Since the men’s hockey team’s season ended in the NCAA quarterfinals last spring, the Lynah Faithful have been licking their chops over the prospects of the 2002-03 season.
This weekend, that anticipation manifested itself in the form of hundreds of students waiting for days for the opportunity to purchase season tickets.
Although the actual tickets went on sale yesterday morning, and line checks didn’t begin until Saturday morning, the first fans began their wait on Wednesday night, preparing for an 80-plus hour wait.
Cornell officials prevented a line from forming until 4 p.m. on Friday, though, disassembling the lines that periodically formed before then — even the line of people that slept outside on Thursday night.
By the time fans were let into the Ramin Room of Bartels Hall at 9:30 p.m. on Friday night, the crowd was so big that the ticket office had to issue line numbers prematurely in order to allow some students to leave, which let more people fit inside.
The large crowd didn’t go unnoticed by the hockey players, who made an appearance on Saturday evening to introduce themselves to the fans.
“We really, as a team, appreciate the support we get,” said senior captain Stephen B