The Sechelt Hitmen are hoping to pack the Gibsons and Area Community Centre Saturday night for their second senior men's home game of the season.
Fresh off a tough 6-4 road loss against the Mid-Island Blazers last week, which dropped Sechelt's record to 1-2, the Hitmen play host to the Powell River Regals Saturday night in what will surely be another entertaining night of hockey.
The Hitmen beat up on the Royals in October in their first home game, and Sechelt knows this time Powell River will be coming to town with some revenge in mind.
"The first time they were here, they were missing a few top players, so we figure they will be up for the game on Saturday," said Hitmen spokesperson Steve Stevenson. "We found out that the Coy Cup [the senior men's provincial championship] is in Prince Rupert this year, so if we qualify, we'll need to raise a lot of money to go. We've received a lot of support from the business community; we just need a few more fans to come out and support us. We're hoping to sell 900 tickets for Saturday's game. It's huge to have home support. It gets us pumped up and makes it harder for the visiting team to play in a loud building."
Stevenson said a loud and sometimes intimidating crowd played a factor in last week's loss to the Blazers.
"We were generally pleased with the effort. We were up 3-2 going into the third period, but they got a couple of quick ones, and then we scored, but we just couldn't come all the way back," Stevenson said. "It was a really greasy and chippy game. We went there with the intention to grind one out on the road and not win too many style points, which for the most part we did. We just had a few missed assignments in the third and it cost us."
Stevenson said in a three-team league, it doesn't take long for rivalries to start.
"We all remember these guys, and it doesn't take long for bad feelings to emerge," he said.
"We've played them twice in their back yard; now they have to come here for two games, so we hope to return the favour when they come in early December."
Tickets for tomorrow night's game against Powell River are available at Trail Bay Source for Sports, Lucy's and at the door. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
Following Saturday's game against Powell River, Sechelt's final home game for this year is Dec. 4 against the Blazers at 7 p.m. in Sechelt, followed by a Jan. 8, 2011 game against Powell River in Gibsons at 7:15 p.m., Feb. 4 against Powell River in Gibsons, and Feb. 5 in Sechelt against Mid-Island.
