Comets Fans Make Final Two Games Special
April 21, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Utica Comets News Release
Had someone walked into The AUD for the first time this past Friday or Saturday evening, they would've garnered quite the first impression. A sold out crowd that was buzzing with anticipation as the regular season came to a close.
The diehards who have visited the building all season, however, knew that the Comets were eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday. But as those that showed this weekend, they really didn't seem to care.
The loudest arena in the AHL proved to be just that, even in games that had no implications in the standings. Even when it would've been understandable otherwise, The AUD answered the bell one last time.
Everything began on Friday evening for Fan Appreciation Night, as the "Comeback Comets" skated to a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Marlies. Puck drop wasn't scheduled until 7:00 p.m. but the fans were lined up at the box office and around the corner and onto Whitesboro Street as early as three hours before, with one of the season's top giveaways as the prize on hand.
Darren Archibald has become known for making opponents bobble with his thunderous hits, but on Friday evening he did some bobbling of his own, as the Comets' inaugural bobblehead giveaway. 1,000 lucky fans went home with the fine collectable, but it was far from the only thing they would be going home with.
Five lucky sections were chosen at random and received giveaways throughout the game, with the prizes ranging from team yearbooks to a set of player trading cards. In addition, each of the 3,815 raging Comets fans in attendance received a copy of the 2013-14 team photo as they exited the building.
Saturday evening marked the culmination of the successful first season the Comets have produced in the AHL's return to Utica. The victory over the visiting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins was a bit of icing on the cake to the season, but the real story was what happened in the stands, rather than on the ice.
The AUD was simply electric on Saturday. As (PA Announcer) Tom Coyne announced the final minute of play, for the final time of the 2013-14 season, everyone in attendance stood to applaud. And for the entirety of that minute, there wasn't a single person who returned to their seat.
"It was special, that's really the best word to use," Head Coach Travis Green said after the game. "As a coach you're still worried about winning the hockey game, but it's been this way all year with this crowd."
The roars just never seemed to stop. They only increased in volume with an altercation in the corner, with Brandon DeFazio picking up the final penalty of the season. The crowd made sure the visitors knew where they were playing, as chants of "U-TI-CA" filled The AUD. And as the final buzzer sounded, the arena erupted and shook.
The players gave one last salute to the fans at center ice before they left the ice like every team, in every city, does. But this isn't just any old place. The fans never left their seats and the entire team re-took the ice after the three stars were announced, to give the fans in Utica the victory lap that they truly deserved.
"It's such a tremendous feeling when you see the crowd going crazy like that," center Pascal Pelletier said. "I know a lot of people always say that they're playing in the best city or with the best crowd, but I'm not afraid to say this is it. Utica has the best fans in the entire league, for sure."
There it is. The best fans in the AHL.
"Fan Appreciation Night" is something that's done pretty much everywhere in professional sports. It becomes just another night on the schedule. But as they have all season, the Comets' faithful made it more than that.
The crowds this weekend showed everyone how much they deserved to be appreciated. As many fans, staff members and players alike said, this is a season that won't be soon forgotten.
16 different cities get to host playoff games this year and unfortunately Utica will not be one of them. But what happened at The AUD this weekend, this month, this season. Only the Utica Comets get to have that.
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