Lack of fan support could be one of the reasons why the St. Thomas University’s men’s hockey team has lost most of their games this season, said Santiago Chavez.
The Tommies are in last place in the Atlantic University Sports standings after losing 19 out of 21 games.
Santiago Chavez, a supporter of the team and president of the university’s student union, said he thinks more fan enthusiasm can change the team’s fortune.
“I believe having more fans attend the game will help players get momentum and adrenaline, and that is a big thing. It makes a difference… But it is easy to fall back into people’s negativity and skepticism,” said the president.
The Tommies lost 6-1 against the University of New Brunswick’s Varsity Reds in the Battle of the Hill last week.
Chavez said he believes there was a big difference in the crowd compared to the game he went to last year.
“Even though last year we were in the UNB Aitken Centre, a small crowd was cheering from beginning to end. That helped them a lot, and we won the game. I don’t think we had that last week,” he said.
Second-year defenceman Sawyer Hannay said he agrees with Chavez.
“More fans add to a better atmosphere and a better game… Usually, it is fairly quiet and emotionless. It would add an emotional edge and an emotional motivation to the guys to perform at a higher level,” said Hannay.
Hannay said he knows there are many things his team needs to do to change their record, but he’s positive that more support from the STU community will keep them encouraged.
“It is hard to stay motivated at times during the game,” said Hannay.
Patrick Powers, the head coach of the Tommies men’s hockey team, also believes fans would help his team perform better. However, he stressed that fans are not what makes a team good.
“We have over 600 fans per game, which is very good across Canada. We get a good fan support from the city of Fredericton but we don’t get a lot of support from students. Would more fans help us perform better? Yes. But if we play better and win more games, we will get more fans,” he said.
