Any Harvard sports fan knows the trials and tribulations of trying to find the scores live of all the important games over the course of the year.

Searching for live updates online is always a labyrinth of dead ends, and the radio broadcasts online are never a sure thing.

That’s why when it comes down to the big games, there is nothing like the chance to experience it live and maybe raise a little hell in the process.

Last weekend, Harvard women’s hockey fans of all stripes had a rare chance not only to easily find its team’s scores, but also to go root on their friends, classmates or relatives live in person in the season’s championship matchup.

Last year, the Crimson found itself in enemy territory for the final showdown against Duluth on their home ice—the Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center.

This year, it was the Crimson’s turn to turn a neutral stadium into a home-ice atmosphere.

The Dunkin’ Donuts Center—where the Frozen Four took place—holds 12,000 people and is in Providence, a mere hour’s drive away from the heart of Cambridge.

For the semifinal affair against St. Lawrence, the Harvard fans seemed scattered and only slightly louder then the force that the northern New York opponent could muster from its 2,000-student base.

At that point, it seemed as if expectations for this year’s attendance following up on last year’s rowdy sellout who witnessed the pinnacle of women’s hockey.

And for a sport that is still growing and has seen the crowd sizes rise each year with the level of play, the look of the 2,500 fans at the semifinal contest in an arena almost double the size of Duluth’s last year was not promising.

And then co-captain Angela Ruggiero made a guarantee and changed the tide.

After obviously talking with relatives and classmates who planned to be out in full force for Sunday’s championship game, Ruggiero said during Saturday’s press conference that the Harvard fans would not only be out in larger numbers, but were going to consolidate their group to generate some noise in the cavernous Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

By opening faceoff, some 3,500 fans had shown up—down from the over 5,000 who came out for last year’s Harvard-Duluth showdown—most of whom were either carrying Minnesota flags and yellow towels or signs in support of their favorite Crimson skater.

The Harvard side was boosted by members of the women’s crew team who once again painted their stomachs and braved the cold to support their fellow Radcliffe athletes.

On hand were also a number of alums from past women’s hockey teams, including Karen Ingram ’03 and Tracy Catlin ’03—both of whom were on the ice for last year’s tight showdown in the hostile Duluth environment.