Hey, hey, what do you say? Let's go Bucs!

Linda and I returned to the Madhouse on Hickman, 95KGGO Arena, to see if the Buccaneers could get back on the winning track. Last weekend, they lost both of their games ... at home. Friday night, the Bucs were hosting the Chicago Steel, a team who's struggled to get wins this year. That said, we saw the Steel make the eastern division leading Waterloo Black Hawks work hard to get a 2-1 win.

Tonight, for the first time, we were seated behind the goal in the north end of the arena. New to the 95KGGO arena, we've tried to see games from varying locations both for my camera angles and to get a sense of where the "best" fans are found. Tonight, the camera angles were both excellent and yet somewhat obstructed. To protect the fans, hockey arenas hang a net above the glass behind the goal; nice for safety, not really a photographic plus. Being behind the goal, you get a much more upclose view of action at your end of the ice. It was fun! This location also afforded the opportunity for a Greg sighting.

Co-worker, Cornhusker, and Darlington trip co-pilot, Greg has been a long time supporter of the Buccaneers. He and Troy, another 'husker I believe, have long been season ticket holders and now have seats along the glass in the north end. Each time I've been to a game, I've tried to see just where they were located but never succeeded; tonight, I saw him. At the end of the first period, I went down in front to say hello and let him know that I'd seen him and wanted to take a picture. As I took the shot, he asked if he'd be on the blog. Greg, I've tried every way I know how but the image just won't stick. Sorry!

The family seated behind us were very much fans of the game and the Bucs. They were often shouting out various calls for the consideration of the officials and coaching for the players. The most vocal sounded like the father and daughter but neither Linda nor I really wanted to turn around to confirm.

Between periods, a local custom motorcycle shop brings one of their recent creation to the arena to award a "Radical" shot. The shot is from the blue line at a goal blocked by a panel with a hole cut out in the center at the bottom. I've not seen many people even hit the panel much less come near the hole... until tonight. Tonight, we saw a shot catch an edge and get the puck up on its side and roll right to the center of the hole. The hole is cut so that only a sliding puck would go through, not a rolling puck. So close...

Much like the game in Waterloo, the first ten minutes passed without much interruption from either goal or penalty. The closing minutes were largely spent with the Bucs working around the Steel goal but finishing the period tied at zero. The second period featured goals by team leaders Palushaj and Read. In the third period, the Bucs went on a run and scored four goals in less than ten minutes; the house was a-rockin'. The final score of 7-1 put the Bucs back on track, provided the fans with half a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts (for scoring six goals and winning) and, thanks to a short-handed goal, a complete section was awarded burritos at a local Mexican restaurant.

The Bucs also announced that their next home game will include the annual Teddy Bear Toss. Fans will have the opportunity to bring a teddy bear to the game and, after the Bucs first goal, throw it on the ice. The bears will then be distributed to local charities. A nice little promo, I think.