My ears were still ringing when I woke up Sunday morning, and I couldn't get the Bon Jovi song "This is Our House" out of my head all day long.
If you were at Mystique Community Ice Center this weekend, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The atmosphere was as exciting as a rock concert as the Dubuque Fighting Saints won Games 3 & 4 to earn the USHL's Clark Cup. They knocked off the defending champion Green Bay Gamblers to win the cup for the first time since 1985.
And the fans desere a huge assist.
Early last week, the Saints were nearly 1,000 tickets short of a sellout. But the fans stepped up, big-time, to sell out both games. They drew 3,140 on Friday and a city-record 3,480 on Saturday. It created a few parking headaches, but it was well worth it.
The crowd also gave the Saints a huge home-ice advantage. Just ask Green Bay coach Eric Rud.
"Here in this building, they were able to keep their composure a little better than we were," Rud said. "The atmosphere was absolutely electric. I think Dubuque did a great job of creating an environment where it was truly a home-ice advantage for them. I thought it got our guys off kilter a little bit."
