Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

[GO-4-EXCELLENCE]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

I think the biggest obstacle would be that Ralph was responsible for both the GF and TRF facilities, and the management would prefer to use the TRF building again.

very true. i supposed i didn't think about that. however, if you work hard enough to create that buzz - i.e. a small hockey town doing big events - i think it could definitely work.

i was just surprised that some people on here think that a 7 to 8,000 seat rink is somehow "astronomically" huge.

i don't know about now, but, in the past (as i said) Bemidji used to hold international tourneys and their famous hockey camps put on by Coach Peters (whom i met and talked with several times! name dropping, lame, i know.)

i just thought that Bemidji (both uni and city) could benefit from it. and, as you said bringing in another hotel to accommodate (possible) future tourneys like the WJs etc. i think would definitely go a long way in making sanctioning bodies as such consider BREC to host events.

nonetheless, i hope i can catch a game or two when i get back from japan.

[GO-4-EXCELLENCE]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

Because, yeah, it makes sense for the second-smallest WCHA member school to have the fifth-largest rink.

GFM

clearly you are not reading my posts. it's not just about the school, there are other factors involved - since the rink can used to bring in revenue a la marketing the town of Bemidji as a town with lots of hockey history and *more importantly* the facility to host aforementioned events as the WJs, etc. think about it.

[The Rube]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

You wouldn't believe how podunk Houghton is until you actually see it for yourself.

(actually, in town it isn't too bad, just a small town, but outside of the city limits it gets pretty sparse and rustic)

You're limiting it to "outside of the city limits"? Wow.

Quoting myself, I know, but, what roadtrips are people starting to think about for next year? I've got MTU, Minnesota State and Wisconsin on my early list (and would likely do only one of those three).

MN@MTU for me, for sure. Just like the last two years. We have a rather large group go every year. Usually get up there on Thu to enjoy the wings special and the Long Island special at the Downtowner.

[gfmorris]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

clearly you are not reading my posts. it's not just about the school, there are other factors involved - since the rink can used to bring in revenue a la marketing the town of Bemidji as a town with lots of hockey history and *more importantly* the facility to host aforementioned events as the WJs, etc. think about it.

I'm reading them. They aren't logical.

GFM

[moose97]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

As it sits, BSU will likely have slightly more seats than MTU (4200) and slightley less than Minnesota State (4832). Very appropriate, based on market-size.

I posted this in the construction thread, but thought some might miss it (plus it answers the capacity question):

Just back from a BREC tour - and I brought my camera this time!

http://picasaweb.google.com/moosenb/BREC5710#

I know the question of capacity has come-up (other places as well as here). As of today, they don't have the exact number, but it will be around 4700.

So it does sit right between Mankato's and Tech's. I know we addressed Houghton's numbers, but here's the info on Mankato - 36,245 in the city and 90,261 in the "metro." St. Cloud is bigger than you might think - 67,203 in the city, and 189,148 in the metro. In fact, Grand Forks is smaller (51,313 city - 97,190 metro). Which begs the question Geof - why does the third smallest metro area have the second (soon to be third) largest rink in the conference*?


* And I do know it's because Fargo is an hour away and a lot of folks drive up - I'm just ribbing GFM

[gfmorris]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

Which begs the question Geof - why does the third smallest metro area have the second (soon to be third) largest rink in the conference*?


* And I do know it's because Fargo is an hour away and a lot of folks drive up - I'm just ribbing GFM

Gremlins!

I didn't thoroughly research the subject. That's on me. I don't mind it when people call me on that, especially you, Moose.

GFM

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

In Day four action at the Robertson Cup.....

Traverse City 2, Fairbanks 1. No BSU Recruits in action.

Wenatchee 2, Bismarck 1. Bismarck still advances to the Robertson Cup final though. BSU recruit Jeff Jubinville had both Wenatchee goals while BSU recruit Sam Rendle had the Bismarck goal!

Bismarck 2-1 (in finals based on tiebreakers owned)
Fairbanks 2-1
Traverse City 2-2
St. Louis 1-2
Wenatchee 1-2

The final day of Round Robin action will have Bismarck against Fairbanks and Wenatchee against St. Louis. You could possibly see all five teams at 2-2 with four of those teams using tiebreakers for the chance to take on Bismarck in the championship.

[GO-4-EXCELLENCE]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

I'm reading them. They aren't logical.

GFM

how so?

[gfmorris]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

how so?

It makes sense for them to have the rink, which is why they agreed to build it before the WCHA thawed on expansion. I just don't see where it makes sense for the rink to be that much bigger than it is.

