Who's Coming to Erie?

[LakersFan]

Now that the Frozen Four is set, who is coming to Erie? Need advice about places to eat or stay? I will be doing stats for all three games (unless the NCAA decides to bring in "professionals" at the last minute), so if you are coming, stop by the press box and say hello.

[MICZamboni]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

Doc, I will be in Florida so I can't make it. However, my sister in law will be singing the National Anthems for all the games. I wish I were here (believe it or not) to meet everyone. Have a good time.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

Now that the Frozen Four is set, who is coming to Erie?

It's long been my intention to be in Erie next Friday, and I'm still hoping that's the case. But Ticketmaster doesn't seem to want me to make the trip.

For reasons unrelated to hockey, I'm not available next Sunday. So I patiently, and somewhat nervously, waited for March 11 for the single session tickets to go on sale. I got online shortly after the sale opened, and got a decent pair of seats -- or so I thought.

Last night I got e-mail from Ticketmaster stating that the single session seats had been "inadvertently" been put on sale, and that my order was unilaterally cancelled. The option to purchase full tournament passes still exists.

The extra cost would be approximately $35. While not a bank breaker, of course I'd rather not pay for tickets I can't use. A larger issue is that the seats now being offered appear to be considerably worse than the tickets I was holding Friday morning. Also, an additional purchase would tend to endorse Ticketmaster's conduct , which I consider to be horribly unethical -- at the very least.

Any info or thoughts on this situation?

Let me ask you a couple of questions about the seats still on the primary market. What are the West End corners like? On the seating chart, the seats look awful; they don't even face the ice. But maybe the chart is misleading.

How about the Family Section (Sec. 22) in the low rows? I'd have no problem abiding by the family-oriented restrictions. The question strictly concerns the view of the game.

Need advice about places to eat or stay?

Absolutely. Information on both would be most welcome. I'd encourage you to post your recommendations on both fronts. Personally I'd gravitate toward the middle price range on each. But I'm guessing that recommendations at all levels -- economy, middle & deluxe will find interested readers.

I will be doing stats for all three games (unless the NCAA decides to bring in "professionals" at the last minute), so if you are coming, stop by the press box and say hello.

I would certainly hope that the host school staff would be allowed to do its thing in its own rink. If the NCAA wants to send help, great. But you guys should run the show. Hope it works out for you!

[MICZamboni]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

It's long been my intention to be in Erie next Friday, and I'm still hoping that's the case. But Ticketmaster doesn't seem to want me to make the trip.

For reasons unrelated to hockey, I'm not available next Sunday. So I patiently, and somewhat nervously, waited for March 11 for the single session tickets to go on sale. I got online shortly after the sale opened, and got a decent pair of seats -- or so I thought.

Last night I got e-mail from Ticketmaster stating that the single session seats had been "inadvertently" been put on sale, and that my order was unilaterally cancelled. The option to purchase full tournament passes still exists.

The extra cost would be approximately $35. While not a bank breaker, of course I'd rather not pay for tickets I can't use. A larger issue is that the seats now being offered appear to be considerably worse than the tickets I was holding Friday morning. Also, an additional purchase would tend to endorse Ticketmaster's conduct , which I consider to be horribly unethical -- at the very least.

Any info or thoughts on this situation?

Let me ask you a couple of questions about the seats still on the primary market. What are the West End corners like? On the seating chart, the seats look awful; they don't even face the ice. But maybe the chart is misleading.

How about the Family Section (Sec. 22) in the low rows? I'd have no problem abiding by the family-oriented restrictions. The question strictly concerns the view of the game.


Absolutely. Information on both would be most welcome. I'd encourage you to post your recommendations on both fronts. Personally I'd gravitate toward the middle price range on each. But I'm guessing that recommendations at all levels -- economy, middle & deluxe will find interested readers.

I would certainly hope that the host school staff would be allowed to do its thing in its own rink. If the NCAA wants to send help, great. But you guys should run the show. Hope it works out for you!

