Fans prepare for Sabres bright & early

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Before the players took the ice  and before fans were allowed to their seats, hockey fanatics headed downtown bright and early for the much anticipated Sabres home opener.

Some fans missed being downtown so much to enjoy a hockey game, they decided to come as soon as they could. Brandon Carncross of Williamsville was one of them, out and ready for the noon game at 10a.m.

Many fans shopped around the Sabres Store to take advantage of the 50% off sales while others just wanted to be in the area to hang out for a late breakfast and spend time with friends.

It didn't take long before more and more people also decided to be at the First Niagara Center well before the puck dropped.

Many families were also happy the season has finally started including one person from the Syracuse area who brought their son Dominic to his first Sabres game ever.

Michael Zarcone of Buffalo said he didn't just miss the game during the lockout, he missed the experience of it all. "Everybody is mad that the lockout happened, and now that it's over, people forget and they're just ready to come and watch a game," said Zarcone.

Matt Disalvo traveled from Syracuse for Sunday's game. He said, "We're just really excited it's back and doing something like this as a family, really something we haven't been able to do for a half a season."

Who else was down in the lobby before game time but longtime Sabres fan to owner, Terry Pegula.

Catching up with Pegula about the excitement for the game, he said, "I'm actually am more intrigued by this season than when I bought the team. That was a blur the first year but now it's become more and more of our team."

Pegula ended by saying what we all want to hear and hope for, "We except to have a good hockey team, a physical team. I think we'll have a good run this year."