While no one can say for sure whether or not divine intervention played a role in the Niagara IceDogs' improbable Oct. 17 comeback victory against the Ottawa 67’s, the demographics of the fans in attendance certainly couldn't have hurt. 

That game marked the IceDogs’ first-ever Faith Night, bringing multiple religious communities together for a shared night of hockey and entertainment at the Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines. 

Of the different religious communities attending, more than a dozen parishes from the Diocese of St. Catharines participated along with several diocesan office staff cheering on their hometown IceDogs to a 5-4 overtime win despite trailing 4-1 in the third period.

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Bishop Gerard Bergie was not only in attendance in the stands with his staff but also on the ice as he participated in the ceremonial puck drop ahead of the opening faceoff. 

“There were around 100 diehard Catholics in one section just screaming and cheering throughout the game,” said Terri Pauco, the director of the Diocesan Office of Family and Youth. “It was just a night of lived faith and fellowship and I think it ended up being a sold-out game. I was there last weekend and believe me, it was not sold out then.” 

The home team also commented on the event, saying "The Niagara IceDogs Hockey Club was really glad to have youth groups from our community come out to enjoy a game."

As Niagara celebrated another big win, boosting its record to an OHL-best 6-1 on the season, Pauco celebrated off the ice, having finally been able to make the Faith Night happen. She revealed the initiative had been a long time in the making for both the diocese and the team.

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“Tracey Findlay is a member of the IceDogs staff who is a very faithful woman who loves her Church and I think she recognized just how much can happen in terms of evangelization (through a Faith Night gathering),” she said. “I had asked in the past about attending as a group but we never got the pricing lined up properly with how many would be attending until they announced the first-ever Faith Night this season.” 

Pauco remembers hearing the news from the team, as well as her first question to staff, one asked perhaps out of sheer relief that the event was finally underway after countless attempts at joining the two entities together for a game.  

“I laughed and I said: ‘You’re just going to pray on the ice before the game?’ ” she recalled. Thankfully, the IceDog front office staff that spearheaded the event, Findley, Steve Tomlin and Elijah DiDominico, understood that the night should function with an emphasis on companionship within the Church community outside of the parish walls.

Thanks to select pricing for the theme night, those who bought through their parish office took advantage of tickets that were only $17 per person. 

A great value for sure, but as Pauco said, the opportunity to spend a night at the rink with various parish communities from the diocese was a truly priceless experience. 

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“I think the Holy Spirit was really working (with us). Something we hear coming out of the Vatican a lot is the importance of sports and our faith and it is not an area we should forget about — this tied all that together,” she said. “It was something intergenerational where we had grandparents bringing their kids to their first hockey game sitting with diehard fans that have season tickets.

“Even seeing Bishop Bergie in a more informal way was special. He was sitting in the stands with us, not on his cathedra chair, he was cheering, he was booing and that is something sometimes you can only get at a hockey game.”