*OFFICIAL* Windsor Spitfires 2013-14 Season Thread (Part 3)

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RayzorIsDull

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Nov 16, 2007
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Whalers look to be the weakest club in awile,which is why I wonder how some thought they would be a competitive team,they will lucky to make the playoffs with group
Would not surprise me if Curcuruto is dealt,noticed Carrick scored for Wash tonite,say good bye to him
Other then Nedeljkovic not much there really

It might be a weaker club but I saw their game against Kingston a possible eastern contender and they showed quite well and got the win. If Ned was playing against Peterborough it probably was a 3-0 week for them. Wilson played very little against Calgary (did get into a fight) so he should be back he's playing less than Bailey did on the Island but I guess we saw how that panned out.
 

hockeylegend11

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Sep 11, 2010
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It might be a weaker club but I saw their game against Kingston a possible eastern contender and they showed quite well and got the win. If Ned was playing against Peterborough it probably was a 3-0 week for them. Wilson played very little against Calgary (did get into a fight) so he should be back he's playing less than Bailey did on the Island but I guess we saw how that panned out.

Goal scoring is a real problem with this team did u know they only have 7,five on five
goals in 6 games,6 ppg and 1 sh,with was the penalty shot goal last nite a shorty
without Wilson and Carrick this team is in real trouble,Ned cant do it all,like he did against Kingston to get a shootout win
 

ForestGlade

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May 16, 2011
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The ugly by far was 4400 in the stands which is now the smallest crowd in WFCU history surpassing Erie last Saturday. This is definitely a talking point of interest as well because the 4400 also represents what is quite likely few sth, the organization would never say what that number is but it's clearly below 4400 since it represents tickets sold unless they absolutely got 0 walk-ups tonight. This is a low point for ownership since taking over and it's time Savage and Schwab do what they took over part of the organization for and that's market and get out in the public and talk to people.

For comparison sake, the last time the Spitfires drew 4400 for a regular season game was December 4, 2008 against the Guelph Storm. Windsor Arena was sold out that night
 

jughead42*

Guest
Nice win, Kuchmey looked pretty solid against an uninspired Plymouth team. Koekoek looked impressive to me, he's really good at getting the puck at the net and also getting involved on the rush. He knows what to do with the puck, I hope he stays healthy. Johnson surprised me tonight, a couple of tip in goals and a wicked wrister inside the post to complete the hatty. I didn't know he had it in him, I think he's going to have a great season with these two emerging weapons in his arsenal. Ho Sang bugs me, I want him to just figure it out but he doesn't seem able to. On one play I saw him coast into the slot with his stick cocked for a pass, and when it didn't come he skates over to the russian kid, takes it off his stick and immediately turns it over trying to skate through a guy. So frustrating, he should be figuring it out by now. If he goes to the net and stays open Yazakov can hit him with a pass in close, or at the minimum draw a player away to give the russian room to make a play. I also like the new OA defenceman, he'll make us better. He doesn't bring the thunder like Sieloff did but he's pretty smart with the puck from what I've seen so far. Now lets get london, the team who totally doesn't want to trade for Koekoek apparently. Good. They can see why they should want him, even though they can't have him anyway.
 

coachfluffy

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Feb 26, 2013
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I really enjoyed the game. Even Kerby played well (that really hurts to say). Ho-Sang is still terribly ineffective and frustrating to watch because of his selfishness. The Russian did not impress me either. He was a hazard in his own zone and seemed too physically weak to be a positive. Cobham and Hughes are also ohysically weak and need to hit the weights. Janes, Vail and Johnson will be a good line if they are left together but past history says that if they get going well, Rychel will be placed on that line and someone will be moved. I enjoyed Bilke and have always like Giftopoulos.

Spitfires played an effective style for them. Chip it out and then chip it in. Forecheck the hell out of them and play the game in their zone as much as possible.

