Crowds going wild for university hockey in Halifax

Halifax is relishing its second straight year of hosting the CIS men’s University Cup tournament.

The tournament kicked off with a marathon game between the Saskatchewan Huskies and Carleton Ravens that went into quadruple overtime before the Huskies were able to advance.

“The score clock in this building has never had a seven on it for the period so we set a record right out of the gate,” said Chris Larsen, one of the University Cup organizers.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "The score clock in this building has never had a seven on it for the period so we set a record right out of the gate," said Chris Larsen, one of the University Cup organizers.

The electricity in the building continues to build with all three AUS teams playing in today’s semi-finals.

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“It’s hard to put into words the excitement level, you can’t script this. UNB, Saint Mary’s and STFX have played exceptional hockey to get here,” said Larsen.

The hometown support has created bonds between all fans, regardless of their team loyalties.

“It’s fantastic! Every team has their own house, their own bar and they even let me in the STFX bar with my UNB sweater today,” said Dino Kubik, a University of New Brunswick supporter.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "It's fantastic! Every team has their own house, their own bar and they even let me in the STFX bar with my UNB sweater today," said Dino Kubik, a University of New Brunswick supporter.

Crowd numbers are on track to surpass 40,000 spectators by the end of the weekend.

A record-setting number for the event.

“There are no better fans than Halifax fans. They love a big event, we’re putting a big event on for them and they’re showing there support,” said Larsen.

The X-Men overtook the Huskies in a triple OT to advance to tomorrow’s gold medal game.

The advice from fans to those who haven’t been out to see any games yet is pretty straight forward.

“Anybody who’s out there and needs a ticket, find yourself a ticket and get to the games,” said Kubik.

For more information on the tournament visit the Halifax University Cup website.