It's between periods of a hockey game, and the fans are getting ready for the next on-ice promotion. Already this season, the team has held many games and contests for its supporters, including a fan appreciation night, and the crowd can’t wait for the next one to begin. It reads like a scene from a Penguins game at Mellon Arena but this is actually the Iceoplex at Southpointe, and the home crowd is here to see the Canon-McMillan Big Macs, a high school team that has become one of the most fan-friendly and innovative in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League.

“One of the things we looked at coming into this season was to find a way to make our games more interactive and make them the thing to do,” said Dave Fryer, varsity head coach, and one of the PIHL’s most public relations-oriented members. “We led the league in attendance last year, and so [this season] we wanted to do a promotion for every home game.” The season began with Championship Night, to celebrate the Big Mac’s run that ended in the Penguin Cup semifinals, and featured events such as “Spirit Night,” “School Board Night,” “Teachers Night,” and “Fan of the Game Night.”

The promotions have been embraced by old and new fans alike, and have become the symbol of the new era in Canon-McMillan hockey, brought to life by Fryer and an innovative group of parents.

It wasn’t always this way. Prior to Fryer’s arrival in the 2003-2004 season, the organization struggled to attract players. Even as late as last season, when the Big Macs finished at 19-1-2, and went all the way to the semifinals before eventually losing to arch-rival Peters Township, there was still a question of whether the varsity team would have enough players to qualify for play in the PIHL’s AA division. The last-minute registrations of a few key players, combined with the incredible accomplishments the team has had on the ice, seem to have rejuvenated the entire program.

“The legacy of Canon-McMillan prior to the last few seasons was that it was at best, a middle-of-the-pack team,” Fryer said. “Many of the fans who showed up for games were there to see the rough stuff hockey brings, and most of the kids I talked to played because they couldn’t letter in any other sport. Now, they come because they expect the crowd to cheer them on, and they expect to win.”

Canon-McMillan Hockey Association Vice President Leon Strimel agrees. Strimel, who runs the nightly promotions with his wife and other volunteers, calls Canon-Mac hockey a diamond in the rough. “It was just waiting and ready to blossom, and with a little push and effort by board members and parents, we could really make it into a big time organization,” he said. “Hockey is the key, but we wanted to make each game an event where people could come and have a really good time.”

The success of the varsity program has spawned the growth of the entire organization. Enrollment is on the increase for the junior varsity and freshmen teams, and the developmental team is gaining prospective players. Like the varsity team, the JV and freshman teams have been having successful seasons, which will likely result in more people wanting to join the program.

“I see us getting bigger and stronger each year,” said Strimel. “It might someday come to a point where we have trouble finding enough places for everyone who wants to play.” He credits Fryer and some of the current varsity team with helping to make

Canon-McMillan hockey a desirable sport. “For some reason there is a great influx of ninth-and 10th-graders coming up who are really going to make the future bright for Canon-McMillan,” he said. “What is also happening is that players like Justin Cormack and Jesse Patnesky, who make the game exciting on the varsity level, are making young kids excited about playing and make them want to get involved with hockey.”

The success of the program has been extremely gratifying for Fryer and the rest of his coaching staff. “This is a first-rate organization,” he said. “People from the outside are now getting the idea of what Canon-McMillan hockey is all about, and that’s not just outside the organization. It includes people inside the school who weren’t playing for us before. It’s not only based on what the varsity team did last year, but the freshmen team had a 13-3-3 record. They know that at Canon-McMillan, they’re going to have a chance to win.”

Fryer cannot estimate how much of his time during the season is devoted to Canon-McMillan hockey. With varsity games and practices, at least four of his evenings are committed to hockey, but he attends and observes the games at the junior varsity and freshman level, stays in touch with his varsity players by text messages, and often works on preparing for games from midnight until 2 a.m. Hockey Association members generally agree that Fryer has been one of the primary reasons for success throughout the program.

“We’re excited about it and so are the kids,” said Strimel, “It has translated to success on the ice. Once you have success on the ice, it makes the promotions and everything else much easier.” •