The one end behind the Spits net used to be mostly group sales and walk ups. It was all but empty tonight. I spent $30 - 35 tonight and I went by myself. There is no way we can afford to bring our family or for me to go alone more than a couple times a month.
 
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hockeylegend11

Registered User
Sep 11, 2010
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Some stats to look at

With 3 or more appearances Spits goalie Dalen Kuchmey is 4th in league goals against ave

with 1.97, the 5th best is Oscar Dansk at 2.51

While it is early the Spits are #1 in the conf with even strength goals-13 and 4th in the

league,only Kingston,Peterborough,and Sudbury have more,and the last 2 teams are

under 500

The PP needs work only 3 goals in 20 opps,but with everybody back I do see that

changing

Based on the early I dont see an issue with team scoring,although I would like to see

more offense from the D,as Koekoek is the lone Dman with a goal,and Ebert,Murphy

and Ebert only have 1 pt between the 3 of them

I do think that will change too
 

punch1943

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Apr 15, 2012
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I really enjoyed the game. Even Kerby played well (that really hurts to say). Ho-Sang is still terribly ineffective and frustrating to watch because of his selfishness. The Russian did not impress me either. He was a hazard in his own zone and seemed too physically weak to be a positive. Cobham and Hughes are also ohysically weak and need to hit the weights. Janes, Vail and Johnson will be a good line if they are left together but past history says that if they get going well, Rychel will be placed on that line and someone will be moved. I enjoyed Bilke and have always like Giftopoulos.

Spitfires played an effective style for them. Chip it out and then chip it in. Forecheck the hell out of them and play the game in their zone as much as possible.

The one end behind the Spits net used to be mostly group sales and walk ups. It was all but empty tonight. I spent $30 - 35 tonight and I went by myself. There is no way we can afford to bring our family or for me to go alone more than a couple times a month.

IMHO the style the Spits played last night with the chip ins is what you're gonna see this year. (last night we took advantage of a poor defense) It's what we need to do to stay close, we don't have the type of team for fire wagon hockey. We do have some speed but little creativity. Ho Sang seems to be the closest to a creative player we have but... he just isn't there yet.
The veteran players,on the whole, have played well and should be able to handle this system. It will take the younger players some time to adapt.
If I had to hazard a guess I'd say we're going to have difficulties coming back when we fall behind and we'll suffer in physical games. Penalties are the Achilles heel of a defensive hockey team. We'll get our fair share of them but we have to stay away from the foolish ones as much as possible.

My pair of tix were in sec 109 last year (behind the home net)...mostly older STH because of easy access to seats. If the attendance was 4400 last night you have to think that the season ticket holders hover around 4000.
IMHO a good portion of the STH expect to be treated as preferred customers (I know I do). The ticket price needs to be addressed. The preferred parking pricing should be lowered. Every STH should be given a card that entitles them to a % off of refreshments and other events held at WFCU.
It would help tremendously if the WFCU/Spitfire team paid the Windsor police to have a pair of officers assigned to the two exits from the parking lot for a couple of hours at the games end. Traffic could get cleared very quickly in my opinion.
When the team holds promo's such as 2 tix, 2 hats for $44 to entice walk-ins the STH feel slighted. They should get hats at that time as well.
The team needs to beef up the quality and speed up the service at the concession stands. After all the customer is paying premium $$$ for the product, he deserves premium service....
 

etr102

Registered User
Mar 7, 2010
503
1
Windsor, ON
The ugly by far was 4400 in the stands which is now the smallest crowd in WFCU history surpassing Erie last Saturday. This is definitely a talking point of interest as well because the 4400 also represents what is quite likely few sth, the organization would never say what that number is but it's clearly below 4400 since it represents tickets sold unless they absolutely got 0 walk-ups tonight. This is a low point for ownership since taking over and it's time Savage and Schwab do what they took over part of the organization for and that's market and get out in the public and talk to people.

Agreed. Not trying to make any excuses, but in Windsor, people still aren't in the hockey frame of mind and won't be for at least another month.

