OHL North Bay Battalion

Battalion Attendance Finishes Strong

Published on May 14, 2014 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion attracted 44,402 fans to 11 home games in the Ontario Hockey League playoffs, an average of 4,037 per game.

The attendance record at the renovated Memorial Gardens was set April 1, when 4,249 witnessed the Battalion's 2-1 victory over the Niagara IceDogs in Game 7 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal.

After rallying from a 3-1 series deficit against Niagara, the Troops, who won the Central Division title by finishing first in the five-team group in the regular season, then downed the Barrie Colts and Oshawa Generals, first-place finishers in the East Division, to capture the Bobby Orr Trophy as Eastern Conference champions.

The Guelph Storm defeated the Battalion in five games in the OHL Championship Series to win the J. Ross Robertson Cup and a berth in the Memorial Cup tournament at London starting Friday.

Through the end of its home playoff schedule, the Battalion drew eight straight sellout crowds, four of which were larger than the regular-season record of 4,236, set Oct. 11 at the home opener, a 2-1 loss to the Peterborough Petes.

The 11 playoff dates at North Bay rank among the top 20 in attendance in the history of the Battalion, which moved to the Gateway City last year after 15 seasons in Brampton. The top three postseason-crowd figures were set in the larger Powerade Centre at Brampton, including two during the 2009 OHL final against the Windsor Spitifires, with the franchise record being 4,861 for the fourth game of that series.

The Battalion drew a franchise-record 114,437 fans to 34 regular-season home games, an average of 3,366.

The combined season and playoff attendance was a Battalion record 158,839, or 3,530 per game.

"There's no doubt that the tremendous support of the fans in North Bay and area was a huge help to us in winning division and conference championships and advancing to the OHL final," said Battalion owner Scott Abbott. "The players and the rest of the organization have been extremely gratified by the level of support.

"I've never heard an OHL building louder than the Gardens during the final minute of Game 7 against Niagara. It was literally vibrating."

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