The Northfield Ice Arena saw the bloodiest brawl in its history on March 9, 2011 when both benches of the St. Olaf and Carleton Men’s Club Hockey teams and one Ole fan began fighting on the ice during the third period.
Fans threw cans, trash, and a zamboni tire out onto the ice through the entire game. The Oles screamed chants and jeers of “Carleton sucks!” While the Carls shouted “screw yah, yah” back across the ice. Both supporters’ groups were heavily intoxicated, according to accounts of the day. The St. Olaf players were penalized for every can and item of trash thrown out onto the ice, which made them all the more boisterous and aggressive.
The game, which is always violent due to the cross-river rivalry, was made especially violent due to the fan behavior. What started the third quarter brawl was an Ole checking a Carl in front of the St. Olaf net. The move, which was technically legal, was the final straw that led to the melee. All sources write about how unacceptable the fight was. In an editorial for The Olaf Messenger, former student Christopher Stolp-Smith ’13 wrote “Not only did I feel shame because of the fight, but also because of the cheers of ‘F— you, Carleton,’ ‘F— you, Olaf,’ ‘ugly b—-es,’ etc.”
A referee was struck across the bridge of his nose by a skate while trying to break up the fight, and ended up needing stitches. The fight only ended after multiple minutes of brawling. No players on either team were arrested by the Northfield Police Department, but many were disciplined internally at their respective schools.
Following the fight, Carleton and St. Olaf Men’s Club Hockey teams were not allowed to play each other again until 2014.
