Attendance at Regionals

[LTsatch]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Bridgeport might be a ****hole, but its regionals have drawn good crowds as well, its worst day (with, admittedly, its worst set-up yet, with no Yale) being 5090 last year.

Connecticut and Southern NY, and Long Island have built in hockey crowds that just love to see a good game. I went and watched the regional last year, even though Yale was only a host. All of the luxury boxes were sold, that place is the perfect size for a regional, if the City of Bridgeport was nicer and had more to offer, it would be a sellout every year. I am glad it is coming back next year.

[ericredaxe]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Your guess.......and our OPINIONS will always be guesses because they will never try it. Why are so many of you afraid of an NCAA regional in Maine??? My guess is that many of you don't want it because it might be successful enough to be in the rotation.

Well, for the most part, all we have on here are our guesses and opinions. Personally, living on the North Shore I'd actually be more likely to travel to Bangor over Bridgeport if my team ended up there.... although quite honestly, I'm not sure I would travel to either.

But you may be right... I think the ability to have it in the backyard of a multitude of teams probably means that Bangor will not get a bid for one. And my opinion/guess is that (unless Maine is there) that it would not draw as well as Worcester or Manchester.

[sandiegoblkbr]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Well, for the most part, all we have on here are our guesses and opinions. Personally, living on the North Shore I'd actually be more likely to travel to Bangor over Bridgeport if my team ended up there.... although quite honestly, I'm not sure I would travel to either.

But you may be right... I think the ability to have it in the backyard of a multitude of teams probably means that Bangor will not get a bid for one. And my opinion/guess is that (unless Maine is there) that it would not draw as well as Worcester or Manchester.

UNH has been in EVERY Manchester regional..........I wonder how Manchester would draw without UNH?

[scoreboard]

Your guess.......and our OPINIONS will always be guesses because they will never try it. Why are so many of you afraid of an NCAA regional in Maine??? My guess is that many of you don't want it because it might be successful enough to be in the rotation. And aren't regional tickets on sale way before teams are announced??? This whole notion of no one will show up if Maine isn't in it is B.S. The State of Maine has a ton of college hockey fans........and I'm betting quite a few of them would pony up the $$$ to see an NCAA regional in Bangor or Portland......especially since so little quality college hockey is now played in the state.

I don't think it is anything against Maine. I think Portland is a great city. The problem is the NCAA knows they can count on places like Manchester and Worcester to get bigger crowds at less than capacity than a sold out Portland would have. Also, you have to bid for the regionals to get them. Has Maine put in a bid recently?

[scoreboard]

UNH has been in EVERY Manchester regional..........I wonder how Manchester would draw without UNH?

I hope we never find out.

[Priceless]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

I don't think it is anything against Maine. I think Portland is a great city. The problem is the NCAA knows they can count on places like Manchester and Worcester to get bigger crowds at less than capacity than a sold out Portland would have. Also, you have to bid for the regionals to get them. Has Maine put in a bid recently?

I always love it when a guy from San Diego says the guy from Brunswick, Maine has something against the state. One of us lives here, one of us lives about as far away as possible while staying in the continental United States. Which person has something against Maine?

The answer to your question is no. No one has put in a bid (Bangor still lacks an arena that meets NCAA specifications to host) and I don't think Portland cares to risk it. The Civic Center ekes out a profit as it is without gambling on an NCAA hockey regional.

[chickod]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Why are so many of you afraid of an NCAA regional in Maine??? My guess is that many of you don't want it because it might be successful enough to be in the rotation.

Afraid? We've spent a week on this thread talking about poor attendance. Look at the numbers. There are only 1.3 million people in the ENTIRE STATE of Maine, and most of them are south of Augusta. Just who is going to go? I'm not driving six hours to see a regional that my team is not in. I don't think too many others are either. Just look at Providence, a "hotbed" of hockey as it was described on this thread. You had two teams with virtually no support (Canisius), two with moderate support (Union and Quinnipiac) and a fourth with, shall we say, "disappointing" support (BC). BC is 40 miles from Providence. Just who is going to go to these games????? Nobody is knocking Maine, but it becomes an issue of proximity. We just talked about the same problem in the West, so why do we want to create a similar scenario in the East, where we have enough schools in a more densely-populated area to insure good attendance?

