ORONO, Maine — No classes Monday at the University of Maine, but it was rivalry day. The Black Bears men's hockey team hosted the New Hampshire Wildcats, and fans weren’t bothered by the cold. Some of them were outside the Alfond Arena before 9:30 a.m.
They braved the temperatures but were a bit more bundled than usual. Senior Ashley Pezanowski says she was wearing five layers.
“It's a chilly one, yeah, but two years ago it was chilly too, and I was in line for a lot longer,” junior Adam Kirby said.
Standing out in the cold isn’t something they just do for fun, but for the perfect seat.
"I love to go watch the team. I go to every game, so it's always worth it to make sure we get our traditional seat up in the balcony,” Kirby said.
It’s a tradition that’s grown over the years.
“You know, we slowly pick up people. Maine's a big hockey school, so it's something a lot of kids enjoy,” Kirby said.
Something a lot of kids enjoy, even on the coldest days.
“I mean, I think that's the UMaine spirit -- we're hearty, and so we gotta continue that tradition because we're hearty Black bears. We're in Maine -- we gotta play outside,” Pezanowski said.
The Black Bears got up to a quick 2-0 lead over New Hampshire, but the Wildcats came back to eventually tie it up at 4 a piece in overtime. The Black Bears host the UMass Minutemen for a two game series this weekend before hitting the road to New Hampshire to face the Wildcats for two more games.