The annual storming of the T by Boston College students on the night of the Beanpot game almost took an official turn with University approval. Last year, UGBC Campus Entertainment worked with the athletics department and the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) to arrange a deal for BC students hoping to ride the T to the Beanpot game.
“We worked last year with Mike McKenzie in athletics to reach an agreement with the MBTA so that UGBC could pay a flat rate for all BC students to get on the B-line for free, which would have avoided the massive line that ended up forming,” said Michael Zarrilli, executive director of campus entertainment for UGBC and CSOM ’12, in an e-mail.
However, the deal was called off by the University’s Office of Risk Management before the Beanpot. Zarrilli stated that he worked exclusively with McKenzie, who told Zarrilli of the decision made by risk management.
Each year, BC students storm the B-line, packing the trolleys with students. When the train travels through the Boston University stops, the trolleys are too full for any rival Terriers to board, and BC students descend on the TD Garden as a large mass ready to cheer on the men’s hockey team.
Despite the fact that the plan with the MBTA did not go through, Zarrilli stated that the storming of the T still occurred last year.
“We ended up doing the T Storm anyway as an independent event but could not use any University money toward it because it wasn’t sanctioned,” Zarrilli said.
This year, Zarrilli and Erin Butler, director of athletic affairs and CSOM ’12, approached McKenzie again to see if it would be possible to retry the deal.
“Erin Butler, our director of athletic affairs, brought the issue up to Mike [McKenzie] again this year to see if we could try to get it approved, and he said that it wouldn’t be approved and we should go ahead with doing it independently again,” Zarrilli said.
The event for Monday night’s game has over 300 attendees on its Facebook page.
“It’s that time of year again … There’s a T-storm coming to Chestnut Hill,” the event’s Facebook page reads. “While BC hockey is preparing to dominate the Battle of the B-Line, join the rest of the Superfans and show Beantown who owns this line and this city. Take the B to Government Center and run over every BU fan you can possibly find on the golden stampede to the Garden for the puck drop at 7:30. Don’t miss the greatest Boston College Hockey tradition started since the Safety School chant was invented.”
The Office of Risk Management was contacted but was unavailable for comment.
