A sea of blue and white filled sections of Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday night as cheers echoed across the lower bowl.
Vanderbilt University’s senior night evolved into a Middle Tennessee takeover, with over 1,200 fans packing the stands to watch club hockey on an NHL stage.
For MTSU, the ‘Battle at the Stone’ marked a milestone for both the fan base and the players. With 1,251 tickets sold for the Blue Raiders compared to Vanderbilt’s 400, the Commodores’ home game turned into a home-ice disadvantage.
The turnout from Blue Raider fans reflected how quickly the program has grown over the past two seasons, not only as a winning program but as a complete operation. For club president Zach Giblin, the contest brought everything full circle.
“This team was truly a glorified men’s league team in the years past,” Giblin said. “Now we’re heading to the national tournament with a championship in mind and seeing this kind of student support, it’s pretty unreal.”
As fans filled the east side of Bridgestone Arena, the Blue Raider-heavy sections created a raucous atmosphere filled with chants of “Let’s go, Raiders,” and booing the Commodores every time Vanderbilt touched the puck.
“I think it was just stepping onto the bench or when they announced our starting lineups, it was so loud for our team and so quiet for Vanderbilt,” head coach JJ Murray said.
Following an 8-2 win over the Commodores, the event was a success on and off the ice. As fans left the stadium, a buzz about Blue Raider hockey followed up and down Broadway.
The logistics behind the scenes, including scheduling and ice time, were handled by Vanderbilt. Coordination between VU head coach Andrew Shearson and Giblin, was crucial to put on the contest. The original date, scheduled for Jan. 25, set a Sunday night puck drop. However, limited availability after the postponement pushed the game to midweek.
Despite the unfavorable date and challenges with digital ticket sales, MTSU’s goal is to return to Bridgestone for years to come.
“Our goal is to keep this going forward,” Giblin said. “Showing Bridgestone, we can sell over 1,200 tickets makes us confident we can grow even more next year.”
After the rivalry win, the Blue Raiders remained No. 2 in the latest American Collegiate Hockey Association Division III rankings, still trailing Calvin University.
However, MTSU is one-of-four College Hockey South teams that have clinched a spot in the quest for a national title. The tournament will begin pool play on March 18 in St. Louis.
With the last home game of the season behind Middle Tennessee, the focus is to bring more hardware the next time around at Bridgestone Arena.
“That grit, playing hard on pucks, and staying composed in scrums, that’s what playoff hockey demands,” MTSU forward Tommy Chunchukov said. “This game [against Vanderbilt] should be the blueprint for our play in St. Louis. If we bring this energy and everyone buys in, we can make a deep run and represent MTSU the right way.”
MTSU clinched the No. 2 overall seed in the national tournament and will take on Grand Valley State University, Northwood University and Saint Vincent University in pool play.
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