SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The United States Men’s hockey team took on Canada in the Olympic gold medal game on KDLT early Sunday morning. Hockey fans in South Dakota gathered to watch and see if the red, white and blue could come home with gold.
7 a.m. at Orion Pub in downtown Sioux Falls might be the last time you’d expect a crowd. Yet people showed up for the chance at seeing the United States win gold. Enticing, but Sioux Falls native Tanner Zittlau still needed to do some convincing.
“We had gotten some Starbucks,” Zittlau said. “I got the wife here. I had to bribe her a little bit with some Taco John’s. We came to the bar. We’ve got church later, so no drinking, but we’re going to cheer the team on.”
Aaron Skonhovd closed the bar at Kens Korner in central Sioux Falls and got home at 3 am, but still made it to Orion pub in time for the puck drop. He wouldn’t miss it for the world.
He loves hockey and has a gig as the Zamboni driver for Augustana. He said that having a watch party like this shows the community is expanding its hockey fandom, from the Stampede to the Vikings. Moments like these might not have happened five years ago.
“I think hockey has just grown so much in the last number of years and it’s just fun to see as a community,” described Skonhovd. “You can come together and have fun and drink some beer in the morning.”
On the west side of the city, fans found ways to stay awake and in the game at Shenanigans Sports Bar & Grill.
“We started off with about a gallon of beer and a whole pitcher of coffee and now we’ve switched to Red Bull and it’s been a good morning so far,” said Sioux Falls resident Shaye Bloch with a laugh.
Bloch is new to hockey, but said he loves America.
“I’m like a screaming soccer mom,” Bloch said. “I have no idea what’s going on, but I love it. The intensity, everything, it’s been awesome.”
Whether you’re new to the sport or know the game well, fans were united in cheering for their country. They were rewarded with arguably one of the best hockey games in Olympic history. Exactly 46 years to the day from the famous Miracle on Ice United States team that took down the Soviet Union in 1980, a golden goal in overtime on Sunday is making fans out of all of us.
“It does not get better than this,” stated Skonhovd. “You couldn’t write a better script.”
The final score was 2-1 with Jack Hughes getting the overtime goal. Chants of “USA” could be heard loud and proud at Shenanigans.
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