Really, there are no really bad seats. The West end corners are fine. Are there better? Yes but you will have no problem watching the game. Now that Mercyhurst is not playing, I am guessing a lot of seats just opened up so moving shouldn't be a problem if you want to sit elsewhere.

If you want to stay at a hotel close to the arena, The Avalon would be your best bet. 814-459-2220. Maybe not middle of the road in price but not the highest. Walking distance to the arena. Also, if you want to be by the Patty Kaz dinner, you will want to stay at the Erie Sheraton Convention Center http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sherat...ropertyID=1728 The phone number is 814-454-2005. www.frozenfourerie.com has all the information you probably need but I will tell you the hotels listed are not near the Tulio Arena. The rich guy in this town must have paid some sponsorship money to have all his hotels listed on the site. They are by the interstate, but not near downtown. All his restaurants are listed as well. If you are staying downtown, I would suggest The Plymouth or Molly Branigans. I am sure Doc Rutter will have more for you.

[IceIsNice]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

My personal preference has been to stay at either the hotels closest to I-90 or those near the Millcreek Mall. It's a 10 minute or so drive to either the campus or to Tullio from there, but these locations are adjacent to many convenient restaurants, sports bars, and of course...(worth repeating).... the mall. LOL

Closer to the Arena downtown, be sure to check out "The Plymouth" on State St., only about 2 blocks away. It's your basic pub with TV's, and a long bar, with many tables and a decent pub fare menu. the back room is good size and the place can certainly handle a pre or post game rush.

Less than a half mile south of I-90, there's a fun indoor water park "Splash Lagoon" for those with young families, and similarly located south of I-90 a the next exit, "Presque Isle Downs" is a decent sized casino with table games as well as slots, and a steak restaurant that comes highly recommended though I haven't visited as yet.

Near the Millcreek Mall, a couple of my casual favorites are "The Fox and The Hound" sports bar and of course, "Buffalo Wild Wings".

You'll find a Starbucks near there, and just up the road in either direction, you'll also find a Timmy's and a DD's.

Hope this is helpful!

[papulaisle]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

now that the frozen four is set, who is coming to erie? Need advice about places to eat or stay? I will be doing stats for all three games (unless the ncaa decides to bring in "professionals" at the last minute), so if you are coming, stop by the press box and say hello.

nice!

[ARM]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

Last night I got e-mail from Ticketmaster stating that the single session seats had been "inadvertently" been put on sale, and that my order was unilaterally cancelled. The option to purchase full tournament passes still exists.

For both the Frozen Four and the WCHA Final Face-Off, there usually is no sale of single-session tickets until the day of the event. These previous events were in smaller venues, but the same problem exists -- if you allow people to purchase seats for only one of the days in advance, it gets problematic to hold seats open such that a ticket buyer can get the same seat for the semis and final.

I'd say don't mess with Ticketmaster and buy your tickets either at the box office or via the resale market outside the arena. With the home team out, tickets won't be that hard to find. Even if you wind up paying face value (doubtful), you'll save on Ticketmaster fees.

[OnMAA]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

you'll also find a Timmy's

AKA Canuck Heaven. There is at least two of them in Erie along one of the routes from I90 to Tullio.

[LakersFan]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

Tickets:

My wife was told that single game tickets will not be made available until the teams playing have figured out their ticket needs. I can't imagine a scenerio where the games will sell out now that Mercyhurst is out, so I would wait till day of and buy best available at the box office. As for the best seats, I don't watch many games there, so I am not an expert. The corners right against the glass are not great due to the angle, but everything else is fine. I go from having the best seat in the house (hanging over the benches at center ice at the MIC) to the worst (top row, center ice, in a little room with windows and pillars), but the price is right.

