BUOYING UP MARINERS : HOCKEY FANS WARM TO TEAM'S INTENSITY, CLASS.Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer They rock. They roll. They're the Ventura Mariners' hockey fans, and their enthusiasm is a perfect complement to the energetic play on the Easy Street Arena's rink. And, boy did they rock and roll this weekend during the first round of the Western States Hockey League Championship Tournament against the Bay City Bombers. The Mariners took the series, two games to one, and next week face the Flagstaff Flagstaff, city (1990 pop. 45,857), seat of Coconino co., N Ariz., near the San Francisco Peaks; inc. 1894. Lumbering, ranching, and a lively tourist trade thrive in the region, where many ruined pueblos, numerous state parks, several lakes, and large pine forests Mountaineers in the second round. A series win against Flagstaff would earn them a trip to the junior national championships later this month in Toledo, Ohio
And no one could be happier than Chris Pirelli of Moorpark, even if he was disappointed - and unnerved - by his favorite team's Friday night loss. ``They win 90 percent of their games and you assume they're going to win (Friday), so it was a little bit of a letdown letdown 1. the sudden flush of milk flow that occurs when the calf begins to suck or when milking commences in a properly prepared cow. Depends for its occurrence on the release of oxytocin from the pituitary gland in response to massage of the teats and udder. ,'' said Pirelli, who discovered the team only three months ago. Things were different Saturday and Sunday when the team rallied to win the series - and his heart was still thumping Monday. ``They came out a different team, they were definitely up and prepared for it,'' he said. The team is considered the area's best kept secret - a three-year-old minor league hockey team comprising ambitious 16- to 20-year-olds hoping to get a college scholarship or break into the big leagues. And to the local devotees like Pirelli who pack the arena for the home games, the junior-B team is better than the pros. ``They play very competitively: I was surprised. When I went down the first time I was thinking `this is going to be awful,' '' said Pirelli, 32. ``But they play like college - it's like college football - and they play with a lot of intensity. ``They play the way hockey should be played,'' he added. It's fans like Pirelli and the others who regularly pack the Easy Street Arena who make it all worthwhile, said John Parks, marketing and public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most representative for the Mariners. An average of 300 to 400 enthusiastic fans attend regular-season games, though 800 to 1,000 sometimes have attended, Parks said. Not only are they well-behaved - Parks wouldn't call them raucous rau·cous adj. 1. Rough-sounding and harsh: raucous laughter. 2. Boisterous and disorderly: "the raucous give and take of American democracy" hockey fans - they also bring a sense of family to the proceedings. ``There are a lot of older fans, too, but it's really family-oriented,'' Parks said. ``Probably the bulk of the fans are families with kids, and just hockey fans.'' The fans who appreciate the team the most are the kids, who let players know in no uncertain terms just how much they are idolized i·dol·ize tr.v. i·dol·ized, i·dol·iz·ing, i·dol·iz·es 1. To regard with blind admiration or devotion. See Synonyms at revere1. 2. To worship as an idol. by the youngsters - many of whom aspire to aspire to verb aim for, desire, pursue, hope for, long for, crave, seek out, wish for, dream about, yearn for, hunger for, hanker after, be eager for, set your heart on, set your sights on, be ambitious for make it to the team. ``After a game we could have 100 kids smashed up against the tables trying to get autographs from Mariners players,'' he said. Pirelli said he began to follow the team about November or December, after his 6-year-old son, Kai kai Noun NZ informal food [Maori] kai noun N.Z. (informal) food, grub (slang) provisions, fare, board, commons, eats (slang , took up the sport. He decided to go to a game after his wife got some free tickets - and has been attending ever since. He added that, in his opinion, the team's style on the ice not only compares favorably with the Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). - ``(The Kings) don't even play with that much intensity and excitement,'' he said - but that the young players are better-behaved than some of the pro team players. Greg Knapp Greg Knapp (occasionally spelled as Gregg, born March 5, 1963 in Long Beach, California) is the offensive coordinator for the National Football League's Oakland Raiders. He was named to the position in January, 2007, by new head coach Lane Kiffin. , a booster as well as loyal fan, said he became a hockey fan about three years ago when his son, Ryan, now 15, took up the sport. ``I've become a huge fan of the sport,'' he said. The players, he said, not only give it their all, but are an example of good sportsmanship. ``These kids are polite, they're intelligent,'' said Knapp, a medical claims examiner for Family Healthcare Medical Group in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. . ``I can't say enough - it's the classiest sports team I've seen.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--Color) Gregg Knapp and his son, Ryan, high-five Ventura Mariners as they take to the ice at the Easy Street Arena. (2--Color) Young fans cheer on the Mariners who won their first playoff round. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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