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New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Season

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  • #16
    Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

    Construction continues apace. New pictures:

    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...7731348&type=1

    Courtesy of Brad Williams Photography:

    http://www.bradwilliamsphotography.c...s/SC8A8765.jpg

    http://www.bradwilliamsphotography.c...SC8A8765_A.jpg


    As does general disgust by the fanbase (me, too) of the athletic department's handling of numerous new arena matters:

    http://www.mavpuck.com/mpboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9666
    Last edited by Red Cows; 05-22-2014, 09:47 PM.

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    • #17
      Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

      Video update to arena construction at UNO:

      http://www.nmnathletics.com/mediaPor...b_oem_id=31400

      Alternate YouTube link:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQLR...ature=youtu.be

      Dave Ahlers, the host of this video, is the radio voice of UNO hockey and he is also the Director of Athletic Media Relations at the school as well.

      Kiewit Construction Company, the builder of the arena, is one of the 5 Fortune 500 companies that are headquartered in Omaha. They are the largest construction company in the United States and one of the largest in the world. They are the 29th largest privately held company in America with revenues in the neighborhood of 12 billion dollars and employ more than 30,000 people.
      Last edited by Red Cows; 05-30-2014, 12:19 AM.

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      • #18
        Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

        Construction continues apace on UNO's new arena:

        https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...3222825&type=1

        Courtesy of Brad William's Photography (his Facebook page, in this case) here in Omaha:

        http://www.bradwilliamsphotography.com/

        Here is a video update on the construction progress, again hosted by Dave Ahlers, the radio voice of UNO hockey, as well as the school's Director of Athletic Media Relations:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm-OCyS-LGY

        The video was shot this past week. The allusion in the video about how wet it is is no lie. June was the wettest month in the city's history and, since June 1st, Omaha has had over 20" inches of rain also making this the wettest summer in the city's history. This is the greenest I have ever seen everything here at this time of the year and my yard is an absolute swamp.

        Upcoming, either in the new UNO season thread or this one, I'll delineate the point system that UNO intends to use to establish who gets what seats in the new building.

        Predictably, even though the school has outlined this point system publicly, there are many fans, myself included, that don't believe that the point system really "exists" or will be implemented as advertised.
        Last edited by Red Cows; 09-16-2014, 12:35 AM.

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        • #19
          Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

          Aerial shot of unbelievably speedy arena progress being made courtesy of the Omaha Police Department chopper squad:

          https://***********/OPDABLE1/status/516730589085331456

          I was at the site about 3 weeks ago and the progress since then is utterly amazing.

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          • #20
            Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

            But it's bittersweet based on your post in the ticket price thread?

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            • #21
              Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

              Mixed feelings, in general.

              When you program has averaged, over the entire history of the program, nearly 7,400 fans per game for EVERY home date ever played by the program, and have had well over a dozen games that have drawn more than 10,000 fans and have had a couple games that have drawn over 15,000 fans, almost all of which have occurred during the "Blais era" (read, the past 5 seasons), why would you build a rink that seats only 7,500 people? You are only nearsightedly limiting your program, the product, itself, and hurting your fans and the season ticket holders.

              I will now have to pay a premium to have seats like I have always had, as a result, if I want to keep them. That is my thanks for supporting the program and being a season ticket holder all these years. I get raped. All because the university could not wait a couple seasons, raise more money, and build the 10,000 seat or so arena that they should have built.

              UNO has authored up this attendance success in spite of itself. Imagine if it had been any sort of a college hockey power, particulalry through the latter portion of our 17 year existence (meaning, after moving into the Qwest Center, now CenturyLink Center, which overlaps Blais' tenure) and what might have been possible, then, attendance-wise, as it relates to our new, undersized arena.

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              • #22
                Originally posted by Red Cows View Post
                Mixed feelings, in general.

                When you program has averaged, over the entire history of the program, nearly 7,400 fans per game for EVERY home date ever played by the program, and have had well over a dozen games that have drawn more than 10,000 fans and have had a couple games that have drawn over 15,000 fans, almost all of which have occurred during the "Blais era" (read, the past 5 seasons), why would you build a rink that seats only 7,500 people? You are only nearsightedly limiting your program, the product, itself, and hurting your fans and the season ticket holders.