Even if it should be bigger, it took a lot of attempts to get this rink built through the political system. As a UAH fan, I've followed the Beavs for over a decade, so I've heard their failures and successes. I just don't think that the money was there to be 50% bigger than it is.

GFM

[moose97]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

It makes sense for them to have the rink, which is why they agreed to build it before the WCHA thawed on expansion. I just don't see where it makes sense for the rink to be that much bigger than it is.

Even if it should be bigger, it took a lot of attempts to get this rink built through the political system. As a UAH fan, I've followed the Beavs for over a decade, so I've heard their failures and successes. I just don't think that the money was there to be 50% bigger than it is.

GFM

Well, there could have been the money for a 6600 seat rink, since UMD is building theirs for ~ $66 million and the BREC is ~ $55 million (what's $11 million between friends? ). One diference, though, is the BREC has a convention center in addition to the arena, and UMD's new rink already has the rest of the DECC facilities.

Also, don't forget that BSU is comming from a 2415 seat building, and they will need to sell nearly double that number of tickets just to sell out the BREC. If they jumped to 7-8000, then they would need to sell ~ 5000 extra tickets to sell out. Now, while the Frozen Four run from '09 and this past season of being ranked top-10 all year has made BSU hockey more popular than ever, I don't think they can get to 5000 extra tickets.

Also, on that note, you don't build a 7-8000 seat building on the odd chance you might get the WJC someday (think about it - Grand Forks has had the Ralph for a decade, and that's arguably the nicest non-NHL rink in the country, and they've only gotten one. Plus, they have several options for a "B" rink - the Little Ralph, the UP Center in Fargo (5000) and now the BREC. At best, the BREC has a 33% chance of hosting the WJC - and that's only if the IIHF comes back to Grand Forks in the first place). Not only that, the BREC is big enough as it is to host something like the U18 World Champinships. That was at the UP Center last year, and the BCA (Bemidji Community Arena next to the high school) could be the "B" rink for that tourney.

Anyway, what you do is build it so that you have demand for the big series (UND, Minnesota, etc.), and so that it's not half empty when a OOC team that isn't as popular, or an exhibition opponent comes in. In fact, when the press box was being designed, I made the comment that it should be designed exactly that way - enough space for the Gopher series (2 TV stations, 2-3 radio stations and all the auxiliary seating for newspaper, etc. So most of that space doesn't get used when UAA comes - so what? At least there's enough space for the big games, and you don't have to turn credentialed folks away (which could reflect poorley on BSU) for the Gopher or Wisconsin series.

The biggest reason to do 4700? Money. Sure, dreaming of the WJC or even the U18 WC is nice, but at the end of the day, you need to fill the building night in, and night out. Just look down the road at Thief River Falls' Little Ralph, and note that the city is having a tough time paying for it to be cleaned. If you build an 8000 seat building on the chance you need that many seats in the future, you still need to maintain it when it's not full. Not a good business model, eh?

[moose97]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

Bigger scoreboard for BREC:

http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/event/.../id/100018641/

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

Got this in an e-mail alert for the BREC. Not sure if it is true or not, but it would be a nice, early "get" for the BREC.

http://www.pollstar.com/resultsVenue...56&SortBy=Date

Larry the Cable Guy on Wednesday, 11/17/10.

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

Former Beaver Updates:

Matt Climie and the Texas Stars have moved onto the AHL Western Conference Finals against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Climie came in a relief role in Game 6 when the starting goalie for the Stars was injured. He then started Game 7 and got the win. It is up in the air as to who will start for Texas in game one, Climie or Krahn, who was on a hot streak before his injury.

Matt Dalton and the Reading Royal have been bumped from the ECHL playoffs. After taking a 3-0 lead over Cincy in the Eastern Conference Finals, Reading then went on to drop the last four games. Dalton does lead the ECHL in playoff wins, but with the playoffs complete, that probably won't last as Cincy and Idaho are playing in the Championship.

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

The concrete went down for the ice surface yesterday and a little BSU History was added to the floor:

http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/event/.../id/100018710/

[gfmorris]

Re: Bemidji State offseason, WCHA, BREC here we come!

Matt Climie and the Texas Stars have moved onto the AHL Western Conference Finals against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Climie came in a relief role in Game 6 when the starting goalie for the Stars was injured. He then started Game 7 and got the win. It is up in the air as to who will start for Texas in game one, Climie or Krahn, who was on a hot streak before his injury.

Is there any shot that Climie will back up Lehtonen in Dallas next year, or is he going to toil in Cedar Park to be there if an injury occurs?

GFM