Pep band, cheerleaders and big hits. These aren’t confined to college football – they’re also a staple of home games for Cyclone Hockey.

Whether it’s a salute to the crowd by the team after a game, coach Al Murdoch doing a little dance after a series sweep or the student section starting chants to distract the opposition, games at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena always seem to have something happening.

Although the arena is small compared to the other stadiums on campus, with 1,004 seats, the fans make their voices heard, said junior forward Mike Murtaugh.

“[The Ames/ISU Ice Arena] kind of grows on you, I guess,” Murtaugh said. “The fans are right there, they are never too far away.”

Not only are the stands close to the rink, but they are filled with an average of 391 fans, with almost 500 on Friday nights.

“I think we get a better student fan base than a lot of the other schools (in our league),” said sophomore forward Brad Krueger. “People see us as one of the more fun sports to watch on campus. I think that since we are one of the sports that wins a lot, which helps us out too.”

Murdoch said the fans’ support is so important to the team, he estimates it is worth roughly 1 to 2 goals per game because of the lift it gives the team. Murtaugh said the fan support keeps the players into the game.

“It gives you an adrenaline rush,” Murtaugh said. “It gets you going even if you’re really tired like at the end of a shift.”

Cyclone Hockey is also the only nonvarsity sport that has a pep band, which does more than just play songs.

“I like to think we are the loudest part of the crowd and the most abusive to the goalies,” said pep band president Scott Nystrom. “We create something of a rivalry with the student section to create more interest in the game.”

Although the atmosphere at the arena helps pump the Cyclones up, they do not always pay attention to crowd chants. Krueger said he thinks it is different for everyone, but he listens to the crowd off and on depending on what kind of mood he is in. Murtaugh doesn’t listen to them at all once the game starts.

“I don’t really listen to what the fans say except for in the beginning when they chant ‘You suck!’ or ‘Who cares?’ or whatever. I get a kick out of that, but once the game starts, I don’t really hear what they say. Just the screaming and yelling,” Murtaugh said.