Sold-out rinks, fierce rivalries and rabid fans define New England college hockey.

But the events that unfolded last weekend at Boston College stripped all of that away, revealing a much more human and vulnerable side to the game.

Merrimack goaltender Joe Exter is still in serious condition at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with multiple skull fractures sustained in a collision with B.C. forward Patrick Eaves during the third period of Friday night’s Hockey East playoff game. According to a statement by the league late Wednesday afternoon, Exter has not regained consciousness since being hit. Exter’s family, friends and teammates are praying for his recovery—as are countless others Exter has never met.

Some of these people make up the area’s closely-knit college hockey community, which has once again put school colors aside to provide support in a time of need. Unfortunately, this has become an all too frequent occurrence in recent years.

In 1995, B.U. forward Travis Roy tragically ended his collegiate hockey career only 11 seconds after it started. Hitting the boards at an unusual angle, Roy broke his fourth cervical vertebra and has never regained full use of his arms and legs.

In 2001, former Harvard assistant coach and Boston University standout Mark Bavis perished in the Sept. 11 attacks. Later that month, Maine head coach Shawn Walsh lost his year-long battle with cancer.

Exter’s coach, Chris Serino, has also felt the united love of New England’s college hockey family after taking a leave of absence last year to treat throat cancer.

This week the college hockey community has done its best to help Exter, filling message boards on USCHO.com and the Merrimack College Web site with prayers, tributes, and words of encouragement.

“College hockey fans are some of the most loyal, most passionate people in the country,” said Harvard coach Mark Mazzoleni. “They have always been there for people when they need it. The human nature in you just comes out. People put themselves in their shoes. They think, ‘How would I react if that was one of our own?’ Then they realize that he is one of our own.”

“At Harvard, we don’t have that much contact with Merrimack hockey players,” said Harvard sophomore Dov Grumet-Morris. “But something like this has an affect on everyone. It’s proof positive of how small this community really is.”

Like Roy, Exter hurt himself on a relatively common play. Eaves skated into the Merrimack zone, chasing after a puck that had the potential to turn into a breakaway. Exter left the crease to stop Eaves’ progress.

“As a goalie, you’re taught to try to clear the puck off the boards, up the glass, and out,” said Mazzoleni, a former goaltender. “By the angle he took, you could see that was what he was trying to do. It’s just so tragic, what happened.

“How many games of hockey, on all levels, are played when that doesn’t happen?”

With Exter’s long-term prognosis unclear, those who knew him before the injury are left hoping that he comes out of it as the same person he always has been.

“Joe was extremely easy to talk to,” said Harvard sophomore defenseman Ryan Lannon, who met Exter last spring at a Cushing Academy alumni game. “You could tell in the first few minutes of conversation the type of character he possessed. I’ve only played with him on several occasions, but I feel like I know him very well.”