I'm not "afraid" of it being successful. My point is I don't think it WILL be successful. Now I assume you're talking about Bangor (because the new facility was mentioned). If you're talking about Portland, that would be a different story...

[chickod]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

but that is Capitalism. Ain't it grand?

Better than socialism...you should compare them...should be easy since we used to have the former and now we have the latter...

[chickod]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

There are many factors that go into why certain regional locations are failing. Geography is one. Population density is another. Outrageous prices don't help. Trying a regional in a place like Bangor (or quite frankly, Portland) is a bad idea. The eastern regionals should rotate between Providence, Manchester and Worcester and the west should have a permanent home in St Paul. Where the second western regional goes is anyone's guess because there hasn't been another location out west (that the NCAA will consider) that has been a success. Maybe put one regional in Minneapolis and the other in St. Paul?

100% agreed.

[WildShawn]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

If you're talking Portland, if they built a new arena, I'd be all for giving it a shot, but the current arena is a crap hole, worse than the crap hole arena in Worcester which at least has a more central location (but is honestly the worst venue they consistently use for the NCAA's, by far). If you're talking Bangor..... um.... no.

[manurespreader]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

I'm with shirtless on this one. The east doesn't need much change, so I guess I don't see why all the complaining, Bridgeport is fine, but Providence was fine too.
I really like games in Toledo, the rink is nice, and it's not that far to go from Detroit or Cleveland. But when you set it up to fail with crazy start times that only an unemployed guy can go to, how can you complain. Change the times and lower the prices. geesh!
But If the attendance is going to be bad anyway, you might at well have bracket integrity.

[johnk]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

With the arenas usually within a couple of hours of each other in the east, should they consider doing one sight on Friday, one sight on Saturday and then have both finals at the Saturday sight on Sunday?

[sandiegoblkbr]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

I always love it when a guy from San Diego says the guy from Brunswick, Maine has something against the state. One of us lives here, one of us lives about as far away as possible while staying in the continental United States. Which person has something against Maine?

The answer to your question is no. No one has put in a bid (Bangor still lacks an arena that meets NCAA specifications to host) and I don't think Portland cares to risk it. The Civic Center ekes out a profit as it is without gambling on an NCAA hockey regional.

I'm from Albion, Maine, dummy.

Yeah..........Bangor only has a new $65 million arena with luxury boxes, plush seats, tons of meeting facilities and an industrial kitchen.........and Portland is spending $30+ million on Civic Center renovations. I'm sure that both cities are spending all of this money for business as usual.

[sandiegoblkbr]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Afraid? We've spent a week on this thread talking about poor attendance. Look at the numbers. There are only 1.3 million people in the ENTIRE STATE of Maine, and most of them are south of Augusta. Just who is going to go? I'm not driving six hours to see a regional that my team is not in. I don't think too many others are either. Just look at Providence, a "hotbed" of hockey as it was described on this thread. You had two teams with virtually no support (Canisius), two with moderate support (Union and Quinnipiac) and a fourth with, shall we say, "disappointing" support (BC). BC is 40 miles from Providence. Just who is going to go to these games????? Nobody is knocking Maine, but it becomes an issue of proximity. We just talked about the same problem in the West, so why do we want to create a similar scenario in the East, where we have enough schools in a more densely-populated area to insure good attendance?

I'm not "afraid" of it being successful. My point is I don't think it WILL be successful. Now I assume you're talking about Bangor (because the new facility was mentioned). If you're talking about Portland, that would be a different story...

I'm talking about both. Population has nothing to do with it. We're not trying to fill 1.3 million capacity arenas. There are a ton of college hockey fans in Eastern and Central Maine. Portland is less than 2.5 hours from Bangor by the way.

[ericredaxe]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

I'm from Albion, Maine, dummy.

Yeah..........Bangor only has a new $65 million arena with luxury boxes, plush seats, tons of meeting facilities and an industrial kitchen.........and Portland is spending $30+ million on Civic Center renovations. I'm sure that both cities are spending all of this money for business as usual.

I'm talking about both. Population has nothing to do with it. We're not trying to fill 1.3 million capacity arenas. There are a ton of college hockey fans in Eastern and Central Maine. Portland is less than 2.5 hours from Bangor by the way.

I think Portland would have a better chance at success than Bangor. Closer to the cluster of Hockey East schools and a "cooler" town for those who did want to stay overnight. I'd be all for Portland.