WARMINGTON: Maple Leafs playoff game electric, wildly entertaining

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That was a slugfest.

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Game No. 3 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins had more of a UFC feel at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night.

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Both on the ice and in the stands.

It was one of those games where there were more hits than shots. Fantastic to watch. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Rough, tough and tight.

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What a game. And what an atmosphere. There was no mistaking that this was an NHL playoff game. But the physical makeup of these two teams rubbed off on the crowd, which could really sense that this was a war on the ice.

Man, was it ever entertaining to be part of it.

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The excitement was really noticeable in Maple Leaf Square that was jammed in two sites. These are fans who live and die with every hit, shot or save.

“It’s so much fun,” said Derek Roberts, who, with his pal Kieran O’Connell, were thrilled to be there. While it was mostly blue and white in the square, perhaps the bravest person was Sylvia Wolk, who wore her Boston Bruins sweater with pride and without fear.

“I have always been a Bruins fan and I always will be,” she said, laughing as fans jeered.

It was all in good fun.

Roberts and O’Connell literally had her back.

Inside the arena, it was loud from when the teams first came out and from when Natalie Morris performed magical versions of both national anthems. She really got the crowd going.

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The Vault exploded when Matthew Knies scored in the second period on a great pass from Mitch Marner.

It’s the loudest the arena has been in years. The volume stayed up when the home fans lustily booed a non-call after Auston Matthews was tackled just before the Bruins notched the equalizer to make it 1-1 in the second period.

“There’s no place I would rather be,” said George Kosziwka, who went to the game with his eight-year grandson, George, and savoured every minute of what was like a heavyweight title fight.

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In around all of that playoff ferocity there was a lot of neat fan interaction, too. For example, one of the Maple Leafs coaches gave grandson George a warmup puck which the AAA hockey player from Erin, Ont. says he will cherish forever.

Lots of thrills, too, for Carter Hoyles, who was not only enjoying his first Maple Leafs game but was celebrating his ninth birthday.

He said he couldn’t believe where he was.

His dad, Eric, won the tickets at work and the timing could not have been more perfect.

“He will never forget this night,” said Eric.

He won’t be alone. That was a barnburner. That was a great playoff game.

In the end, even with the loud performance from the crowd earlier that, like the team itself, quieted down later, it was not enough and Boston came out with the knockout punch.

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Somebody had to win it. And Boston did.

The best part is, with this series heating up, there is much more to come.

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