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Party time at the Pond Typically tame Mighty Ducks fans go wild in Game 6Posted: Saturday June 07, 2003 8:55 PMUpdated: Saturday June 07, 2003 11:18 PM ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- It took the Mighty Ducks' Paul Kariya to take a hit and score a goal for typically tame Southern California hockey fans to go wild. But when he did Saturday, fans let it rip at Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals where the Ducks beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2. The win tied up the seven game series 3-3 and send the Ducks to New Jersey for Game 7. A thunderous roar erupted from more than 17,000 fans when Kariya was briefly knocked out of the game for a time after a hit by the Devils' Scott Stevens, who suffered near constant jeering following the check. Although the NHL called the check fair, Ducks fans were incensed. "That was dirty. That's what my 10-year-old would do in a dirty kickball game," said Jill Wheeler, 36, of Newport Beach. But Wheeler and others took some satisfaction when Kariya returned in the second period and scored his first goal of the Stanley Cup finals. "That's the ultimate payback," she said. Reed Schwartz, 46, of Huntington Beach, who has been a season ticket holder for 10 years, said he had never seen the Ducks play as hard or the fans be as loud as in Game 6. "Who is this team and what have they done with the Ducks?" said Reed Schwartz, 46, of Huntington Beach. In a game that saw more than one player bloodied, and a few moments of un-Disney like conduct on the ice, fans said they were happy to see the tough game. "I'm not surprised. I'm actually happy they are taking action," said Vicky Swanson, 15, of Newport Beach. Songs by such artists as Pink, Aerosmith and Van Halen saw fans dancing and singing in their seats. Among the attendees were dozens of celebrities, including Cuba Gooding Jr., Meg Ryan and Mike Myers. Although a party-like atmosphere surrounded the Ducks' win, including signs that read "There Are No Devils In Heaven. See you at Game 7," many fans said they realized the Ducks had a tough road ahead of them. "Both teams have a strong home ice advantage," said Mike Spanos, 39, of Chino. "...But I think it's going to be tough to win on New Jersey's ice." A few Devils fans who ventured into Duck territory also said the home ice advantage could push the series to seven games. "It's hard to play here. I think the fans here are amazing,"
said Manon Rheaume, whose brother Pascal Rheaume plays for the
Devils.
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