As far as I know, Windsor is still 3rd in attendance behind London and Kitchener. Overall, it seems that OHL attendance is on the decline though. For example, although Ottawa had a decent opener (12,000+), they have failed to draw more than 2600 ever since.

In fact, last night Ottawa's attendance was 1500! Can you imagine what it would be like to watch hockey in a 20,000 seat arena with only 1500 people?

London's attendance has held strong since the opening of the JLC. Kitchener's attendance is strong as always, plus their capacity has gone up a few thousand. Aside from that, it appears that the entire league is in decline as far as attendance goes.

Maybe this is more on Branch than it is Warren/Bob as let's face it, the game on the ice just isn't what it used to be, and that goes for every arena in the league.
 

etr102

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Mar 7, 2010
503
1
Windsor, ON
On the plus side, the lineups for the urinals and the concession stands have been virtually non-existent and I can show up as late as 6:40 and still find plenty of parking. I can remember in 09-10 arriving at the arena at like 5:15 or so. I do miss the tailgating atmosphere though.
 

Styx and Stones

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Mar 28, 2012
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Without question the best ushers in the league. Love watching games there. Was a guy passing around snacks before the game! Concession people are friendly and the crowd knowledgeable. Tons of free parking! Special mention to the usher in section 108. Always moves us up to empty seats and that never happens in any other rink we visit
 

Sec108

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Sep 5, 2011
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Dont know if anyone mentioned this but I saw Storm GM Mike Kelly in the corridor last night dont know if he's looking at Spits or Whalers for a deal.

As to last nights game, congrats to Benny for the hat trick, Kuch also looked sharp but the D held them back to help out.He wont have any easy outing tonight but a nice test for these Spits to see what were looking at.I thought maybe Dekort tonight but maybe ride kuch again, dont want to tire him out early season.Dekort sunday would be smarter.

As for the attendance, at 645 it looked ugly in there then a few more started to filter in.Nice for parking though.I think Branch and his WWE style nepotism has done the league as a whole great harm,with the lack of disposable income out there if fans think their team is cheated on they wont come back, alot of anger out there people tired of being ripped off , real or perceived.

I will end it by saying this charity concessions crap has to go.My wife ordered nacho's about the cheapest thing on the over priced menu, and we had the longest wait for bloody nacho's yet and no one was even lined up here.What gives.
This whole thing needs a revamp next season and each concession should be tendered out like real venue's or like at silver city.And this crap of if I buy a timmies in the other ice pads area I cant bring it in the main bowl is also garbage Ive still bought it there.Put a little spits sticker on the cup to prove it, its not rocket science.
 

Knights77

Registered User
Oct 5, 2012
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519
Bud Gardens
Anyone making the trip up to the JLC for the good ol rivalry? If so, ill buy you a beer ;)
My season seats are top row sec 314. Lemme know!
Should be a good game this eve!
 

coachfluffy

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Feb 26, 2013
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Dont know if anyone mentioned this but I saw Storm GM Mike Kelly in the corridor last night dont know if he's looking at Spits or Whalers for a deal.

As to last nights game, congrats to Benny for the hat trick, Kuch also looked sharp but the D held them back to help out.He wont have any easy outing tonight but a nice test for these Spits to see what were looking at.I thought maybe Dekort tonight but maybe ride kuch again, dont want to tire him out early season.Dekort sunday would be smarter.

As for the attendance, at 645 it looked ugly in there then a few more started to filter in.Nice for parking though.I think Branch and his WWE style nepotism has done the league as a whole great harm,with the lack of disposable income out there if fans think their team is cheated on they wont come back, alot of anger out there people tired of being ripped off , real or perceived.

I will end it by saying this charity concessions crap has to go.My wife ordered nacho's about the cheapest thing on the over priced menu, and we had the longest wait for bloody nacho's yet and no one was even lined up here.What gives.
This whole thing needs a revamp next season and each concession should be tendered out like real venue's or like at silver city.And this crap of if I buy a timmies in the other ice pads area I cant bring it in the main bowl is also garbage Ive still bought it there.Put a little spits sticker on the cup to prove it, its not rocket science.

