The hottest ticket in town this winter may very well be rinkside, as the Santa Rosa Growlers skate into their sixth season at Snoopy’s Home Ice. Last season, the team played to sold-out crowds, with hundreds of hoodie- and flannel-clad fans filling every seat and every bit of standing-room-only space along the glass, where the action is often just inches away.
The Growlers are a “Senior A” hockey team, which co-owners Sean and Michelle Harris explain is a semi-professional league for former junior and college players who are no longer chasing a pro career but still crave high-level, competitive, full-contact hockey. The team draws a dedicated group of players from not only Sonoma County, but all over the Bay Area, one commuting from as far as Manteca.
“These players, their whole lives have been traveling to play hockey,” Sean explains. “Being on the ice is kind of addictive to these guys. And to get that high level of competition, they’re willing to put in that time.”
The Harrises, along with the Growlers’ other co-owners and founders Blake Johnson and John Keshishian, are on a mission to turn Santa Rosa into a hockey town — and it seems to be working. Not only are 700 fans flocking to each game, but this year’s schedule has expanded to include teams from St. Louis, Chicago, and even the New York Police Department, as Santa Rosa’s reputation grows as the place to play.
Snoopy’s Home Ice is part of the charm, with its quaint Swiss Chalet decor, a Zamboni (arguably America’s cutest) painted with an ice-skating Peanuts gang, and the Growlers’ fuzzy bear mascot, Sudsy, on hand to entertain young fans.
“Our barn is probably the best barn,” says Sean, explaining that “barn” is hockey slang for arena. For many teams, that means a cavernous tin shed that doesn’t do much to draw a crowd. “They don’t get 700 people cheering and yelling. It’s an all-around experience for teams to come here. The word’s out, and the quality of hockey is very, very good, too.”
One challenge for visiting teams is Section 102, a notorious group of hecklers whose sole mission is “to live in the heads” of opposing players, according to Sebastopol resident John Garretson, one of the group’s founders. He emphasizes the heckling is all in good fun. While sometimes rowdy, they keep it clean for the kids in the crowd.
For fans like Garretson, who find professional hockey a little too fast-paced and sterile, Growlers games offer a more visceral, emotional experience — especially when the helmets come off and the fists fly, which can happen several times a game. “Local hockey has more highs and lows. It has the villain from out of town, it has your local hero. There’s more drama to it,” he says.
A DJ keeps the mood lively throughout the game, spinning a mix of ’80s hair metal bands, ’90s hip-hop chart toppers, and Neil Diamond’s ultimate crowd-pleaser, “Sweet Caroline.” Between periods, adults can grab beer and wine from the beverage booth just behind the team benches, while kids head to The Warm Puppy Café for a cup of hot cocoa — a treat and hand-warmer in one.
For Garretson, and many others who’ve made Growlers games a regular part of their winter Friday and Saturday nights, the experience is about more than just hockey.
“It’s high-energy, fast-paced entertainment deeply rooted in the community,” says Garret- son. “I see people at every game I go to. People I grew up with, people I played street hockey with as a teenager, people I’ve worked with. You can feel the community, the interconnectivity. It feels like home.”