Places to eat

Upper Peach Street has most of the chain restaruants, chain stores, the mall, and the traffic. Many safe bets there. If you want something close to arena, check out this google map I made. These are places I have enjoyed or have heard are really good.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...4ed904&t=h&z=3

Hotels:

Anything downtown near the arena and nice is going to be booked or expensive. There are some lower priced options downtown, but you get what you pay for. Most national chains have hotels on Upper Peach Street or along I-90. There is a casino in Erie and the Millcreek Mall (as mentioned) attracts many people from out of town, so some of the hotels have been recently built. I went to Expedia and Orbitz and saw a wide price range still available. Things could get tight if you wait, especially with Cornell only being 4 hours away. Rooms at the Econolodge are currently listed at 209 a night, for example.

Location is not so much an issue, as getting around Erie is really easy (nothing like Boston). There is no metro and the bus system is small, so I would plan on driving and parking to the arena. There is parking downtown, both lot and street. Just make sure you look at the signs for hours and cost.

[TonyTheTiger20]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

I'll be at the finals once BC beats the Badgers. Can't make the semis

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

For both the Frozen Four and the WCHA Final Face-Off, there usually is no sale of single-session tickets until the day of the event. These previous events were in smaller venues, but the same problem exists -- if you allow people to purchase seats for only one of the days in advance, it gets problematic to hold seats open such that a ticket buyer can get the same seat for the semis and final.

Agree with all of that, except that as a consumer I have every right to accept an offer made by the seller. The March 11 date for single session sales was announced long ago; I found it on visiteriepa.com. I logged onto Ticketmaster at the appointed time, and purchased a pair of tickets. I was assigned a Ticketmaster Order Number, and printed the tickets on my home computer.

Now I understand that such an offer can withdrawn prior to a sale. But it seems to me that cancelling an offer after a completed sale raises ethical issues, and perhaps legal issues as well. As a further aggravation, I paid multiple service fees on the transaction. I highly doubt I'll see a penny of that money back.

I'd say don't mess with Ticketmaster and buy your tickets either at the box office or via the resale market outside the arena. With the home team out, tickets won't be that hard to find. Even if you wind up paying face value (doubtful), you'll save on Ticketmaster fees.

Agreed. I'm planning on the secondary market, though I'm hoping to get something done before game day.

[ARM]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

I logged onto Ticketmaster at the appointed time, and purchased a pair of tickets. I was assigned a Ticketmaster Order Number, and printed the tickets on my home computer. ... Now I understand that such an offer can withdrawn prior to a sale. But it seems to me that cancelling an offer after a completed sale raises ethical issues, and perhaps legal issues as well. As a further aggravation, I paid multiple service fees on the transaction. I highly doubt I'll see a penny of that money back.

Ticketmaster sucks -- of that, there is no doubt. However, I had a problem through Ticketmaster once where their site didn't allow me to but tickets for two different regular season games via the same transaction. I ordered via the phone, and had the same problem -- they charged me a separate transaction fee for two games even though all I wanted was a ticket for each game of the same series. To their credit, their customer service people did get my account credited when I raised the issue. You should not have to pay a cent for their screwup. A more reputable merchant, which I don't think Ticketmaster is, would also give you some sort of future discount or gift in recognition of their error.

[MCLaker74]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

"Agreed. I'm planning on the secondary market, though I'm hoping to get something done before game day."

I sent you an email about tickets.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

If you want to stay at a hotel close to the arena, The Avalon would be your best bet. 814-459-2220. Maybe not middle of the road in price but not the highest. Walking distance to the arena.

Booked the Avalon. Thanks much for the recommendation. The price was surprisingly affordable; $70 - $82 per night. Disclaimer: Due to my schedule constraints, I was booking for Friday night only. Availabilities and prices might be different for Saturday and Sunday nights.

On a related note, I also checked a couple of the Splash Lagoon hotels, and the prices were off the charts. Go figure.

[DumbStruck]

Re: Who's Coming to Erie?

Now that teams are set...anyone holding tickets that they are no longer going to use? Are we breaking USCHO/Forum rules if we create a "ticket exchange" here on "Who's coming to Erie?"