Fan Zone

Just walking through the doors into the Big Dipper Arena, fans can already tell that the environment is something special. The atmosphere is energetic, the air is cold, and the Ice Dogs jerseys are out in full force.

Arriving at your seat, the players are warming up. There are still many open seats, but quickly the sea of blue becomes a sea of blue and grey.

The lights dim, the pre-game ceremonies have started. The announcer gets the fans fired up about their upcoming opponent and how the Dogs will overcome and defeat them.

Then, the Ice Dogs enter the ice in their flashy Rockstar warmup jerseys. The music is loud, the goal horn blaring, the goal lights, flashing and the crowd is screaming for their hometown team. The starting lineup is announced with eruptions of applause after each player is introduced.

The crowd finally quiets, the only time the entire night for the singing of our national anthem. The team is joined on the ice by players from local youth hockey teams who proudly circle the ice with the American and Alaskan flags.  

The teams line-up at center ice. The referee signals to both goalies and the scorekeeper and then finally raises the puck over the center faceoff dot. The sticks square off, and the puck drops and the hockey game is underway.

After each Fairbanks Ice Dog goal, the crowd will jump to its feet, yelling and screaming, hands in the air and clapping.

Between periods and during timeouts, Rob Proffitt becomes the team's loudest cheerleader - imploring the crowd to make noise and support the team.  Team sponsors get his unbridled enthusiasm between periods -- advertising everything from new cars to meet-and-greet dinners.  Rob's passion is contagious! 

Even in a loss, the Ice Dogs fans are athletes of themselves. They shake it off, forget about it and are back the next home game 100 percent ready to do their part to help the Dogs win.

It's not the players, the coaches, or even the arena itself that makes an Ice Dogs game what it is. It's the fans who have a love and a passion for the game of hockey.  We hope to see you at a game soon!