from Allan Kreda of the New York Times,

The Islanders, 26-11-1 heading into Sunday’s game at Edmonton, have 14 victories in 18 home games and certainly are giving LoFaso and friends many reasons to celebrate. The top two rows of the fans’ section and the arena itself — where members of the so-called Blue and Orange Army stand for the entire game — are emblematic of the Islanders’ rabid fan base.

“We’re like a family up here because we’ve been together for so long,” said Tom Ballantyne, 22, part of the Section 329 crowd since the 2006-7 season. “We’re not just jumping on the bandwagon. Like this team, we’ve grown up together.”

Section 329 does not have an official membership list, but LoFaso said that as many as 60 fans congregated there, singing and chanting and wearing Islanders scarves.

Most are too young to remember the last time the Islanders won a playoff series, in 1993, not to mention the four straight Stanley Cups of the early 1980s.

For Jeremy Musella, a 22-year-old Hofstra senior, the gatherings are amusing and life-affirming.

“We may get carried away saying stuff with varying levels of appropriateness, but it’s all in fun,” he said. “The best part is we’re all friends because of how much we love hockey. I can’t imagine anything bringing this many people together like this has.”

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