A very familiar Newcomer

The Class of 1923 Arena is aging along with Penn Hockey's most beloved fan. With 2,900 seats, Pennsylvania's largest collegiate hockey facility is far from crowded, averaging 20 spectators for Penn hockey games.

But every time Penn takes the ice, standing by himself in front of Seat 23 is a capped man with glasses. He is 75-year-old Philadelphian Marlin Newcomer, but don't let his last name fool you. Marlin is anything but a new comer.

For eight years, Newcomer has kept coming back - despite being unaffiliated with the university.

"He has missed maybe fewer than four homes games in the last seven years. He is by far our biggest fan," said general manager Whit Matthews, a former player and coach. "My fondest memory of Marlin was when we won the 2002 Championship and on the bus ride back we stopped to run up the Rocky steps and we were waiting for him to make it up."

Every Friday and Saturday night, he treks from Frankfurt, on the El, to attend the Penn home games.

Marlin has watched the football team since 1946. For no reason in particular, he walked into the Class of 1923 Arena in 2000 to check out how the hockey team was doing. Matthews, then the captain, who made him feel at home.

"We really enjoy his support," Matthews said. "Penn Hockey has given him every jacket, jersey, and sweatshirt that the team has ever made."

Newcomer added: "The Penn hockey team is my favorite. There's something special about their character. They treat you real well."

Budget cuts cost Penn Hockey its varsity status in 1978, making Penn one of only two Ivy League schools without a varsity hockey team.

Today, the program retains club status under the management of the University of Pennsylvania Recreation Department. The Quakers play a 30-game season in the 10-team Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association, widely considered to be one of the premier Division-II club conferences in the nation.

Newcomer hopes to see Penn Hockey win another championship.

"My vision is failing me and late game times are getting harder on me with age. I can only see out of my right eye, maybe a little out of my left," he admits while adjusting his glasses.

Penn's vision, meanwhile, may not allow the Quakers to keep their home rink.

"Penn Connects: A Vision For the Future," Penn's proposal for the newly acquired Postal Lands, currently does not include the Class of 1923 Arena, leaving the future of Penn Hockey uncertain.

"Having our own rink is something that Penn hockey players value," defenseman James Riley said. "When the time comes for the school to make a final decision about taking it down or making better use of it, the players' voices will be heard."

Coach Brian Gallini - author of the Quakers' 80-page playbook - also created a document last season called "The State of the Program," in which the players voice their concerns about the future of the program. Even with the Class of 1923 arena, Penn practices Monday and Wednesday nights from 10:30 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. The prime ice slots are sold to the highest bidder.

Watching from behind the Penn bench, Newcomer has gotten to know the players, who he says, "don't look so big when they're not in their pads."

As Newcomer kept his eyes on the puck so as not to miss the action on the ice, he recounted what he believed to be the highlight of the season: "The players knocked their sticks up against the boards when they announced it was my [75th] birthday on the loudspeaker. I got my picture taken with Jeff Greenberg, the captain. He was all dressed up in a tie and suit, lookin' real sharp."

The Quakers have been inconsistent this year, as in most since Newcomer has been watching.

But, as he says, "You win some you lose some, but you keep coming back."

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