{"id":116680,"date":"2024-11-26T10:00:08","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T15:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&p=116680"},"modified":"2024-11-26T10:00:10","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T15:00:10","slug":"mens-hockey-terriers-pep-band-belfast-friendship-four","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/news\/articles\/2024\/mens-hockey-terriers-pep-band-belfast-friendship-four\/","title":{"rendered":"Men\u2019s Hockey Terriers and BU Pep Band Head to Belfast for Friendship Four"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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The BU Pep Band playing while the Terrier men\u2019s hockey team skated circles around Merrimack College on November 22, 2024.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMen\u2019s Hockey Terriers and BU Pep Band Head to Belfast for Friendship Four\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Students will showcase BU\u2019s spirit on an international stage, in the only NCAA Division I hockey tournament held outside North America<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n
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November 26, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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This article was originally published in BU Today<\/a><\/em> on November 25, 2024. By Sophia Spiegel (COM’26). Photos by Eric Haynes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Thanksgiving, the Boston University\u2019s men\u2019s hockey team and the BU Pep Band will bring the energy and tradition of American college sports to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Competing in the\u00a0Friendship Four<\/a>\u2014the only NCAA Division I ice hockey tournament held outside North America\u2014they will showcase collegiate hockey on an international stage and share BU pride with a global audience.
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Held at SSE Arena, home of the professional ice hockey team Belfast Giants, the tournament marks BU\u2019s first appearance since 2018. For many players and band members, the trip is about more than a competition: it\u2019s their first experience traveling abroad, promising memories that will last far beyond the final whistle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,\u201d says men\u2019s hockey cocaptain Shane LaChance<\/a> (SHA\u201927). \u201cWe\u2019re going to make the most of it and hopefully come back with a win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 2015, the Friendship Four celebrates the official sister-city relationship<\/a> between Boston and Belfast, blending elite hockey with cultural and community engagement. This year, BU joins Merrimack College, Harvard University, and Notre Dame in the four-team competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Terriers left Boston November 24, landing in Belfast Monday morning. They\u2019ll follow their regular practice schedule through the week and go up against Merrimack in their opening game on Friday, November 29. Depending on the outcome, BU will play in either the championship or the consolation game on Saturday, November 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the first opportunity of the season to play for a championship,\u201d says Jay Pandolfo<\/a> (CAS\u201996), BU\u2019s head coach. \u201cIt may be a small tournament, but you\u2019re still trying to win something, and it\u2019s good for our group.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off the ice, the Terrier skaters will explore Belfast, visit historic landmarks, and connect with the local community by teaching hockey to students at local primary schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great bonding trip for our team,\u201d Pandolfo adds. \u201cI know they\u2019re looking forward to having a lot of fun, being together, and learning a little about the history of Ireland as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the excitement, the BU Pep Band is making history of its own, traveling overseas with the team for the first time and bringing the music and spirit that define BU hockey games. Known for pumping up crowds at Agganis Arena, the band is eager to bring that same energy to SSE Arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re such a big part of the history and tradition of BU hockey,\u201d Pandolfo says. \u201cYou just feel a little more at home when the BU band is around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on auditions and availability, 40 band members were selected to accompany the hockey team to Ireland. Funding for the trip was supported through BU Athletics, the College of Fine Arts School of Music<\/a><\/strong>, and a successful Terriers Together fundraiser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis was probably the most successful giving campaign we\u2019ve had for the band,\u201d says\u00a0Aaron Goldberg<\/a>, a CFA senior lecturer in music, director of\u00a0Athletic Bands<\/a>, and\u00a0Big Band<\/a>\u00a0conductor. \u201cThere was a ton of excitement about the trip and people were happy to chip in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cOur goal is to make the arena in Belfast feel like Agganis Arena. We want to show both the tradition of BU hockey and the pop and rock tunes that get the fans moving.\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

-Aaron Goldberg, CFA senior lecturer in music, director of\u00a0Athletic Bands<\/a>, and\u00a0Big Band<\/a>\u00a0conductor<\/em><\/h5>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The band\u2019s schedule includes game-day performances, a parade in Carrickfergus, a large town near Belfast, and a concert at the Amphitheatre Wellness Centre, organized by the U.S. Consulate. Their set list will feature BU\u2019s Fight Song and fan favorites like \u201cShipping Up to Boston.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur goal is to make the arena in Belfast feel like Agganis Arena,\u201d Goldberg says. \u201cWe want to show both the tradition of BU hockey and the pop and rock tunes that get the fans moving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For senior pep band manager Vivek Mirchandani (CAS\u201925) and junior manager Charlie Kehoe (CAS\u201926), the trip is especially meaningful, blending personal milestones with the chance to represent BU abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m just really excited to be welcomed by the people in Belfast and bring music I\u2019ve been playing for the past three years to a whole different audience,\u201d says Mirchandani, who plays the tuba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve only been to Europe once, and it was to Italy,\u201d adds mellophone player Kehoe, an international relations major. \u201cI\u2019m very excited to see Ireland and Northern Ireland because that\u2019s actually where my family is from.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On and off the ice, BU is fully embracing the spirit of the Friendship Four as an opportunity to bridge cultures, share the best of BU with a global audience,  and create lasting memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope this is a feather in the cap of the students and staff who get to go,\u201d Goldberg says. \u201cSomething they look back on in their college career as a real fond, cool memory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

read original article in bu today<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\t