Rider fans ready to brave cold for playoff game

The excitement in Rider Nation might be heating up, but the temperature will be doing the opposite during the playoff game Sunday night.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are hosting their first playoff game since the 2013 season, welcoming the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to the Queen City.

Sandy Paul has been a Riders season-ticket holder for almost 40 years, and was in the stands the last time a playoff game was held in Regina – the 2013 Grey Cup.

“That was fabulous so I’m really looking forward to this Sunday’s game and playoff atmosphere in front of all those stands in that new Mosaic Stadium is going to be awesome,” Paul said.

“It’s exciting, it’s electrifying, it’s out of this world.”

But people are going to need to brave the below normal temperatures that have settled in over Regina.

While a windchill of -28 C is expected on Friday, there is a slight warm up in time for the game – a low of -17 is expected for Sunday.

Trevor Norgan, manager of Fresh Air Experience, said people should layer up if they are heading to the game.

If possible, he said the best option people should start with is merino wool.

“It doesn’t itch and it’s super soft and it’s just an amazing fibre, it doesn’t itch like wool does at all,” Norgan said.

He suggested going with at least three layers to stay warm – a base layer, a fleece layer and then an insulated jacket.

Paul said she will be dressing up in many layers for the game, but will also be cheering hard in order to keep warm.

Sheldon Lowe is a Rider fan from Manitoba. While he won’t be at the game on Sunday, he had a bit of advice for people looking to keep warm.

“I’ve been to a few football games here where it’s cold, just thermal underwear, a couple coffees, the new washrooms here in Mosaic Stadium are heated so that’s a plus.”

Kickoff for the game is at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The winner will head to Calgary to meet the Stampeders with a trip to the Grey Cup on the line.