A prevalent debate at Fairfield University is whether we should have a D1 hockey team. Many people fail to recognize that Fairfield does not have a Varsity team, rather Fairfield has a very good, and well-formed club hockey team. There was an anonymous survey put out asking the question, “Would you want to see D1 hockey at Fairfield?” and 400 members of the student population voiced their opinions on whether or not Fairfield should step up to the plate and create a team. In an overwhelming response to this question, 95.8% of students said that Fairfield University should have a D1 Hockey team, while 4.2% of students said that they should not.
Why do students believe we should have a hockey team?
“We’re in the northeast and so many people come from playing hockey as a kid or watching hockey from big colleges around them or pro teams and [Fairfield] would feel more like home for people that come from those backgrounds,” one response from the survey indicated, mentioning the school’s location in relation to its hockey background hub.
Fairfield is located in the center of five major hockey powerhouses: The Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The majority of students at Fairfield come from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania where there are major teams that students grew up watching.
Another anonymous student response noted the school’s location. “I have always loved to watch hockey, and have seen the community that it builds and attracts. I know for a fact that a lot of people would apply to Fairfield if they could come to see hockey games, as they are a big thing at many Northeastern schools.”
Schools in the northeast dominate the hockey scene. Half of the top 20 NCAA schools are from the North East area. Coming in second and third, was Boston College, and Boston University. In sixth, came Fairfield’s neighbor, Quinnipiac, and in ninth, Cornell. Others in the top 20 were the University of Maine, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Providence, RIT and the University of New Hampshire. 94.6% of students polled believed that Fairfield would be able to compete with other universities, both in sports and drawing in more applicants for new undergraduate students.
Another big question about getting D1 hockey at Fairfield is if people would want to go to the games. What would the community be like? Students, without hesitation, commented on the community that they believe would be seen at Fairfield University hockey games.
“I don’t think attending sporting events is a lot of students’ priority right now because of lack of interest, but I think a lot of students would love to support a hockey team. Hockey game environments are very fun for students and it would be a good way to form relationships and build the community,” a survey respondent asserted.
Another student response said that it is an “Exciting environment and brings together the school community.”
Many students believe that having more school spirit around hockey in college in New England is one of the better ways to get students involved with sports, as hockey is a fan favorite in New England.
Other students mentioned that the school would see a spike in people attending other sporting events, as students begin to create a community that is centered around hockey. Many even said, in a 93.5% to 6.5% vote, that they would go to an off-campus site to watch hockey games if transportation was provided by the school.
So, will students at Fairfield see their desired hockey team in the near future? Or will Fairfield University remain one of the very few Division One Northeastern schools that do not have a Varsity hockey team? As students said in the survey, “If SHU has it, why don’t we?”
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