I talked to Kelly a little downstairs as he was waiting for the elevator. Mark hunter was there as well, scouting no doubt.

As for the concessions, they are tendered out to a company which gives them exclusive rights to what is sold in the main bowl. The community rinks are opporated by the city and tendered by the city.

The spits can be effective with that style against anyone if they work. I used it many times when I was coaching. It is more or less, just get in the way, get the puck out and then get the puck in. Very good when you are out manned talent wise.

I think it is more the cost and the over all experience that is affecting attendance. Pay the ushers if that is what it takes for them to seem interested in being there. Be fairer with the shirt / pizza tosses and not just have the game day staff hand them out to particular people. As mentioned, include STH in the promos and give aways used to lure walk ups.
 

Sec108

Registered User
Sep 5, 2011
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Anyone making the trip up to the JLC for the good ol rivalry? If so, ill buy you a beer ;)
My season seats are top row sec 314. Lemme know!
Should be a good game this eve!

Is it a long way to roll down the stairs from???:laugh:
 

Sec108

Registered User
Sep 5, 2011
1,764
338
I talked to Kelly a little downstairs as he was waiting for the elevator. Mark hunter was there as well, scouting no doubt.

As for the concessions, they are tendered out to a company which gives them exclusive rights to what is sold in the main bowl. The community rinks are opporated by the city and tendered by the city.

The spits can be effective with that style against anyone if they work. I used it many times when I was coaching. It is more or less, just get in the way, get the puck out and then get the puck in. Very good when you are out manned talent wise.

I think it is more the cost and the over all experience that is affecting attendance. Pay the ushers if that is what it takes for them to seem interested in being there. Be fairer with the shirt / pizza tosses and not just have the game day staff hand them out to particular people. As mentioned, include STH in the promos and give aways used to lure walk ups.

I understand what your saying about the tendering, I kind of figured it was that.But this whole experience is not fan friendly.At the beginning people overlooked all this now fans are saying **** it, in droves.You have to wonder what next yrs attendance will look like on a rebuild.
 

Knights77

Registered User
Oct 5, 2012
1,297
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Bud Gardens
Is it a long way to roll down the stairs from???:laugh:

LOL...i love my seats, great view and 'cup holders' behind me. Its a ledge instead of somebody kicking your seats. good times.
Anyways if any of you faithful are making the trip, let me know or pop by 314, top row...ill be sporting my new white Marner jersey and ill grab you a bevy.
Im looking forward to seeing the Spits this year. Koekoek cuz we didnt really see him last year due to injury (heard he has been good so far)....also Kerby is a rock as usual...and Ho-Sang, want to see his progression from last year.
 

RayzorIsDull

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Nov 16, 2007
14,407
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bp on hfboards
Agreed. Not trying to make any excuses, but in Windsor, people still aren't in the hockey frame of mind and won't be for at least another month.

As far as I know, Windsor is still 3rd in attendance behind London and Kitchener. Overall, it seems that OHL attendance is on the decline though. For example, although Ottawa had a decent opener (12,000+), they have failed to draw more than 2600 ever since.

In fact, last night Ottawa's attendance was 1500! Can you imagine what it would be like to watch hockey in a 20,000 seat arena with only 1500 people?

London's attendance has held strong since the opening of the JLC. Kitchener's attendance is strong as always, plus their capacity has gone up a few thousand. Aside from that, it appears that the entire league is in decline as far as attendance goes.

Maybe this is more on Branch than it is Warren/Bob as let's face it, the game on the ice just isn't what it used to be, and that goes for every arena in the league.

