Everyone at Northeastern knows that hearing “Stacy’s Mom” in the third period of a hockey game means the Huskies are up and their opponents are down. What they don’t see as the iconic sing-along anthem plays are the long hours, countless rehearsals and consistent energy that the thunderous Northeastern pep band puts into each performance, whether it’s playing in Matthews Arena, Fenway Park or TD Garden.

The pep band, a 154-member ensemble, is an integral aspect of Northeastern athletics, serving as a consistent and vibrant group dedicated to amping up Husky pride regardless of the scoreboard.

Allison Betsold, who became the director of pep band in the fall of 2016, says that roughly nine years after taking the helm of the organization, she still notices the community pep band creates and its positive impact on school spirit. 

“We just try to cultivate an environment where people feel welcome and celebrated,” she said. “And we try to spread that into Northeastern culture through any means possible.”

In addition to hockey, volleyball and basketball games, pep band also performs at community events and commencement, which has been held at Fenway Park each year since 2021.

As director, Betsold leads rehearsals, directs the majority of events and chooses the music the band performs. There are around 80 to 90 songs in the band’s repertoire, which slowly cycle in and out as older pieces are removed as their popularity fades and newer hits — like Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” — earn a page in the book. When it comes to deciding what to play during games, Betsold considers both the scoreboard and the energy of the arena around her.

“If we’re losing and people are getting antsy, or discouraged, or frustrated, we’ll pick a song that has screaming built into it,” Betsold said, “So that people can really just let it out. Maybe, if we score a goal later, we’ll play something that’s more upbeat.”

Betsold also creates schedules for all the members of the band, which ensures that they attend at least eight games per semester. There are around 30 to 40 bandmates at every sports game, and most of the time, Betsold directs the performance herself. However, when multiple games play at once, she turns to her student directors to lead the band.

Eunice Koo, a fourth-year computer science and biology combined major, and Jillian Scott, a third-year cell and molecular biology major, are the pep band’s two student directors. They play clarinet and alto saxophone, respectively. When auditioning for the role of student director, they each sat with Betsold on an over three-hour call, going over each song in their songbook and ironing out the conducting process for each one. 

“You are going to make a mistake in the game just because there are so many things to think about,” Koo said on directing games. “You have to be watching the game, and be watching if there’s a whistle, but then you also have to have the tempo in mind, and you have to make sure you’re speaking loudly.”

Pep Band had their last rehearsal for the year March 17 after the basketball and hockey seasons came to a close. Pep band meets every Monday to rehearse from 8:30 to 10 p.m. at the Fenway Center during fall and spring semesters. At their last rehearsal, Betsold thanked the ensemble for their dedication throughout the year and shared heartfelt goodbyes to seniors like Koo and pep band president Allison Pollard. 

Pollard, a fifth-year chemical engineering and biochemistry combined major, spent two years as a pep band manager before spending her final year as president. She primarily plays the tuba, despite coming into pep band only playing the clarinet, and occasionally plays tenor saxophone. Pollard coordinates the club in conjunction with the athletic department and serves as an advocate for the band. 

One of Pollard’s favorite memories of playing with the band was the 2024 Women’s Beanpot finals, where the Northeastern women’s hockey team played at TD Garden for the first time, ultimately winning the championship.

“I think we’re one of the major contributors to school spirit. I also think we support our teams, especially the women’s teams, because they don’t get as much support as the other teams. Not many fans tend to show up at the games,” Pollard said. “So, the fact that [the] pep band is there, I feel like is important. We’re bringing up the vibe, so more people would want to come to women’s games.”

The band aims to achieve its highest game attendance of every semester at an event called Megaband, an occasion that draws the largest number of pep band players to a Northeastern women’s hockey game. This year, the band had 165 students and alumni at a Jan. 24 game. 

The 2024 Women’s Beanpot was also one of Betsold’s favorite moments, alongside the Northeastern men’s basketball’s bid into March Madness after winning their conference in 2019. The tournament was in Charleston, South Carolina, and the game itself was against the College of Charleston. 

“Pep band [members] were the only people from Northeastern [at the game]. And so it was like pep band versus Charleston,” Bestold said. “We won, and the band rushed to the court, and we got to party with the team after and the athletic director gave me a game ball. And then we went to March Madness, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is what it’s all about.’”

In 2022, when many people quit playing their instruments during the COVID-19 pandemic, pep band experienced record-low membership — only around 125 players, a stark contrast to the 191 players during the 2019–20 school year. Over the last few years, membership has slowly started to mirror pre-COVID numbers, and Betsold believes that the band will cross the 200-person threshold in a couple of years.

As the 2025 spring semester comes to an end, pep band continues to be a high-energy entity, creating community across Northeastern through songs, dances and the power of a good cheer.

“I think pep band is just a constant fan base. We’re kind of just a constant for the team,” Scott said. “Even if we are down [in score], we will still be playing awesome music, we will still be cheering, and we can hype up a crowd. And I think that adds a lot to the fan experience, the game experience. People will say, ‘pep band played a lot of fun songs today that I had a lot of fun jamming out to.’”