New Hockey Arena in Allentown |

A six-hour bus ride.

One quick hockey game.

Another six-hour bus ride arriving home at 5AM.

That’s what our new friends the Section N Hecklers did. A group of about 30 from the Phantoms home in Glens Falls, NY made the trip down to support their team. They already go to all the games. They knew the Phantoms would have support from their nascent home in Philadelphia. The Phantoms provided the tickets as part of their plan, but they had to purchase the transportation. And, endure the bus ride. We were happy to meet up with Matt and Travis from the group, who joined us for some tailgate grub in the parking lot before the game.

Also joining us for the day was an old friend of mine from way back, Jeff. I’ve known him for 27 or so years. He and his wife were season ticket holders for the Phantoms in their first year in Philadelphia in 1996. Ultimately, real life, family, jobs, and a move further to the suburbs got in the way of their season tickets–and by the time they were ready to get back to it, the Spectrum was gone, and with it the Phantoms.

I thought we’d be the only ones crazy enough to tailgate for a minor league hockey game. But I forgot, this is Philadelphia. Soon after we arrived a guy parked across from us in a pickup truck and proceeded to unload a full-sized grill. He soon had a crowd bigger than ours. Yea Hockey!

I thought we’d have plenty of room in the parking lot. But again, Philadelphia. We broke up the party at about 6:45 to head to the arena for the 7:30 start. After the game, we found that the couple extra spaces we had used for our gathering had quickly filled. The parking lot was at capacity. Hockey Town.

Of the live minor-league hockey games I’ve seen over the past three years in Reading, Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia, this one was the chippiest. The Phantoms came in riding a 7-game losing streak and still suffering from the fight suspensions which cost them a few good players for last night. Perhaps they were feeling a bit frustrated. The visiting Bridgeport Sound Tigers weren’t taking it. Several fights erupted during the game, much to the pleasure of the 17,585 rabid hockey fans in attendance at the Wells Fargo Center.

Ultimately, though, the Phantoms had difficulty generating any good offense. There were a couple nice power shots (slap shots, as it were) which I had noticed as lacking in minor league hockey overall; however, the ability to put the puck on someone’s stick in a position to score was lacking. The Phantoms had 10 power play opportunities–some extended given the fights–and were only successful with one. Add to that, they yielded a short-handed goal which was ultimately the winner. The Phantoms lost 3-2 to drop to 22-27 on the season, fourth place in the North East Division only one point ahead of last-place Hartford.

As for the NoiseNation contingent, we were happy to see some live hockey, and happy to hang with new friends and old. DiPro found himself sitting “on the glass” as it were. I think he may be hooked. We invited him to the club level to join us for the third period, and this is the text I got back: “I ain’t never leaving glass lol.”

There was a jersey auction, but like the old days at the IronPigs, it was clipboards. DiPro met up with some folks we know from the IronPigs games who were battling for position near the table. Prices seemed reasonable, by reports, but I just couldn’t get involved with that craziness. Love qtego auctions…

We enjoyed a quick post-game tailgate and headed back to the Lehigh Valley, arriving around Midnight. It was a long day.

Alas, the Section N Hecklers still had five hours or so left in their journey. The Glens Falls Civic Center has hosted AHL hockey for 35 years–though not continuous, it hosted the Adirondack Red Wings when it was built in 1979. It’s neither big nor new, but the fans there are passionate about hockey and deserve a new team when the Phantoms relocate to the Lehigh Valley in the fall. Matt and Travis already have their eye on a potential team. I wish them luck, and perhaps they’ll come visit us either to see the Phantoms play, or to cheer for their new team visiting us. I think the frustration of yet another losing season is getting to them, though. After the loss, “You guys can keep them” came over Twitter.

As for the Lehigh Valley, we’ve got some big shoes to fill as far as fan support, but I think we’re up to the task. Hockey regionally is has strong fan support, and hockey fans are passionate about seeing their sport played live. I often hear, “I don’t know how hockey’s going to work in Allentown.” Hockey fans will come. They’ll come out to see the sport and see potential Flyers at a reasonable price. Caveats about parking and traffic apply, of course.

As an update, here’s a copy of the seating chart for the PPL Arena, and a new video illustration of interior. Following, are photos taken by Kram Jr and DiPro. Enjoy, and get ready for some HOCKEY!