                I will now have to pay a premium to have seats like I have always had, as a result, if I want to keep them. That is my thanks for supporting the program and being a season ticket holder all these years. I get raped. All because the university could not wait a couple seasons, raise more money, and build the 10,000 seat or so arena that they should have built.

                UNO has authored up this attendance success in spite of itself. Imagine if it had been any sort of a college hockey power, particulalry through the latter portion of our 17 year existence (meaning, after moving into the Qwest Center, now CenturyLink Center, which overlaps Blais' tenure) and what might have been possible, then, attendance-wise, as it relates to our new, undersized arena.
                UNO's Average Attendance the past 5 seasons:

                2009-10: 6,866
                2010-11: 7,994
                2011-12: 7,864
                2012-13: 7,233
                2013-14: 6,331

                Doesn't look like the program has been seeing quite the attendance you suggested. Not that the attendance figures are bad, but it does mean the capacity choice makes a bit more sense than you suggested.

                Better to have a packed arena than have 2,000 (in a good season) to nearly 4,000 (in a bad season) empty seats on a given night (had they decided to build a 10,000 seat arena as you'd like). Considering UNO's average attendance the past 5 seasons, I think they got the capacity just about right.

                Think about it this way. UNO will have a brand new arena with the 9th largest capacity in all of college hockey. And with the capacity they are choosing, unlike some schools ahead of UNO you should see it fill up to capacity on most nights. The atmosphere is what counts.
                Last edited by mnstate0fhockey; 10-01-2014, 10:27 PM.
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                • #23
                  Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

                  Originally posted by mnstate0fhockey View Post
                  UNO's Average Attendance the past 5 seasons:

                  2009-10: 6,866
                  2010-11: 7,994
                  2011-12: 7,864
                  2012-13: 7,233
                  2013-14: 6,331

                  Doesn't look like the program has been seeing quite the attendance you suggested. Not that the attendance figures are bad, but it does mean the capacity choice makes a bit more sense than you suggested.

                  Better to have a packed arena than have 2,000 (in a good season) to nearly 4,000 (in a bad season) empty seats on a given night. Considering UNO's average attendance the past 5 seasons, I think they got the capacity just about right.
                  The program sold out every game it ever played in the Omaha Civic Auditorium, capacity 8,314, from '97-'98 through the end of the '03-'04 season. Sold out. 131 straight games. That is a larger crowd than will EVER see UNO play in it's new arena. UNO has had two other seasons in the CenturyLink Center where they have averaged more fans than the new barn will hold as well, '10-'11 and '11-'12.

                  The program has averaged, exactly, 7,318 fans per game over the entirety of its 17 season existence. Over those 17 seasons, the program has averaged more than 7,500 fans per game in 9 of those 17 seasons.

                  Since moving to the CenturyLink Center (nee, Qwest Center) UNO had drawn crowds of more than 8,314 fans (what the Civic held) almost 20 times. 11 of those occurrences were crowds of more than 10,000. Two of them were crowds of more than 15,000. How is this ever going to be duplicated on any level in a building seating 7,500? I am not saying we should build a 15,000 seat arena. That would be nuts. But it sure isn't unreasonable on any level to think a 10,000 seat arena or so would be a good idea.

                  The reason UNO's attendance is down the past two seasons is pretty easy to explain. Look at the final standings in those two seasons. They are an aberration when looking at the program's overall past attendance numbers.

                  UNO is located in a major metropolitan area. The school is located in the 2nd largest city of all the NCHC schools, and unlike Denver, the only larger city, UNO has no professional sports teams to compete with it whatsoever and cannibalize sports dollars.

                  A 7,500 seat rink in this situation is too small. I'll go to my grave saying so. This was a horrendously near-sighted and hasty decision that is going to haunt this program in the years to come. I am far from being the only UNO fan that feels this way, either:

                  http://huskermike.blogspot.com/2013/...s-for-new.html

                  There are some incorrect assertions here (this post is over a year old), but, you get the idea.

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                  • #24
                    Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

                    Originally posted by Red Cows View Post
                    11 of those occurrences were crowds of more than 10,000. Two of them were crowds of more than 15,000.
                    Who were the opponents? Was there any kind of pricing promotion that obviously increased attendance for any of the games?

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by Red Cows View Post
                      The program sold out every game it ever played in the Omaha Civic Auditorium, capacity 8,314, from '97-'98 through the end of the '03-'04 season. Sold out. 131 straight games. That is a larger crowd than will EVER see UNO play in it's new arena. UNO has had two other seasons in the CenturyLink Center where they have averaged more fans than the new barn will hold as well, '10-'11 and '11-'12.

