Hundreds of Toledo Walleye hockey fans flocked to Fleetwood's Tap Room in Hensville for an intense Central Division Finals game against the Fort Wayne Komets last Thursday evening.

Thursday marked the second Watch Party of the Walleye’s series against the Komets, as fans watched Fort Wayne take Game 1 from Fleetwood's on May 10.

Despite Thursday’s final 4-2 score in favor of the Komets, fans continued to chant “Let’s Go Fish” and support the team from home.

“Fans are always ready for the games and have a good time,” Taylor Lorimer, an attendee at the Watch Party, said. “We always run into people downtown at a game and it is fun catching up.”

Lorimer was accompanied by her brother, Brendon Dudley, and additional family members. The group was decked out in their Walleye jerseys and t-shirts.

“The atmosphere is a lot of fun and so is getting to watch local sports with family and friends,” Dudley said.

Javier Rios, otherwise known as “DJ Javi,” spun tracks Thursday night, including sound effects and music fans often heard at the Huntington Center.

“I have been with the Hens and Walleye now for four years,” Javier said. “Music just helps create a fun vibe. I look forward to getting people to dance and create a better atmosphere.”

Fleetwood's, open Fridays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to midnight, offered a food menu that included cheesy nachos and flatbreads. The full bar including draft beers and cocktails was also open.

As Walleye fans entered the Tap Room before gametime, they were greeted with rally towels resting on each chair and a large projector broadcasting the pregame.

Taylor Vandenbroek, Walleye and Mud Hens Promotions Coordinator, is known around the Huntington Center for her booming voice, leading fans through cheers.

“The Watch Parties are just a mini version of what we do at the Huntington Center,” Vandenbroek said. “The fans love to cheer. It literally feels like our fans are sitting in the Huntington Center cheering the Fish on the ice.”

For Matt and Cyndi Rayburn, Thursday’s Watch Party was a familiar, yet exciting environment. The mother and son said they attended Watch Parties last season and continue to come back because “it is just like being at a game.”

“The atmosphere in the Huntington Center is incredible,” Matt said. “The fanbase is wonderful. I always tell people it's like pro level energy at a minor level arena.”

Other guests like Shan Kesling were still new to the Fleetwood's Watch Parties, as she and her family moved from Phoenix, Arizona earlier in the year and recently became Walleye fans.

“It’s been really fun to be in a hockey town,” Kesling said. “We were here on Sunday and it was energetic and fun. It was bustling.”

Kesling said she and her children are now invested in the Walleye’s success and hope to see the team excel in the playoffs and future seasons.

“The whole town is into it,” Kesling said. “I have a sense after one season of who the players are. It is a sense of community.”

The Walleye won back-to-back games at the Huntington Center Friday and Saturday to push the series to a Game 6, out-scoring the Komets 7-3.

The Walleye fell to the Komets Tuesday night in Game 6, losing the series four games to two.

Written By: Gina Napoli