By:  Joel Carlson

College hockey is a very traditional sport. The fans are crazy about literally everything relating to their teams. Ask any student who attends hockey games on regular basis what is the best part besides from winning? The chants…the cheers…the heckling of the goalies. When the student section joins together to yell obscene things at the enemy on the ice. Having attended multiple games in multiple college hockey rinks in the last year, I’ve put together a top 3 of my favorite and most entertaining cheers/chants/songs.

Number 3 – Bemidji State’s “Who hates Huntsville?”

Picking number 3 on the list was a difficult one. The chants that schools come up with must be original and they must be catchy, I have to go with Bemidji State University’s, “Who hates Huntsville?” cheer. Now this may seem like a weird choice, but there’s a backstory. BSU was in the CHA, or the College Hockey of America, conference until 2010, playing against teams such as Wayne State, Niagara, and BSU’s biggest rival, Alabama-Huntsville. The Huntsville series against the Beavers of Bemidji would pack the arena as every seat would fill to watch BSU’s biggest rival from down south play hockey. The student section would show up in hordes of people, all ready to cheer. The cheer itself is simple; one person would start it by yelling, “who hates Huntsville?” and the crowd would respond, “we hate Huntsville!” This would continue until a loud cheer would erupt from the students. This cheer doesn’t make the list because of it being original though, it makes the list because of the student’s dedication. BSU left the CHA and joined the WCHA. Huntsville didn’t follow them and for a couple years, BSU didn’t even play Huntsville. That didn’t stop the cheer. BSU really did hate Huntsville, and every game the crowd would erupt with, “who hates Huntsville?” Some might’ve been confused, but they’d figure it out. BSU now is back in the same conference with their heated rivals and the cheer continues.

 

Number 2 – Minnesota’s “The Funnel Chant”

Number two on my list has to be the University of Minnesota Gophers’, “The Funnel Chant”. The gopher students take a classic, yelling sieve at the goalie, and turn it into a song they sing whenever they go up by two goals. I don’t have any idea where it came from, but the dedication and the synchronicity of the student section, along with the originality of the cheer, gives it the number 2 spot. The chant is more complicated and longer than some, making it even more impressive. The students start off by yelling, “Hey tendy you’re not a sieve, you’re a funnel,” then they move to, “hey tendy you’re not a funnel, you’re a vacuum.” Followed by, “hey tendy you’re not a vacuum you’re a black hole,” and lastly, “hey tendy you’re not a black hole, you just suck! You just suck! You just suck!” Gotta tell you, watching the student section with yell at the opposing goalie, arm motions mixed in and all, is quite a good scene.

Number 1 – North Dakota’s “The Beer Song”

Number 1 on my list is North Dakota’s, “The Beer Song.” I might not know a lot about what they’re singing, but you can pick up on the fact they, “might as well go have a beer.” Watching what might be the largest student section in college hockey sway slowly and sing a song about getting a beer? Yeah that can top the list. The students are dedicated as they all hold up drinks and yell. They’re singing along with the marching band to, “In Heaven there is no beer.” Those students are quite consistent to the fact they sing it around 3 times per game.

These are my top 3 cheers/chants/and songs from student sections around college hockey. What are yours? What did I miss?