By Jerry Gibbs and Will Gilson, Currier Times Staff///

As the Curry Men’s Hockey team made history Saturday, March 22nd by becoming the first athletic team to reach the Frozen Four, their fans were just as ecstatic. Nearly a thousand people crowded into a cramped Canton Ice House to cheer them on, with many in standing-room-only sections.

That didn’t deter their excitement as the team beat Hamilton University 4-1 to punch their ticket to the Frozen Four tournament.

Communication major and one of the broadcasters for WMLN’s coverage, Marc Calheta, said the team came together in the clutch.

“I mean phenomenal game. I wanna give a huge shout out to the guys on the ice,” said Calheta. “I mean [goalie Shane] Soderwall phenomenal game. Huge shout out to our defensive lines Söderling, Prewitt, Lariviere, Matt Connor, all those guys. I think the better team today won and I’m so glad this team gets to continue moving on.”

Marina Friedman, a first-year Nursing major, said she was nervous with some of the penalties during the game, but was thrilled for the team’s success.

“Just super excited,” said Friedman. “I mean they’re a great team and this is their year.”

Finn Sullivan, a junior Business Administration major, said the feeling was electric at the Ice House on Saturday.

“Everyone’s showing out for each other so it’s really awesome,” said Sullivan. “Glad to see everyone here from my classes, my teams. You know it’s really good to see the whole Curry community get together for this whole game.”

Curry now heads to Utica, NY where the Frozen Four will be played. Although Curry is the #1 seed, it was determined that the Canton Ice House wasn’t big enough to hold the National Championship, meaning Curry will be the “home” team at the “away” site.

Friday March 28th, Curry will face Utica University at 7 p.m. at the Nexus Center. The other semi-final game will be defending champion Hobart, who beat Curry in four overtimes last year on their way to the championship, against SUNY Geneseo. That game will be held at 3:00 p.m.

The National Championship Game is scheduled for Sunday March 30th at 7:00 p.m.

The college is planning a number of events during the week, including a “Fan Bus” to take students to the Friday night game. That bus will leave at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. RSVP using this link or the QR code below in the photo:

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