exciting as ice hockey, and the games remain one of Charlottesville's best-kept secrets.
This semester, with the Cavaliers at 2-2 in the six-team ACCHL, there are plenty of reasons to get out and see the team. Tired of the slow games and coaching controversy around U.Va. basketball? Try hockey. Frustrated with the start of a new semester? Pick a member of the opposing team, imagine him as your politics professor -- or better yet, as ISIS -- and watch a Virginia player send him flying into the glass. Or if you're part of a CIO that is struggling to survive budget cuts, come see a team that is surviving with expenses that would kill a less devoted club.
As Virginia Coach Roger Voisinet explained to me, ice time isn't cheap -- $600 per game and $350-$400 per practice session -- and referees, travel and equipment all add to the cost. Some of the team's uniforms and equipment are donated by businesses and advertisements fund publicity items like posters and schedule cards. With CIO funding cut by almost half, Virginia players themselves bear much of the cost in dues.
The coaching staff is made up entirely of volunteers, and Voisinet has been with the team since the beginning before the Ice Park opened its doors and while practices were held in Richmond. The team has come a long way, with five conference championships in nine years to prove it. This year Virginia will host the ACCHL tournament, and it will be worth the short ride to the Downtown Mall to see if the Cavaliers can take their sixth title. Just come prepared -- hockey is not for the faint of heart.
"I feel the NHL is trying to appeal to a bigger, family-oriented audience," junior defender Sebastian Hindman said. "Our games are a lot more physical. I'd rather go watch a college hockey game any day."
So would I, especially because student admission to games at the Charlottesville Ice Park is completely free. That's $25 cheaper than the cheapest ticket to see my favorite (albeit bottom-dwelling) professional team, the Capitals. If you're looking for a mightily entertaining but cheap date, Virginia has your number. Check them out this Friday at 10 p.m. against Liberty or Saturday at 4 p.m. against Virginia Tech. I certainly can't think of anything more romantic than watching the Cavaliers wipe the Hokies all over the ice.
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