GREEEN BAY, WI- A United States Hockey League record setting crowd for a Clark Cup finals’ game showed up here last night creating an awesome atmosphere at the Resh Center. The Green Bay Gamblers won the fifth and deciding game of the Clark Cup series over the Fargo Force in an electric and tumultuous environment. The standing room only crowd of 8,487 is the largest crowd ever to witness a Clark Cup finals game.
Coach and General manager John Cooper accepted the Clark Cup from USHL Commissioner Skip Prince as the large crowd stayed and savored the 5-3 title-clinching victory over the Fargo Force. Cooper who along with the Clark Cup received a water bucket drenching by his players is in his second year at the helm of the Gamblers. Last season Green Bay won the regular season championship but was eliminated in an earlier round of the playoffs.
Cooper described the last three minutes of the game as “deafening” as the huge crowd stood throughout the closing minutes of the game roaring as it became apparent that the Gamblers would win USA Hockey’s Tier 1 National Championship and the USHL championship trophy. Cooper had a double reason to celebrate as wife gave birth to their third child on Monday of this week.
An hour and a half after the game finished the ice was still crowded with fans who were invited on to the ice to help celebrate the teams’ first Clark Cup win in ten seasons. The final game attendance was a testimony to the hard work of the Gamblers front office as they had only two business days to sell tickets after Green Bay evened the series at two games apiece last Saturday evening in Fargo.
The ticket staffs of both teams combined to produce one of if not the highest attended final series in USHL history. Fargo had two large crowds last weekend drawing 9,411 in their two home games while Green Bay had previously drew 6,337 in the openeing two games. Almost 25,000 fans saw the two teams as they averaged 4,846 over the course of the series.
Contact the author at Phil.Brand@prohockeynews.com
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