Frozen Four Locations

Are there any criteria around the selection of Frozen Four locations? After last year's championship game brought in over 4.3K fans, it's somewhat disappointing to have this year's frozen four at Ridder with a max capacity of 3.4K (especially given the fact it's in such a hockey hotbed). When trying to grow the women's game, it doesn't help to turn fans away from such competitive games.

A sellout is a good thing. Nothing wrong with turning a few people away.

Plus Ridder Arena is a shrine to women's hockey.

Not a good idea at all to turn away 25 percent of the people who want to attend. With the PWHL killing it attendance wise maybe 4300 would have been exceeded, especially in MN, the land of 10000 rinks.

KTDC said:

Plus Ridder Arena is a shrine to women's hockey.

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That's debatable!

Timothy A said:

That's debatable!

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too right. the first arena ever built for a women's hockey team is hardly notable. /s

creaseprotector100 said:

Are there any criteria around the selection of Frozen Four locations? After last year's championship game brought in over 4.3K fans, it's somewhat disappointing to have this year's frozen four at Ridder with a max capacity of 3.4K (especially given the fact it's in such a hockey hotbed). When trying to grow the women's game, it doesn't help to turn fans away from such competitive games.

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FWIW, I've made the case privately that it should've been moved to Mariucci (capacity 10k) since the men (shockingly) flamed out in the Big Ten tournament. there was consternation from higher admin about the signage and stuff already being printed and ready for Ridder.

To my considerable surprise, they didn't sell the club seats for our regional game. I'm unsure if they are for this one which would lower capacity to about 3200. I maintain that the door count attendance was way under actual attendance. IDK if there were twice the number on the box score (1250ish) but there were enough people in there to notably warm the place up.

Timothy A said:

That's debatable!

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I will fight you, Ridder rules so hard lol

KTDC said:

KTDC said:

A sellout is a good thing. Nothing wrong with turning a few people away.

Plus Ridder Arena is a shrine to women's hockey.

Click to expand...

A sellout is a good thing. Nothing wrong with turning a few people away.

Plus Ridder Arena is a shrine to women's hockey.

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Hearty agreement on part 2.

50-50 on part 1. A sellout is a good thing most of the time. But turning a few people away from a national tournament final when there is an alternative readily available is the wrong choice.

No worries for the future. St. Thomas will be in the mix going forward. I already have a box there, and will look forward to entertaining some of you select few when the finals are held in St. Paul.

Steamboat said:

No worries for the future. St. Thomas will be in the mix going forward. I already have a box there, and will look forward to entertaining some of you select few when the finals are held in St. Paul.

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might be a few years...

2026: Penn State
2027: Duluth
2028: Sacred Heart (Fairfield, CT)
2029: TBD

Just think about it this way: mighty OSU has been promising a new arena since long before UST was even considering D1/was knifed by the MIAC.

Steamboat said:

No worries for the future. St. Thomas will be in the mix going forward. I already have a box there, and will look forward to entertaining some of you select few when the finals are held in St. Paul.

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The arena that is being built looks like it will be a very fitting site for a national championship.

The neighbors are complaining that there isn't enough parking and they may be right, but anyone who ever attended a Johnnies-Tommies football game at O'Shaugnessy Stadium is familiar with the tradition of parking in the neighborhood. For hockey it will be a few blocks further south than the football parking but even over there on that edge of the campus football parking in the neighborhood has been a thing for a long time.

Life goes on, things change.

Saint Thomas will be in the mix going forward.

So Steamboat, can I get an invite?

ManBehindTheCurtain said:

The neighbors are complaining that there isn't enough parking and they may be right, but anyone who ever attended a Johnnies-Tommies football game at O'Shaugnessy Stadium is familiar with the tradition of parking in the neighborhood. For hockey it will be a few blocks further south than the football parking but even over there on that edge of the campus football parking in the neighborhood has been a thing for a long time.

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it'll be open for the '26-'27 season, right? or sooner?

Asking because I'm planning to park in front of the NIMBY group leader's house when the Gophers play.

ManBehindTheCurtain said:

The arena that is being built looks like it will be a very fitting site for a national championship.

The neighbors are complaining that there isn't enough parking and they may be right, but anyone who ever attended a Johnnies-Tommies football game at O'Shaugnessy Stadium is familiar with the tradition of parking in the neighborhood. For hockey it will be a few blocks further south than the football parking but even over there on that edge of the campus football parking in the neighborhood has been a thing for a long time.

Life goes on, things change.

Saint Thomas will be in the mix going forward.

So Steamboat, can I get an invite?

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I will be there next season, and the box comes with extra tickets. It is likely we will be meeting.

StPaulSam said:

it'll be open for the '26-'27 season, right? or sooner?

Asking because I'm planning to park in front of the NIMBY group leader's house when the Gophers play.

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I am not certain what the first use of the arena will be, but will post updates on the St. Thomas thread once I find out more.

The arena will host both the mens and women's basketball and hockey games. The exact dates will be released during the summer. That is fast work if you ask me.

Living out in Connecticut I am very excited for Martire to host a Frozen Four. That's an incredible building.

Martire is gorgeous. Unbelievable that they were able to build an arena in Fairfield County that's nicer than UConn's for less money than UConn. It's just about perfect.

The glass wall overlooking the forest is beautiful.

Recently on the forum somewhere someone posted something about the women's game receiving some welcome mention from some unlikely source. I think. Publicity is good. But how’s this for a plug coming from out of far left field ---- a NYT food editor. Friday he eased into his column by celebrating the imminent return of ospreys and striped bass to this part of the world, then, after a detour or two for a shrimp dish, etc., he arrived at Rhode Island clam chowder. So what, you ask? Well that is what he was going to make for lunch so he wouldn’t get hungry while watching the women’s hockey national championship games! He even linked to the NC$$ FF website!! I almost choked on my chowder. I don’t know how many tens of thousands of new converts to the game this casual plant is going to generate, but at least we’re now on the foodie map, so you might have a hard time finding a seat when y’all come east in 2028. And while you’re here try the chowder — not the library paste that they call “New England,” or the watery tomato juice they call “Manhattan,” but the real thing from Little Rhody.