                      The program has averaged, exactly, 7,318 fans per game over the entirety of its 17 season existence. Over those 17 seasons, the program has averaged more than 7,500 fans per game in 9 of those 17 seasons.

                      Since moving to the CenturyLink Center (nee, Qwest Center) UNO had drawn crowds of more than 8,314 fans (what the Civic held) almost 20 times. 11 of those occurrences were crowds of more than 10,000. Two of them were crowds of more than 15,000. How is this ever going to be duplicated on any level in a building seating 7,500? I am not saying we should build a 15,000 seat arena. That would be nuts. But it sure isn't unreasonable on any level to think a 10,000 seat arena or so would be a good idea.

                      The reason UNO's attendance is down the past two seasons is pretty easy to explain. Look at the final standings in those two seasons. They are an aberration when looking at the program's overall past attendance numbers.

                      UNO is located in a major metropolitan area. The school is located in the 2nd largest city of all the NCHC schools, and unlike Denver, the only larger city, UNO has no professional sports teams to compete with it whatsoever and cannibalize sports dollars.

                      A 7,500 seat rink in this situation is too small. I'll go to my grave saying so. This was a horrendously near-sighted and hasty decision that is going to haunt this program in the years to come. I am far from being the only UNO fan that feels this way, either:

                      http://huskermike.blogspot.com/2013/...s-for-new.html

                      There are some incorrect assertions here (this post is over a year old), but, you get the idea.
                      You haven't averaged 8,000 fans in the past 5 seasons, but you want them to build a 10,000 seat arena based on alleged attendance in the 1990's? And i only say alleged because you just recently overstated your attendance in the last 5 years.

                      You said it yourself. They've averaged roughly 7,300 fans at games over the program's history. So please explain to me why a 7,500 seat arena isn't large enough?

                      Like I said before. You should be focusing on game time atmosphere and how the new facilities will help your program's recruiting.

                      I just don't see what ground you have to stand on with your complaints. But to each his own.
                      Last edited by mnstate0fhockey; 10-01-2014, 11:46 PM.
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                      • #26
                        Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

                        Originally posted by Bonin21 View Post
                        Who were the opponents? Was there any kind of pricing promotion that obviously increased attendance for any of the games?

                        In order:

                        1. UMD 16,138 on 1-13-12 (UMD arrived in town the #1 team in the country with an unbeaten streak of 17 consecutive games).

                        2. Wisconsin 15,137 on 2-11-11

                        3. North Dakota 13,650 on 2-9-13 (this game was played outdoors at TD Ameritrade Park)

                        4. Ohio State 13,417 on 2-5-10

                        5. Wisconsin 12,146 on 3-2-13

                        6. Minnesota 11,772 on 2-25-12

                        7. Denver 11,504 on 2-26-11

                        8. North Dakota 11,181 on 11-19-10 (the first time UNO had EVER played North Dakota)

                        9. Michigan 10,628 on 2-13-10

                        10. Ohio State 10,598 on 2-9-08

                        The school's then annual "Sell Out" nights (abandoned, for reasons I am unaware of, last season) were conducted for games #1, #2, & #4 on the above list. As a season ticket holder, they were part of my ticket package, obviously. If tickets were available at some sort of discount for these 3 games, I am personally unaware of how these might have been obtained and there was certainly no advertisement here that any such tickets were available that I ever saw or heard about. The circumstances of the Duluth game and the Sell-Out night were mostly a coincidence. This game was earmarked for this mostly because UMD was then the defending NCAA champion. It was a happy coincidence that they were #1 and unbeaten in 17 games upon arrival for it.

                        The other games on the list, save, the outdoor game, are all happenstance. And, obviously the first ever game between UNO and North Dakota, along with the "Blais factor" of that, greatly contributed to turnout that night. Still, the greatest UNO home game I have ever seen, and, UNO lost.

                        Note that all 10 of these dates have occurred in the last 6 seasons and 9 of them in the last 4 seasons.

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                        • #27
                          Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

                          Originally posted by Red Cows View Post
                          The school's then annual "Sell Out" nights (abandoned, for reasons I am unaware of, last season) were conducted for games #1, #2, & #4 on the above list... The circumstances of the Duluth game and the Sell-Out night were mostly a coincidence. This game was earmarked for this mostly because UMD was then the defending NCAA champion. It was a happy coincidence that they were #1 and unbeaten in 17 games upon arrival for it.

