Hey, Hey...Goodbye!

Nah-na-nah-Nah. Nah-na-nah-Nah. Hey, hey, hey...Goodbye!

The cheer echoed through the Bright Hockey Center one last time as the Harvard fans bid farewell to Michigan St., and more importantly, to the Crimson team of 1983.

The more-than-3000 Harvard faithful ended their season-long love affair with the hockey squad with some of their loudest and most inventive albeit obnoxious cheers of the season. For the last two minutes of the game with the Crimson holding the smallest of all possible margins in the series, the crowd gave the team a deafening standing ovation. It moved Harvard Coach Bill Cleary so much that as soon as the contest was over, he walked towards the fans, lifted his arms and simply said "Thank you."

"That was a tremendous tribute." Cleary said after the game, "It was an exciting, electric place out there. I told my players in the locker room that I was glad we won it for ourselves, but I was also glad we won it for [the fans]."

It is often said that home ice is worth a goal or two, and, in a series decided by one goal. Michigan St. Coach Ron Mason believed that the location was a major factor in his team's loss. "The loss had a lot to do with [home ice], with their fans."

The Crimson devotees were certainly at their best Saturday night. The standard chants of "Sieve", "Harvard" and the infamous gong were all present, but the crowd also came up with some cheers tailor made for the Spartans and their fans. When the Michigan St. Fans began chanting "Go Green, Go White" after being prompted by cue cards, the Harvard faithful responded with "Go Home!" and "Hey, Michigan We do our cheers without cue cards!"

But while the MSU fans suffered some abuse, it was the Spartan players, particularly those of a somewhat smaller stature, who really suffered. Left wing Todd Gardiner, who stands only 5-ft, 7-in, and linemate Dee Rizzo (who is of equal height) earned the nickname "Midget". At one point in the third period, the Harvard fans combined a number of their favorite cheers into one all encompassing "Asshole, asshole, midget, sieve!"

The crowd's outstanding performance was the result of a long season of hard work and experimentation. With each passing game, the cheers became louder and more inventive Midway through the season, the big red hands appeared and then disappeared, while later the slow hissing "Ssssssieve" became a favorite.

A credit to the fans' devotion is Harvard's 12-1-1 record at home, with the icemen's sole loss coming to St. Lawrence, one of the ECAC's best teams, in January-always a tough month for the Crimson. "The fans have done it all season, and they did it tonight," Cleary said.

The player also appreciate the crowd's support. Captain Greg Olson summed up the team's view after Saturday night's game. "The fans were unbelievable. We definitely have home ice advantage when people are going crazy. I just hope they go to North Dakota with us."