Goldeneyes own four of the top six attendance marks in PWHL so far this season

Fans’ affinity for the expansion Vancouver Goldeneyes isn’t wavering.

The jam-packed concourse during the intermissions at the Pacific Coliseum Saturday afternoon probably told that best.

A sea of people as far you could see filled the lap around the venerable arena between periods of Vancouver’s 4-2 matinee loss to the Montreal Victoire. Attendance for the game was announced at 12,127 and the crowd was boisterously singing along with songs offered up by the in-house DJ right up until the final buzzer. 

The eight-team PWHL as a whole had played 22 games this season as of Sunday morning, and Vancouver’s four home games to date registered in the top six spots in announced attendance. Saturday trailed only the Seattle Torrent’s home opener on Nov. 28 versus the Minnesota Frost (16,014) and Vancouver’s home opener on Nov. 21 versus Seattle (14,958).

The Takeover Tour neutral site game in Halifax between Montreal and the Toronto Sceptres last Wednesday sat fourth (10,438), and it was followed by Vancouver’s Dec. 6 home game against the New York Sirens (9,502) and its Dec. 16 Coliseum tilt with the Ottawa Charge (9,250).

Going into Sunday, the league’s announced attendance average through 22 dates was 8,028. Vancouver led the way at 11,459.

This is the PWHL’s third year. Last season, the announced attendance average across the league was 7,245, up from 5,448 in its inaugural campaign. 

Vancouver being added as an expansion team for this season was spurred along by a Takeover Tour neutral site game at Rogers Arena last January between Montreal and Toronto recording an announced attendance of 19,038.

The PWHL did a survey of fans leaving the arena after that game and have said that 75 per cent of them — they’ve never offered up a total number of people questioned — had never been to a Vancouver Canucks game. The league felt it had an open lane in Vancouver, and the first four Goldeneyes games seem to fall in line with that.

“I was lucky enough to go through the Olympic experience here in 2010 and the Takeover Tour last year and there was no surprise that Vancouver was going to get a team after that,” Victoire star centre Marie-Philip Poulin said following Saturday’s game. “Coming here (today) and playing in front of such a great crowd has been amazing. Obviously, it’s a work trip for us, so we’re pretty happy we got that win today.”

There are challenges with keeping that momentum with the fans for the Goldeneyes now. They’re in Edmonton for a Takeover Tour neutral site game on Saturday and that’s the start of six straight games away from the Coliseum for them. They’re not back at the Rink on Renfrew until a Jan. 22 visit from the Toronto Sceptres. There’s two road games after that, and then it’s the Olympic break, which has the Goldeneyes idle until a March 1 home game against Toronto.

Saturday marked the first home loss for Vancouver (3-4-0).

Forward Michela Cava and defender Sophie Jaques had Vancouver’s goals. Emerance Maschmeyer made 26 saves in the Goldeneyes net.

Winger Dara Greig notched a goal and an assist for Montreal. Poulin had a single marker. Sandra Abstreiter made 27 saves in net for the Victoire.

Vancouver was playing without forward Sarah Nurse (undisclosed injury) for a sixth straight game. No word on when she might be back.

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SEwen@postmedia.com