UMD supporters gathered in Alumni Plaza for a quick pep rally... - Duluth News Tribune

April 12, 2019 at 04:39AM

"In 2004, I was 5 and I went on a fan bus (to Boston) with my parents," she said, after cheering along with the UMD pep band's signature song "In Heaven There is No Beer."

In the hours before the first faceoff of the NCAA Frozen Four, a few dozen Bulldog fans gathered for a quick-hit pep rally — starring the band, cheerleaders and, of course, Champ — timed to the team's arrival. The players, dressed GQ sharp, walked through a human-made opening in the crowd and went into the arena to prep for the semifinal game against Providence.

"I feel lucky to be able to cheer for them," said Jensen, a lifelong fan who was also a hockey cheerleader at Duluth East.

Meanwhile, across the aisle, her parents Doug and Kathy Jensen were among the maroon-clad fans. The couple met when they were lab partners at UMD, got married in 1984 — same year as the four-OT loss to Bowling Green in the championship game at Lake Placid, N.Y. — and he went on to work at the university.

They're a tight-knit family of fans, Marissa Jensen said. She watched the regional final at her parents house, she said: "By the end we were all out of our seats."

The Forsman family might be following a similar fan template.

Duluth City councilor Arik Forsman, dressed in seemingly one-of-a-kind Bulldog footwear that his wife bought off Etsy, held 11-month old Arlo Forsman to his chest during the rally.

Amelia Forsman, "3 — with an attitude," mother Jessica Forsman said, also made the trip — which they described as mostly uneventful, but with unplanned stops.

The foursome left Duluth on Wednesday and hit Buffalo around 6 a.m. on game day. Then they slept, finally, once they checked into their hotel.

They were "running on fumes," Jessica Forsman said. Both are UMD alumni.

"We've been to the last three (Frozen Four tournaments)," Forsman said. "This is the first time we've been able to share it with kids."

Like Marissa Jensen, this is Jordan Boettcher's third time cheering for the Bulldogs at the tournament. The cheerleaders traveled by bus with the pep band, she said, sleeping, chatting, consuming energy drinks.

"I've been a hockey fan my whole life," said Boettcher, a converted fan of the Gophers. "It's fun to be part of the hockey community at UMD."

Piccolo player Sara Minder, a senior, said pep band turned her into a hockey fan. Within this crew, she has found like-minded friends who are similarly into music and UMD athletics. She's fully invested, she said.

Best game so far — UMD's double overtime win over St. Cloud State in the Frozen Faceoff finale.

"We were all exhausted," she said.