The hottest ticket in town

As the top level of hockey the city of Sault Ste. Marie has, the Soo Greyhounds have generally been a strong draw at the Essar Centre and its predecessor, the Memorial Gardens.

With a record-setting team, attendance and interest in the team has been as high as it has been in a long time.

The city of Sault Ste. Marie has embraced the team this season.

Consider the fact that the Greyhounds average attendance through six home playoff games is 4,700, which includes announced crowds of 4.925 in games one and two against the Erie Otters.

“The energy in the building was outstanding,” Greyhounds Coach Sheldon Keefe said of the fan support following game one of the Erie series. “Our fans did a wonderful job of showing up and bringing the level of energy that they did. It was a true playoff atmosphere. The energy in the building was the best that I’ve seen since I’ve been here in Sault Ste. Marie.”

Greyhounds forward Gabe Guertler echoed Keefe’s sentiments on the big crowds at the Essar Centre.

“It’s fun,” Guertler said after the series opener against Erie. “We as players thrive on that. When we have a loud crowd, it helps us and gets us going. Every time we score a goal or make a play, they cheer for us, it gets the team going so it’s nice to play in front of a sold-out crowd.”

Tickets for game five against the Otters, scheduled for Thursday night, also went quickly.

With the speed at which tickets have been sold, they’ve been equally as quick popping up on local auction site. Some of those tickets have been sold at a substantially higher price than face value.

Even on the road, the Greyhounds receive support from fans in other Ontario Hockey League cities.

Consider the fact that a group of 50+ fans travel by bus to see the team play on the road. This season the group, which is organized by longtime Greyhounds season ticket holder Valerie Trainor has made three trips, which included being in Guelph during the second round of the playoffs when they Greyhounds clinched a series win over the Guelph Storm.

The fan bus was met by numerous other Greyhounds fans at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph that made the trip on their own or are former Saultites living in southern Ontario.

Granted, the fact that the Greyhounds have been competitive in recent years, the fan support in the city of Sault Ste. Marie and on the road is certainly something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the team.

(Photo: Soo Greyhounds fans were prominent during games three and four of the team's playoff series against the Guelph Storm in Guelph during the second round of the OHL playoffs. Brad Coccimiglio/SooToday)