Jets lament loss but praise Winnipeg fans

It was a heartbreaking loss but one that ended with much respect and praise shared between the Winnipeg Jets and their fans.

"The energy in the building, I mean that's as good a building as I have ever seen in my life," Jets coach Paul Maurice said about the fan support.

The buildup toMonday's game between Jets and Anaheim Ducks was 19 years in the making the lastNHL playoff game in Winnipeg was April 28, 1996 and the city's hockey fan base had pent-up passion for their beloved team.

They needed to explode and that's exactly what they did from the opening ovation to the moments after the dejected Jets players left the ice in a 5-4 overtime loss.

Players and fans hopedthe home-crowd advantage, in an arena known for its ferocious noise,would help the Jetsclose the 2-0 gap in their best-of-seven series against the Ducks.

The fans are unbelievable. That's one you'll always remember, too bad it wasn't more fond memories.- Blake Wheeler

Despite a deafeningdecibellevel that surpassed anything in the MTS Centre before, and a hard-fought game that saw the Jets outplay the Ducks in most categories, the hometeam came up short and is now in a do-or-die situation.

But those fans who waited so long for thatgamethose 15,000 stayed, standing in the Jumbotron glare of an unfriendly score, and they continued to cheer.

Their team put everything out there and they showed their appreciation. And that was not lost on the players.

"That felt good, as a player, for them to show us support even after,"said defencemanTylerMyers, whose second-period goal notched the game 2-2.

"It was a tough loss tonight. For them [fans] to have that chant going, to show that support, it really shows how behind us they really are.It was nice to hear that for sure."

'We've got great fans'

Blake Wheeler, who scored three minutes after Myers to put the Jets up 3-2, couldn't hide his frustration speaking to reporters aboutgoing into the final period with the lead for the third consecutive game, and losing yet again.

"It was special, it was great. The fans are unbelievable," he said. "That's one you'll always remember, too bad it wasn't more fond memories."

One of the newest Jets, Lee Stempniak, who joined the team in March, started off the scoring with a goal in the first period, causing the MTS Centre crowd to erupt.

"Today was a special night for us in terms of the energy from the fans and the city. We certainly feed off that emotion," he said."You can't even put into word how tough this loss is."

Although he played for the New York Rangers before the Jets got him in a trade, Stempniak said the Winnipeg fans are outstanding.

"There's a ton of energy. We've got great fans. As soon as I came over, that's one of the first things [I noticed]," he said.

"You realize as an opposing player, but once you're here and every night you can count on that support, and just the energy in the building, it's awesome."

Mountain to climb

Bryan Little, whose goal near the end of the second periodput the Jets up 4-3, echoed that sentiment.

"It was loud the atmosphere was incredible," he said. "It was a fungame to play in, but it definitely would have been nice to have a better outcome."

The Jets getone more chanceto keep their playoff run going, and get it in front of that home crowd again, facing off against the Ducks on Wednesday.

"We've got a mountain to climb right now and we're looking forward to the challenge. We've just got to believe we can beat these guys," said Little.

"You know, we played a good game and we weren't rewarded played hard and had a lot of scoring opportunities. I mean, it's hard to put a finger on what we have to do."