This in an excellent letter. Those of you who attend the University of
Maine should be really proud. Those of you who attend the other school
mentioned, well....
 
I was raised on hockey....we had a rink in our backyard - my Dad would put
boards around the garden in the backyard, flood the garden and we'd skate
until our ankles got strong.....then he put lights up so we could stay up
all night skating. We went to highschool games (Deerfield/KUA,
Deefield/Andover, Deerfield/Mount Hermon)and in those years, guys slapped
their sticks against the boards after a goal.
 
I did not attend the University of Maine...went to a small school in
Ohio....but when I got out of school I dated a girl from Orono...we'd go to
Pat's Pizza and hang out at the Oronoka and eat lousy cheeseburgers...then
I dated another girl from Maine....she loved hockey...she was from
Madawaska...boy she knew some French...so all along I've been a rabid fan
of Maine Hockey
 
This year, my wife had some business in Bangor, and I persuaded her to save
it for the home games - a visit to Mecca...to the Home of Maine
Hockey...The ALFOND....and after much persuasion, I talked her into coming
to a game.
 
She has never been interested in sports, at all, not in the least......now
she's hooked.
 
A great part of the attraction for her being at the game - at Alfond
Arena...she finds it to be a family atmosphere where families can bring
their kids... she loves the people at the game...the cheering, the
camaraderie...the band...the students...the folks who travel for two
hundred miles top see agame (270 for us)
 
You guys at the Alfond should be very, very proud of your team....they are
a very exciting, well-coached, elite hockey squad. They play extremely well
together.
 
Before the Maine Umass game, we were standing outside waiting to buy tickets..
a gentlemen came up and asked me if I wanted his tickets...free....he
couldn't go to the game...We sat in great seats OO right below WZON...For
the Maine Merrimack game, Terry had contacted her friend to try and get us
tickets. This woman works in the ticket office during games...unfortunately
she couldn't get them for us, and she was so upset that one of her
co-workers gave us her seats...free. She gave us a pass to get in.
 
I am awed....in Massachusetts that would NEVER happen.
 
But that's Maine...Maine is different in so many ways... Let UNH think they
have the better club, for two games a couple of weekends ago, they
outscored Maine, but paybacks a bitch and wait till they meet up in the
NCAAs. Life is long...go Blue.
 
 
 
 
 
 
At 02:32 PM 03/11/1999 -0500, you wrote:
>We received this letter to the editor, which I am sure will run
>sometime this upcoming week, and thought some of you out there may be
>interested in it. This letter was written by a student who is currently
>enrolled at UNH. She submitted this letter to The New Hampshire (UNH's
>student newspaper) as well.
>
>
>To whom it may concern:
>
>I was born in Maine and raised on Maine hockey.  From the time I was
>five until I graduated high school, I attended nearly every game and
>supported them completely.  After I graduated, I decided to attend the
>University of New Hampshire.  I then began to back New Hampshire one
>hundred percent.  When I heard about the UNH-Maine weekend, I invited
>my parents to attend the games at the Whittemore Center Arena.  We
>attended these games expecting some rivalry from the UNH fans.  What we
>got was mean-spirited, unsportsman-like abuse.  The first night, gum
>and change were thrown into the Maine section from the students and
>several Maine fans were verbally assaulted.  The second night was
>worse.  The Maine fans were taunted and jeered the entire game.  They
>suffered through being sworn at and individually abused.  I was
>actually yelled at by a UNH fan who didn t know what school I attended.
> Many expletives were thrown my way, simply because I was standing with
>Maine fans.  In the twelve years I attended games at the Alfond Arena
>in Orono, I NEVER experienced anything like this. I am ashamed to be
>associated with such poor sportsmanship of UNH fans.  My parents have
>decided never to come to watch a game at UNH.  I have decided that I
>don t care to attend any, either.  I do hope to see some UNH fans up at
>Orono next year.  I ll be sure to be there to welcome you all. Then
>Maine can show you what good sportsmanship is all about.
>