TAMPA, Fla. — A bit of a rough start to the Stanley Cup Semifinals for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but that didn’t get the fans down!
The energy in Thunder Alley ahead of game one was enough to get anybody excited for the big game.
“The way that this city has grown into a hockey town is amazing,” said Lera Frankich, a Tampa Bay Lightning fan.
The fans endured it all on Sunday. A slow start to getting goals up on the board, anxiety building, then the rain started. But the fans weren’t going anywhere.
“I’ve been a Lightning fan my whole life, and just this atmosphere is just awesome,” Hannah Hill, a Tampa Bay Lightning fan.
Then it all came down to the last minute. Bolts finally put a point up on the board, Lightning fans were on the edge of their seats, but it wasn’t quite enough time to pull it off.
“They didn’t have enough power I don’t think, but hopefully next game they will do it. They have the talent, but something happened today that it was just not there today,” said Luis Santistevan, a Tampa Bay Lightning fan.
But for the few New York Islanders fans at Amalie Arena, this is just what they were hoping for.
“As the underdog, yeah, being on the road, this is huge, so we took one game in Tampa, hopefully we can take game two on Tuesday,” said Eliot Acosta, a New York Islanders fan.
A little friendly competition going on at the Acosta household, Eliot’s own son, Elliot, cheers for the Bolts!
“Think they’re gonna change their game plan and hopefully come back,” said Elliot Acosta, a Tampa Bay Lightning fan.
The rest of the Tampa Bay Lightning fans agree.
“I’m not gonna jinx anything, but I will say that it’s looking good for us,” said Ralph Barr, a Tampa Bay Lightning fan.
The same team matchup as last year’s Stanley Cup Semifinals, but this year, Bolts fans are confident they’ll wrap up the series even faster.
“In 5. It’s not a question,” said Jalen Williams, a Tampa Bay Lightning fan.
For fans wanting to watch the game from Thunder Alley, tickets are available by clicking here.
