When you enter the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls on a night when the Adirondack Thunder are in action, there’s someone special to greet you.

“She’s a lab right?” asked one fan.

“She is,” Chelsea Patenaude said.

They’re referring to Stormy, a labrador retriever and the newest member of the Thunder — the ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils.

“She's just a perfect fit. She loves people. She's super excited to see all the fans all the time,” said Patenaude, the founder of Firefly Meadow Service Dogs Inc. “But at the same time, very laid back.”

It’s an organization that focuses on breeding and training service dogs. Currently, they are breeding and training up to a year, including Stormy.

In January, she partnered with the Thunder to help adopt and assist in training Stormy toward becoming a psychiatric service dog. At just 14 weeks old, when she first stepped on the ice, Stormy quickly became a crowd favorite.

“It was really cool. They brought her on the ice one day and in the locker room,” said Kevin O'Neil, a forward for the Thunder. “So it's good to keep the vibes up, and it was a great time. She's very cute, so I'm happy she's buzzing around with the fans too.”

When Stormy and Patenaude go for a walk around the arena, they don’t get very far before fans come up wanting to pet and take photos.

“Service dogs need to have a lot of confidence and just be happy in any situation possible,” Patenaude said. “So this is fantastic. Not only are there very loud noises, but there's a lot of people moving back and forth.”

The program is still in its infancy, as Stormy is just the second dog Patenaude had brought regularly to the arena for training. Stormy will remain with the team through the end of this season before taking the next steps toward one day being able to assist those with psychiatric and mental health disabilities.

“It's been fabulous. Everybody's so wonderful here, super nice,” Patenaude said. “I’m also gaining brownie points with my son, who's obsessed with the team and the players. So it's been it's been wonderful collaborating with everybody.”