By Alex Faust
Northeastern’s DogHouse, the raucous student section at men’s hockey games at Matthews Arena, has developed a reputation for being one of the most vocal fan groups in Hockey East. In recognition of the team’s efforts to elicit roars from the crowd annually, fans vote to give the DogHouse Award to the player who consistently draws the largest applause on game nights.
The award is entering its sixth year, with previous winners sharing similar characteristics of intense play on the ice, often meaning they are the most physical and frustrating player for opponents to challenge.
Keni Gibson, the only two-time winner (2003, 2004) of the award and the only goalie to win the award, was a six-time Hockey East defensive player of the week and was named to the Hockey East All-Star team during the 2004-05 season. While that was his last season as a goaltender, an enduring memory of Gibson came during a televised match against Boston University in 2002 when he sprawled out on the ice to upend a breakaway chance by Terriers’ forward Brad Zancanaro, a moment immortalized on YouTube.
Brian Deeth, the 2005 winner, played in 24 of 36 games and only scored five points on the season. However, the DogHouse’s Assistant Director Tim Fouche said it’s not the statistical performance of a player that determines their likeability.
“Even though he didn’t play a lot and didn’t score much, everyone loved to see [Deeth] play,” he said. “He always gave his all out there on the ice.”
Head coach Greg Cronin agreed, citing Deeth’s closeness with the student section as a reason why No. 55 became a fan favorite.
“There’s players who have a relationship or friendship with [the DogHouse],” Cronin said, “Deeth knew a bunch of those guys and would help get tickets for road games.”
As for this year’s winner, Cronin pointed to one man who has been a playmaker all season.
“[Joe] Vitale by far,” Cronin said. “He’s the most visible player out there. He always finishes his checks, he was selected to the second Hockey East All-Star team this year and I believe that he’ll be an All-American next year.”
Along with junior captain Vitale, Fouche said forward Randy Guzior and goalie Brad Thiessen, both sophomores, were in contention for the win.
“With Vitale, you can tell that he’s a good leader and knows what he’s doing out there,” Fouche said, “Thiessen comes up with huge saves and can steal games for you, and Guzior usually delivers the loudest hits during the games.”
Voting was held for a week, ending last Friday, but largely resembled a similar program called the Sixth Man Award instituted by the National Basketball Association in 1982.
“The fans basically pick their favorite player to watch,” Fouche said. “They pick the guy who gets the biggest rise out of the crowd. It’s a lot like the [Boston] Bruins who give a ‘Sixth Man Award.'”
Fans voted on their top three choices for the award by e-mailing names in preference order to DogHouse organizers. A first preference gave that player three points, second preference gave two points and third yielded one point.
The winner of the annual award will have their name inscribed on a plaque in section 44 of Matthews Arena, next to the Justin Harriman Superfan Award for the most dedicated, vocal student of the season. That fan, Fouche said, will be someone chosen by the DogHouse’s officers as a student who has made the best effort to be at every game, home and away, as well as promote the team.
Ironically, while these two annual awards highlight the dedicated fan participation of the DogHouse, Northeastern men’s hockey had a losing record at home (7-8-1) in the 2007-08 season.
The three men likely to win the award will still be around next year attempt to accomplish three goals Cronin has set out: Win a Beanpot championship, attain home ice advantage in the playoffs, and reach the Hockey East semifinals.
The DogHouse award will be presented at the men’s hockey banquet, which has yet to be scheduled.
