My only regret is I didn't go sooner.
Like my editor/fearless leader Ken Lahmers wrote about last week, I finally made it to a Youngstown Steelhounds hockey game.
Like Lahmers, Aurora Councilman and Steelhounds athletic trainer Denny Kovach has been pressing to get me out to at least one game all year.
Over the Easter weekend -- the final one of the regular season -- I planned for the trip to Y'town.
I gathered up my girlfriend, her brother and his wife and we set off for Youngstown at 4:30 p.m. March 22.
It was one of the best sporting events I've attended in a while and I go to a lot of professional games.
Rodney Dangerfield, who once said, "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out," would have been proud. Fights were the story of the night.
During the game, there was a small-to-moderate scuffle about every five minutes, each bringing the crowd to its feet.
The Steelhounds were playing the Colorado Eagles for the third time in four nights. The Hounds took the first two games, and that, no doubt, added fuel to the fire.
It all climaxed after Youngstown escaped with a 3-2 win in a shootout. As the Hounds were celebrating on the ice, Colorado skated by them and soon another large fight broke out.
I HAD MADE my way to where the players exit the ice to go down to the locker room. I wanted to say hi to Kovach, but at that moment I feared for his life.
Kovach was making his way off the ice when he got caught in the middle of the scuffle. Denny isn't the tallest man in the world, and put between several hockey players who are much taller on their skates than he, he didn't have much of a chance to break up the altercation.
As punches were thrown, Kovach was able to slither away.
A few Colorado players had already left the ice and were trying to get back on. The two security guards nearby wouldn't let them.
Three or four guys from the stands in suits made their way to where I was standing. I think they were Hounds who weren't on the active roster that night, and they started yelling at Colorado players.
The Eagles were yelling back and the one security guard in between everyone was not enough. Punches began flying.
I was standing right there and didn't know what to do. My adrenaline said throw a punch and help out the home team. My brain said run away before the bigger men in hockey equipment punched me.
I just stood there. It's a good thing I didn't say anything because one guy got hit in the leg with a hockey stick, others had some clothes ripped and a helmet flew off one player.
IT FLEW over my head and hit my girlfriend in the head. I'm not sure what happened to the helmet, but I know the player never got it back.
Finally, order was partly restored and the Steelhounds were allowed off the ice high-fiving all the fired up fans, including me.
I thanked Kovach and told him I'll be back, and that I regretted making the last game of the year my first.
About the game, the Steelhounds were down 2-0 midway through the third period. They cut the lead in half at the 10-minute mark.
With less than 2 minutes remaining, we started making our way down to the ice thinking the game was over. The Hounds scored with an extra-man advantage with 40 seconds left.
After a five-minute overtime, the game was still tied and it went to a shootout.
When goalie Andy Franck made the game-winning save, the 4,000 fans inside the Chevrolet Centre erupted in jubilation.
It really is a neat place to watch a hockey game. Watching hockey on TV doesn't do justice to the sport; you need to see it live.
In the Chevy Centre, there isn't a bad seat; we sat in five different places.
The win in the season finale gave Youngstown the third seed in the playoffs, which start March 28, against those same Colorado Eagles.
The Steelhounds will be back in Youngstown on April 1 and if necessary, April 3 and 4. Sports fans from the area should try to get out there; it's well worth the drive.
E-mail: bhovey@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3115