                          The other games on the list, save, the outdoor game, are all happenstance. And, obviously the first ever game between UNO and North Dakota, along with the "Blais factor" of that, greatly contributed to turnout that night. Still, the greatest UNO home game I have ever seen, and, UNO lost.
                          1, 2, and 4 were on "Sell-out night"? And 3 was an outdoor game? lol if sell-out night didn't have tickets at throwaway prices, why wouldn't they just call every game sell-out night?

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                          • #28
                            Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

                            Originally posted by Bonin21 View Post
                            1, 2, and 4 were on "Sell-out night"? And 3 was an outdoor game? lol if sell-out night didn't have tickets at throwaway prices, why wouldn't they just call every game sell-out night?
                            The school decided to make a big push every year (so much for that, I guess, we didn't do it last season) to sell out a game (or, attempt to).

                            A big part of this was to encourage student attendance, something that is, by and large, pretty awful at UNO (normally, 2 or 3 hundred a game, max.). The campus is nowhere near the CenturyLink center. Plus, UNO is in the middle of a huge transition from commuter school to one with way, way more on-campus housing and dorms and the school is trying to encourage student involvement in school activities as there have been more and more students living on campus each year, now, for several years. UNO has been involved in a large scale on-campus housing building project for some time. The school has a point system to try and drive this student participation called the "Maverick Cup":

                            http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbm...CLID=208859272

                            It doesn't say so, specifically, at the link above, but, the maximum numbers of points that could be attained for participating in any single one of these activities, was by attending these designated hockey sell-out nights. This was true each of the 3 seasons it was held. There was massive, unprecedented student attendance at all three of these games, and, I know students pay some mitigated price to attend UNO hockey games, I just don't know to what degree. I am not a student there.

                            Transportation to and from games, now, is an issue for on campus students. The new arena is on campus. It stands to reason that students, who make up a very small percentage of UNO's attendance now, are going to at least attempt to attend games in unprecedented numbers. Where are THEY going to sit? Somewhere in this new arena at the expense of people like me? You're darn right they are. Look at this diagram of seating in the new arena:

                            https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

                            This is a larger designated student section than the school now has in an arena seating 17,100.

                            Anyway, I see absolutely no relevance to the price paid for a seat as it relates to interest in your program or going to hockey games, in general. If you aren't interested in going, you won't go even if the tickets are free. Fannies in seats are fannies in seats, no matter what the price paid.

                            Think everybody on the airline trip you just took all paid the same price to sit there? No, but they are there, just the same.

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                            • #29
                              Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

                              Originally posted by Bonin21 View Post
                              1, 2, and 4 were on "Sell-out night"? And 3 was an outdoor game? lol if sell-out night didn't have tickets at throwaway prices, why wouldn't they just call every game sell-out night?
                              throw away prices and give aways.

                              we need an 8000 seat arena. That's about what we're getting. We need a new marketing dept. Not gonna happen. We didn't need the coaches contract extended more than one year. This team will suck for the next two years while rinkydink dean laughs all the way to the bank. I could sit here and type out a long bloviated reply but I'll leave that for people with no sex life. on nights when there is going to be a big opponent that travels well it will be standing room only. That's how the civic was and it was a great atmosphere. dean needs to go.
                              UNLEASH THE FURY!!!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLMMx3MRi0s

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                              • #30
                                Re: New UNO Arena Construction Thread---Facility to open for the start of '15-'16 Sea

                                Originally posted by Red Cows View Post
                                Transportation to and from games, now, is an issue for on campus students. The new arena is on campus. It stands to reason that students, who make up a very small percentage of UNO's attendance now, are going to at least attempt to attend games in unprecedented numbers. Where are THEY going to sit? Somewhere in this new arena at the expense of people like me? You're darn right they are. Look at this diagram of seating in the new arena:

                                https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

                                This is a larger designated student section than the school now has in an arena seating 17,100.
                                Wow, almost exactly the same seating arrangement as Amsoil Arena for UMD. Even the students are in the same place (the dark gray area on the Amsoil diagram is the student sectionhttp://www.decc.org/cms/img/AMSOILseating_sm.jpg
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