nivek_wahs
04-05-2007, 02:40 AM
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/sports/story.html?id=f67e2d2a-ce04-4e10-9f30-510a9e7a539a
Pats know what to expect from a hostile crowd
Greg Harder, Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, April 05, 2007
If you think the Medicine Hat Tigers cast an imposing shadow, take a look at their backup.
All 4,006 of them.
Not only does Medicine Hat boast one of the WHL's elite teams -- perhaps the best in the west -- but the city is also home to a rabid fan base which has spawned 183 straight sellouts.
The Regina Pats will have to contend with another packed house at The Arena on Saturday night when they open a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal against the Tigers. Game 2 is also earmarked for Medicine Hat on Monday.
"It's definitely a noisy building -- a smaller place," offered Pats forward Kirt Hill. "It's a bunch of fans who don't like to lose. They're going to be in our face. We know it's coming. We just have to think of it as (eliminating) a distraction. We're aware of it and we know what we have to do to take it out of the game."
And that is?
"The biggest thing is you need to have good starts and take the crowd out of it," Hill explained. "You can't let them get any momentum. When they make a hit, we have to make two hits. And when they score a goal we have to come back ready for the next shift because when they score that's an energy part of their game being in that building."
The Medicine Hat Arena, in some respects, is simply a larger version of the Civic Centre in Moose Jaw and the Centennial Civic Centre in Swift Current. Each one is old, outdated and in desperate need of upgrades -- or demolition.
All three buildings also have similar qualities in terms of atmosphere, including the illusion that the fans are sitting right on top of the ice surface.
"That was the great thing about going to Swift; it's a similar building," noted Pats head coach Curtis Hunt, whose team eliminated the Swift Current Broncos in the first round. "To go in there and be able to remove that distraction, I thought we did a very good job of it. (In Medicine Hat) we're just playing a different colour."
The Tigers showed their true colours on home ice during the regular season, posting a record of 29-5-2-0. The Pats were nearly as impressive at the Brandt Centre with a 25-8-1-2 mark, but they posted a less-than stellar record of 11-20-1-4 on the road.
However, Regina exorcised those demons in the playoffs by going 3-0 in Swift Current. As part of a startling reversal, the Pats also lost two of three home games against the Broncos.
"Everything you do, you learn from," said Hunt. "We'll take the lessons from the home games. We obviously want to improve in that area. But going on the road, it's a different animal. Nothing that has happened up to this point really matters except for the things that we deem are important to take with us. That (playoff success on the road) is one thing we do want to take with us."
As for the potential distractions associated with playing in front of a hostile crowd, the Pats insist it won't be a major focus in terms of preparation.
Their concern lies with the opponent, not the venue.
"It's like any building," added Hunt. "When you're on the bench as a player or a coach, you only really hear it when (the Tigers) do something that's good.
"I'm sure as a fan it's a fun environment. You know it's full because it's in the headlines ahead of time, but for our kids, because of what we're (focused on) doing, we try not to let that be a factor," add Hunt, whose team lost all four meetings this season with the Tigers.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007
Pats know what to expect from a hostile crowd
Greg Harder, Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, April 05, 2007
If you think the Medicine Hat Tigers cast an imposing shadow, take a look at their backup.
All 4,006 of them.
Not only does Medicine Hat boast one of the WHL's elite teams -- perhaps the best in the west -- but the city is also home to a rabid fan base which has spawned 183 straight sellouts.
The Regina Pats will have to contend with another packed house at The Arena on Saturday night when they open a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal against the Tigers. Game 2 is also earmarked for Medicine Hat on Monday.
"It's definitely a noisy building -- a smaller place," offered Pats forward Kirt Hill. "It's a bunch of fans who don't like to lose. They're going to be in our face. We know it's coming. We just have to think of it as (eliminating) a distraction. We're aware of it and we know what we have to do to take it out of the game."
And that is?
"The biggest thing is you need to have good starts and take the crowd out of it," Hill explained. "You can't let them get any momentum. When they make a hit, we have to make two hits. And when they score a goal we have to come back ready for the next shift because when they score that's an energy part of their game being in that building."
The Medicine Hat Arena, in some respects, is simply a larger version of the Civic Centre in Moose Jaw and the Centennial Civic Centre in Swift Current. Each one is old, outdated and in desperate need of upgrades -- or demolition.
All three buildings also have similar qualities in terms of atmosphere, including the illusion that the fans are sitting right on top of the ice surface.
"That was the great thing about going to Swift; it's a similar building," noted Pats head coach Curtis Hunt, whose team eliminated the Swift Current Broncos in the first round. "To go in there and be able to remove that distraction, I thought we did a very good job of it. (In Medicine Hat) we're just playing a different colour."
The Tigers showed their true colours on home ice during the regular season, posting a record of 29-5-2-0. The Pats were nearly as impressive at the Brandt Centre with a 25-8-1-2 mark, but they posted a less-than stellar record of 11-20-1-4 on the road.
However, Regina exorcised those demons in the playoffs by going 3-0 in Swift Current. As part of a startling reversal, the Pats also lost two of three home games against the Broncos.
"Everything you do, you learn from," said Hunt. "We'll take the lessons from the home games. We obviously want to improve in that area. But going on the road, it's a different animal. Nothing that has happened up to this point really matters except for the things that we deem are important to take with us. That (playoff success on the road) is one thing we do want to take with us."
As for the potential distractions associated with playing in front of a hostile crowd, the Pats insist it won't be a major focus in terms of preparation.
Their concern lies with the opponent, not the venue.
"It's like any building," added Hunt. "When you're on the bench as a player or a coach, you only really hear it when (the Tigers) do something that's good.
"I'm sure as a fan it's a fun environment. You know it's full because it's in the headlines ahead of time, but for our kids, because of what we're (focused on) doing, we try not to let that be a factor," add Hunt, whose team lost all four meetings this season with the Tigers.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007