Bentley’s new multipurpose arena has given students plenty to cheer about. In this story, three Bentley students (Katie Kippley ’18, at left in the photo above; Jennifer Girard ’18, middle; and Yaciana Taveras Olmos ’21, right) share their experiences during the arena’s opening weekend and the days leading up to it. A scramble for tickets (sold out in 15 minutes!) A seat next to the Bentley pep band. Catching the game puck. A photo with new friends. And a whole lot of energy, excitement and Bentley Falcon spirit.
Katie Kippley ’18
I’m an orientation leader and tour guide on campus, so when I heard that Bentley was building a multipurpose arena, I was excited because it would give me another great thing to talk about. Visitors to Bentley are always asking about school spirit and I love to say that because we are a small, tight-knit community, students support each other in athletics. But now it’s even better because the new arena is a physical place where we can do that.
Fueled by cupcakes, grilled cheese and excitement. Read one student’s arena experience.
When they sent out the email about the opening hockey game, I immediately made an Outlook reminder because I wanted to make sure I got a ticket no matter what. I also texted three group chats to remind my friends. Tickets sold out in 15 minutes. (I got one!)
Being inside the arena the first time was unreal. It’s so prestigious and professional. I got to go before opening day with a group of orientation leaders and RAs, and it was cool to get a behind-the-scenes look. I was able to see a beam in the arena that students had signed a couple of weeks before construction had started. My friend and I were actually the first to sign it and now we were able to see it hanging in this huge new building.
Opening night was awesome because everything was running so smoothly and I thought: “This is the real deal.” Walking up the stairs to my seat (second row from the ice!), I bumped into one of my professors, David Szymanski, who was there with his family like a lot of other faculty and staff. The puck dropped at 6:45 p.m., and from then on I was too excited to sit. I’ve been to a lot of professional sporting games but I’ve never been this into it. I felt really connected to Bentley.
One great thing about the arena is that in addition to giving us a space to come together and support each other at events (I attended a comedy show there the next day), it also opens up learning opportunities. One of my friends is a media and culture major and she works on the technical side of things in the arena’s control center, which is student-run. (Bentley is good at giving students hands-on learning opportunities to use their strengths.)
I’m happy I got to be a part of this groundbreaking moment at Bentley. Since the opening night hockey game was such a success, I think it will encourage attendance at other sporting events on campus. That night, everyone was rooting on Bentley and there was so much school spirit!
Jennifer Girard ’18
When one of my sorority sisters told me that Bentley was building a multipurpose arena that would serve primarily as a hockey rink, I was super excited. I played goalie for my high school ice hockey team and hockey was a huge part of our culture. I knew the Bentley arena would bring a lot of new energy to campus.
I was away in California when tickets for the opening night hockey game went on sale, so I was up at 6 a.m. on my phone ordering tickets for my friends and me. Later, when opening night came at the new arena, my Phi Sigma Sigma sisters and other friends dressed in our Bentley gear and headed down early to get good seats. The place was packed! We were in the liveliest section next to the band, cheering and waving our towels and scarves in the air.
‘My heart was filled with immense pride.’ Read one pep band member’s arena experience.
When President Larson came out to speak, the crowd was chanting her name over and over again. During warm-ups, a puck flew over the glass; I got it and held it the whole game.
The arena exceeded my expectations, even though I knew Bentley would be able to pull it off. One of my friends who is on the hockey team said that he doesn’t want to go back to his dorm room. He likes it so much, he wants to live at the rink! And the whole team is excited. The day before the opening game, they were all posting photos of the arena on social media.
Something that stood out to me that first night was seeing support not only from the Bentley community—students, faculty and staff—but the Waltham community. Between periods, a youth hockey team skated on the ice and we were all cheering them on. Throughout the night you could feel the support from everyone. It was so amazing to see everyone come together. The fact so many people showed up that night and to the following two games was such a good feeling. I know this is only a glimpse into how the arena will continue to be a central gathering place for our Bentley community.
Yaciana Taveras Olmos ’21
I’m part of the Falcon Fanatics. We go to athletic events and try to get the crowd pumped. (I was a cheerleader in high school and school spirit is important to me.) As a first-year student, I’ve gone to basketball and football games, but it was nothing like the hockey game on the opening night of the arena. We Falcon Fanatics didn’t have much work to do because if one person started a cheer, students immediately joined in and the crowd went wild.
Before the game, I attended a party at Harry’s Pub and then we walked over the footbridge to the arena. When I first walked inside, my eyes widened. The arena was perfectly built and there wasn’t a thing I would change. Once I walked up the stairs to my seat, it got even better. The rink came into view and I just started taking video and photos.
President Larson’s speech was moving, and I was amazed at the way students were cheering for her. There was such a connection. From then on it was a night of continuous cheering. I was waving my towel and after standing for the national anthem (which was sung beautifully by a Bentley student) I don’t think I ever sat down all night!
The excitement was bigger than any other event I’ve attended on campus, and I know it boosted school spirit in a way that will carry over to other events. I’m walking in a Black United Body Fashion Show at the arena this spring, which will be the first multicultural event held there. At practice for the show (with a really long runway!), we all had this same kind of energy. I know when I talk to first-year students in the fall, I’m going to tell them that they have to go to a hockey game and they have to see the arena. I’m going to be bragging all about it.
Something that really stands out about that first hockey game is how everyone came together and lived in the moment. We forgot about school work and made friends. We talked to people we might not have met if not for this game and this arena. I remember at one point I tried to step aside from some students who were taking a group photo, but they called me over to be in the picture with them. It was just that kind of night and that kind of atmosphere. It was a night of connections, of coming together as a big family, and of Bentley spirit.