Hockey fans have a winner!

By BILL ALTHAUS
bill.althaus@examiner.net

Ken Hader and Star Craig didn’t exactly plan on being the first two people in line to enter the Independence Events Center for the Missouri Mavericks first Central Hockey League home game.

“We thought they might open the restaurant early so we could get a bite to eat,” said Hader, who arrived at 4:45 p.m. for the 7:05 p.m. start. “Depending on what I see tonight, I just might get season tickets.”

The Kansas City resident might have to splurge following a thrilling 3-2 shootout win over the Wichita Thunder that left the sold-out crowd of 5,760 begging for more.

“I just moved to Independence from Oklahoma,” Craig said, “and I told everyone I wasn’t moving anywhere without hockey. I love hockey and I’m a goalie girl – I love to watch the goaltender.”

She loved what she saw Friday as the Mavericks Doug Groenestege stopped all three shots in the shootout to improve to 9-0 in his career against the Thunder and 3-0 this season.

Behind Hader and Craig were former Independence resident Steve Simmons and his 15-year-old daughter Sierra.

“I grew up in Independence and now I live in Lee’s Summit and this is like a dream come true to have a hockey team right here in our hometown,” Simmons said. “I’m here for the hockey – boohya! We have season tickets – right on the glass. When I got them, I told the Mavericks that if I didn’t get seats on the glass I wasn’t interested, and they were great to work with.”

When asked what she was most looking forward to, Sierra looked at her father and said, “Getting something to eat, and spending time with my dad. And I want them to win. That would be nice.”

While a couple hundred fans waited in line, Chad Baber and 25 of his best friends donned hockey masks and Jason gear, to pay homage to the Friday the 13th killer on that moonlight Mavericks home opener.

“We’re not taking in any machetes or anything like that,” joked Baber, a 2002 graduate of Truman High School. “Since it’s the first hockey game and it’s Friday the 13th we wanted to have some fun.”

So he called some friends, who called some friends and before he knew it, he had 26 people going to the game.

“It’s great to be able to attend the first game with this many friends,” Baber said. “I started out with 12, then it jumped to 20, then 26 and I could have used even more tickets but it was sold out.

“We all just want to support the hometown team and be a part of the excitement tonight.”

As Baber mingled with his friends, his 6-year-old nephew attempted to down a brat that was just a bit smaller than him.

“I think this is a sport when they shoot around a ball,” Matthew Baber explained. “At least, that’s what I think it is.”

His 6-year-old buddy Caleb Lockwood quickly corrected Matthew, adding, “They don’t hit a ball – they hit a puck. And they wear skates and I think they play on ice. That’s why they wear the skates.”

When asked what he wanted to see in his first hockey game, Caleb had a ready answer.

“I want to see people get hit and fall down,” he said, as his father, Brian, high-fived a buddy.

“I grew up watching the Kansas City Blades,” said Brian Lockwood, another 2002 Truman grad, who was sporting his Jason gear. “To be able to share this night with my friends and my son is pretty special.”

The night was also special for Mayor Don Reimal, sporting an ear-to-ear grin.

“When we committed to this, we wanted to do it right, and we did do it right – this is just spectacular,” Reimal said. “We sold more tickets in the first two weeks of the franchise than any other CHL team has sold in its first two weeks of existence, and this crowd tonight shows we made the right decision.

“We’re sold out, we have 2,000 free parking spaces and we have folks here from Belton, and Concordia and Liberty and Independence and Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit. What a great night.”

Former Independence resident Robert Downey Jr., knew Friday night was going to be exciting, but he said it wouldn’t be able to top the excitement he experienced at a Blades game many years ago.

“I love hockey, and I’m thrilled it’s back,” said Downey, who was sporting an original Blades jersey, “but I met my wife Lisa at a Blades game, and that’s about as exciting as it can get. Although I’m thinking tonight’s going to be pretty exciting, too.”