Winnipeg Sea Bears lose on the hardwood, but win in the stands, during 1st playoff game

Winnipeggers have caught the Sea Bears fever.

Fans gathered in downtown Winnipeg Friday night to celebrate the team's first ever playoff match in the Canadian Elite Basketball League — becoming part of yet another record-breaking crowd.

"It's just a great thing to do. Everyone's in on it. It seems everyone is equally as excited about it," said Sea Bears season ticket holder Carson Koschik at True North Square before tip-off.

Ranked second in the Western Conference, the Sea Bears faced off against the third-ranked Edmonton Stingers, who the team played in its last regular season game on July 29 in front of 8,230 fans at Canada Life Centre.

That night, the Sea Bears topped the single-game attendance record they previously set during Winnipeg's season opener on May 27, which saw a roaring crowd of 7,328.

But with a crowd of 10,580, the team smashed that record again Friday night, and has now hosted the seven most-attended games in CEBL's five-year run.

"It's a blast to watch," said Koschik, who often sits close to the Sea Bears' bench and said he's heard players talk about how hard it is for their opponents to play against a city with such loud fans.

"Even though we're a big city, we're still a small city, so it's great when there's something we can all sort of band around together," he said.

But while the 10,000-plus fans can celebrate the new record they set, they won't be able to celebrate a win.

The Sea Bears lost 87-81 to the Stingers, marking the end of their season.

A pregame party kicked also off inside the Canada Life Centre an hour before the 8 p.m. CT tip off. Sign-making and face-painting stations were set up inside the centre, and Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall also performed before the game, with a second