Finals Game 5 is Friday at 7 p.m. at Erie Insurance Arena. Follow Twitter.com/GoErieHockey for updates.

Casey Wells has encountered many long, sleepless nights because of the Erie Otters over the years. There might be another Friday.

He looks forward to this late night, though, because the Otters, a tenant at Erie Insurance Arena for two decades that nearly left town a few years ago, stands a win away from reliving one of the most memorable nights in the downtown facility’s 34-year history.

Wells, executive director of Erie Events, which operates the arena, plans to enjoy every second of it.

“It just aligned like I hoped,” he said of a franchise whose journey to Game 5 of the OHL Championship Series nearly was derailed by financial troubles that led to an ill-fated deal with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers in 2011 that, if completed, would have sent the Otters to Hamilton, Ontario, and ultimately led to filing for bankruptcy and the eventual sale of the Otters to current owner James Waters.

The outcome could have been much different, which is why Wells will celebrate with the team and the sellout crowd of well over 6,000 in attendance Friday if the Otters beat the Mississauga Steelheads.

“We feel so fortunate to have this team,” Wells said.

That feeling of relief, and other emotions, will surge through the arena, much like the electric atmosphere in Erie Civic Center on May 10, 2002, when the Otters captured their first OHL title with a 2-1 overtime win against Barrie in Game 5 of the league finals.

“Take 6,000 plus kids. Put them in a candy store & tell them to have at it,” one fan described in a tweet Thursday, while another post pointed to praying for a win in regulation, and not in overtime, because he’s “not sure how much more intensity the heart can take.”

Bryan Erdely shared photos from that night in 2002 as part of a post that said the array of emotions are “too much for one tweet” to describe. “Friday is going to have insane energy for the entire night,” he said. “It’s going to be an atmosphere you’ll never forget.”

The road to the potential title clincher began Tuesday, as 3,000 tickets for Game 5 sold in four hours. Then following the 5-2 win Wednesday, hundreds of fans went online to purchase tickets. Wells said 1,000 remained available when the arena box office closed Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Only 300 were left when the box office opened Thursday morning, and those sold in the first hour.

Some fans arrived at the arena to buy tickets, only to be told there weren’t any left. So those with tickets were happy to have them.

“It’s a pretty special feeling to be part of that rowdy atmosphere, the crowd camaraderie,” said Greg Valiga, a fan since the days of the Erie Blades in the 1970s and 1980s who shared a photo of the exciting moments after then-rookie Sean Courtney’s overtime goal in 2002. “You suddenly seem to have thousands of friends. I anticipate the same on Friday, on an even larger scale.”

The players are focused on treating it as another game. Still, they understand what they will experience before, during and, with a win, after this game will feel anything but ordinary. “It’s a special night,” Dylan Strome said. “The rink is going to be rocking. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time now. I think it’s going to be a crazy game on Friday. But I think we’re looking forward to it.”

Fans have waited 15 years for this night. Some, like Wells, wondered if 2002 would ever happen again.

“There will be nerves. There will be excitement. There will be pride,” Wells said. “There will be all of those wonderful emotions that sport brings in fans.”

GAME 5 STORYLINES

• Home-ice advantage: The Otters’ single-game attendance record (6,750 on November 23, 2013 vs. Sudbury) could fall Friday, as well as their postseason record set in the 2015 OHL finals against Oshawa (6,629 on May 13, 2015). The energy from a sellout crowd that has waited 15 years to witness another championship should give the Otters an early jump on the Steelheads.

• McLeod factor: The Steelheads lost leading scorer and captain Michael McLeod to a game misconduct for slashing in the first period of Game 4. But he wasn’t suspended for the infraction, and can play Friday, which should give his teammates a confidence boost.

• Ailing Otters: Darren Raddysh, the league’s reigning defenseman and overager of the year, shook off McLeod’s hard slash across the knee to play the final two periods Wednesday. But the status of defensemen Jordan Sambrook (injured) and Mitchell Byrne (ill) remain unknown.

Limited overflow tickets available Friday

Tickets to Game 5 sold out Thursday morning. But Erie Events executive director Casey Wells said a limited number of overflow tickets, including standing room, will be sold for $33 apiece starting 15 minutes after the arena lobby clears at the start of the 7 p.m. game.

Series schedule

No. 1 Erie vs. No. 2 Mississauga

Otters lead series 3-1

Game 1 — Erie 2, Mississauga 1

Game 2 — Erie 3, Mississauga 2

Game 3 — Mississauga 4, Erie 3

Game 4 — Erie 5, Mississauga 2

Game 5 — Friday at Erie, 7 p.m.

Game 6 — Saturday at Mississauga, 7 p.m.*

Game 7 — Monday at Erie, 7 p.m.*

*If necessary

Victor Fernandes can be reached at 870-1716 or by email. Follow him on Twitter at Twitter.com/GoErieHockey.