I think that can only rationalize things a bit. 4400 represents what is likely a far smaller season ticket base we are talking about 4100?, maybe 4000? When the arena first opened the sth base had to be capped at 5200 or 5300. Ottawa is in their last year of playing in the Canadian Tire Centre, I was in Kanata for the Ontario Junior Baseball Championships and was a 5 minute walk from the arena and practice facility(Canadian Tire Centre). One early afternoon my buddy and I made the trek from Kanata to downtown Ottawa and the area where the 67s primary/future arena is, it was probably a 35 minute drive and this was kind of rush hour but at 230pm. Trust me nobody is making the trek from that area to the Civic Centre.


An example of their poor marketing was last Saturday they had a deal against the Otters a ticket, hot dog and drink for $24 which is a fair deal. I later read that this deal is only available until Friday and not on game day. I wouldn't trust that group to run a lemonade stand.

Yes maybe Branch and his "new OHL" has turned off some fans but I think there's a bigger message.
 

coachfluffy

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Feb 26, 2013
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An example of their poor marketing was last Saturday they had a deal against the Otters a ticket, hot dog and drink for $24 which is a fair deal. I later read that this deal is only available until Friday and not on game day. I wouldn't trust that group to run a lemonade stand.

Yes maybe Branch and his "new OHL" has turned off some fans but I think there's a bigger message.

Stuff like this, the parking , concessions and what I mentioned earlier are all part of making the experience more enjoyable for everyone.

Also, a little thing but still something, is that since Eric left as being Bomber a couple years ago (and Forest Glade's short stint), Bomber doesn't seem to mingle in the crown like he used to.
 

coachfluffy

Registered User
Feb 26, 2013
121
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LOL...i love my seats, great view and 'cup holders' behind me. Its a ledge instead of somebody kicking your seats. good times.
Anyways if any of you faithful are making the trip, let me know or pop by 314, top row...ill be sporting my new white Marner jersey and ill grab you a bevy.
Im looking forward to seeing the Spits this year. Koekoek cuz we didnt really see him last year due to injury (heard he has been good so far)....also Kerby is a rock as usual...and Ho-Sang, want to see his progression from last year.

I am not a Kerby fan but he thoroughly impressed me last night with his 'hockey' playing, both ends of the ice, with and without the puck..

I am afraid Ho-Sang will probably disappoint you. Lots of talent but not showing any 'hockey' abilities.
 

coachfluffy

Registered User
Feb 26, 2013
121
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I understand what your saying about the tendering, I kind of figured it was that.But this whole experience is not fan friendly.At the beginning people overlooked all this now fans are saying **** it, in droves.You have to wonder what next yrs attendance will look like on a rebuild.

A further aside to the concessions, the basketball team gets no take from their games and no say on how many stands are open or the staffing. Therefore, their fans are not happy with the service as well. Maybe we should contact the city councillors and maybe encourage them to look elsewhere when the current concession contract expires.
 

Hawks3

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Aug 27, 2011
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Nice win, Kuchmey looked pretty solid against an uninspired Plymouth team. Koekoek looked impressive to me, he's really good at getting the puck at the net and also getting involved on the rush. He knows what to do with the puck, I hope he stays healthy. Johnson surprised me tonight, a couple of tip in goals and a wicked wrister inside the post to complete the hatty. I didn't know he had it in him, I think he's going to have a great season with these two emerging weapons in his arsenal. Ho Sang bugs me, I want him to just figure it out but he doesn't seem able to. On one play I saw him coast into the slot with his stick cocked for a pass, and when it didn't come he skates over to the russian kid, takes it off his stick and immediately turns it over trying to skate through a guy. So frustrating, he should be figuring it out by now. If he goes to the net and stays open Yazakov can hit him with a pass in close, or at the minimum draw a player away to give the russian room to make a play. I also like the new OA defenceman, he'll make us better. He doesn't bring the thunder like Sieloff did but he's pretty smart with the puck from what I've seen so far. Now lets get london, the team who totally doesn't want to trade for Koekoek apparently. Good. They can see why they should want him, even though they can't have him anyway.


In an interview on AM800 before the season started Ho Sang said his main goal is to go high in the draft and to get noticed by scouts and then he stumbled and said of course team first? Makes me wonder if he is an individual or a team guy?
 

etr102

Registered User
Mar 7, 2010
503
1
Windsor, ON
I think that can only rationalize things a bit. 4400 represents what is likely a far smaller season ticket base we are talking about 4100?, maybe 4000? When the arena first opened the sth base had to be capped at 5200 or 5300. Ottawa is in their last year of playing in the Canadian Tire Centre, I was in Kanata for the Ontario Junior Baseball Championships and was a 5 minute walk from the arena and practice facility(Canadian Tire Centre). One early afternoon my buddy and I made the trek from Kanata to downtown Ottawa and the area where the 67s primary/future arena is, it was probably a 35 minute drive and this was kind of rush hour but at 230pm. Trust me nobody is making the trek from that area to the Civic Centre.

An example of their poor marketing was last Saturday they had a deal against the Otters a ticket, hot dog and drink for $24 which is a fair deal. I later read that this deal is only available until Friday and not on game day. I wouldn't trust that group to run a lemonade stand.

Yes maybe Branch and his "new OHL" has turned off some fans but I think there's a bigger message.

I'll agree that the ticket promotions need some work. I think there was a deal recently for 2 tickets and 2 hats for $44. Well two tickets at face value costs roughly $44 so the 'deal' essentially only gets you the free hats. Do they honestly think that the free hats are going to lure crowds in there?

I think that with the early bird pricing, tickets work out to about $16-17/ea, so I understand that promotional deals that are cheaper than that price point may be a slap in the face to STHs, but they have to come up with something to get butts in the seats, that's for sure.

I notice that this year we are seeing empty suites on a regular basis for the first time. Each game, there seems to be about 6 or 7 suites that are completely unused.

My old seats used to be in Section 109 Row O. Back in 2009 those seats were completely surrounded by other STHs. The experience was great, however just about everybody around there has since either not renewed or moved elsewhere in the arena. My seats ended up surrounded by Group Sales which meant we'd be surrounded by busloads of 30 or more children kicking us in the back of the seat, dropping popcorn on us, yelling back and forth to each other across our seats, etc, paying 0 attention to the game itself. It got to the where I no longer enjoyed going.

So last year I emailed Lynne Rozario about switching to Platinum Seats for this season. Apparently they must have been desperate for platinum seat sales because she offered to move my seats to platinum mid-year if I purchased a package. The seats would cost $1125/seat per year with a 4 YEAR CONTRACT. They would be $1325/seat/year for a 2 year contract. That's over twice as much as regular seats (with the early bird discount) so I pretty much said screw that. I'm really not sure how they can justify those prices and I'm surprised that they sell any of those packages.

In the end, I ended up moving to section 119. I've enjoyed the gameday experience far more.
 

OHLTG

Registered User
Nov 18, 2008
16,434
8,378
behind lens, Ontario
I can show up as late as 6:40 and still find plenty of parking. I can remember in 09-10 arriving at the arena at like 5:15 or so.

When you have 2,000 fewer people at a game, this happen :laugh:

Anyone making the trip up to the JLC for the good ol rivalry? If so, ill buy you a beer

I will be somewhere up in the third level. My buddy said "3-0-something", haha. We're only a few rows from the bottom, though. Just look for the Spitfire golf shirt and Tigers cap. If the Spits play like they did last night, who knows what could happen. If not, might be a long night.
 

Knights77

Registered User
Oct 5, 2012
1,297
519
Bud Gardens
When you have 2,000 fewer people at a game, this happen :laugh:



I will be somewhere up in the third level. My buddy said "3-0-something", haha. We're only a few rows from the bottom, though. Just look for the Spitfire golf shirt and Tigers cap. If the Spits play like they did last night, who knows what could happen. If not, might be a long night.

30...something...you will be across from me, ill look for you. In this case it is easier cuz I've met you before! lol. Looking forward to this game. :nod:
 
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