2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

[JosephPSchmoe]

Great news from the Tuesday Duluth News Tribune:


UMD to host Women’s Frozen Four in 2012

Minnesota Duluth will be the host school for the 2012 NCAA Division I Women’s Frozen Four hockey tournament to be held in March at Amsoil Arena, the NCAA announced Monday.

UMD has been the host school for the Frozen Four in 2008 and 2003, with the Bulldogs winning the Division I title in each year. The 2011 Division I women’s Frozen Four is in Erie, Pa., with UMD entering the season as defending champion.

The University of Minnesota will be the host school for the 2013 Division I Women’s Frozen Four.


As always, the University of New Hampshire is more than welcome to attend. And here's hoping we see Cornell again in 2012 if not in 2011.

 

[WHKY blogger]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

Old news...

had this story last week when the NCAA release came out!

 

[ARM]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

Minnesota Duluth will be the host school for the 2012 NCAA Division I Women’s Frozen Four hockey tournament to be held in March at Amsoil Arena, the NCAA announced Monday.
...
The University of Minnesota will be the host school for the 2013 Division I Women’s Frozen Four.

... following Minnesota in 2010 and Mercyhurst in 2011. Can one assume this means that the HEA and ECAC schools aren't bidding at this point? While this is convenient for fans in and around Minnesota, this isn't great news for the women's game in general.

 

[JosephPSchmoe]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

Old news...

had this story last week when the NCAA release came out!

Okay. It's entirely possible that I missed it. It wasn't posted in the UMD thread, I didn't see it anywhere else here and the News Tribune in today's edition said the NCAA just announced it yesterday.

 

[IceIsNice]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

 

[whoop87]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

JoeSchmoe - thanks for posting this info just the same. I had not heard this news here in the East as I don't regularly check the NCAA website for hockey info. I check it here on this forum. And yes, as a fan of the women's game, I lament the fact that the Frozen Four will not be back on the East coast until 2014 at the earliest. I was hoping for another crack at either Boston or Lake Placid (great hockey town) but I have no idea if any eastern schools put in bids or not for 2012 or 2013. I will probably make the drive to Erie in 2011 whether my team is there or not. Personally, I like the idea of having the Frozen Four alternate between East/West on a yearly basis but if no schools put in bids, what can you do.

 

[brookyone]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

Makes me wonder...how has Frozen Four attendance compared from East to West? Can't really understand no bids from venues in the East. Particularly at this time with some new "powerhouses" in the region.

 

[CrazyDave]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

Makes me wonder...how has Frozen Four attendance compared from East to West? Can't really understand no bids from venues in the East. Particularly at this time with some new "powerhouses" in the region.

As much as I relish in the fact that it will be within an afternoon's drive for me for both 2012 and 2013, I'm scratching my head on this one too. I, like a number of Gopher fans, was in Boston in '09, and I thought it was a great turnout given that none of the participating teams was from New England. I have to believe the turnout would have been even greater had a HEA or ECAC team made it in.

 

[WHKY blogger]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

Okay. It's entirely possible that I missed it. It wasn't posted in the UMD thread, I didn't see it anywhere else here and the News Tribune in today's edition said the NCAA just announced it yesterday.

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaa...es+selected+in+all+divisions+ncaa+news+062510

Even the UMD Release says released Monday. Apparently they cant even read the date on a release.... (see the top of the link)

Had the article on BTD Friday Morning.

 

[JosephPSchmoe]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

Makes me wonder...how has Frozen Four attendance compared from East to West? Can't really understand no bids from venues in the East. Particularly at this time with some new "powerhouses" in the region.

For the two Frozen Fours held in Duluth, attendance in 2003 was 5,167 and in 2008 was 4,031. If I was more ambitious I'd look up attendance at the other eight tournaments for a comparison, but I'm not that ambitious. I might get that ambitious later if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

For the two Frozen Fours held in Duluth, attendance in 2003 was 5,167 and in 2008 was 4,031. If I was more ambitious I'd look up attendance at the other eight tournaments for a comparison, but I'm not that ambitious. I might get that ambitious later if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

Here is my post from the <a href=http://board.uscho.com/showthread.php?t=89839 target=_blank>Attendance at NCAA</a> thread:

Here are the FF attendance figures for every year it has been held:

By Year
2001 Minneapolis  Semifinals  2,099        Final  3,079
2002 Durham       Semifinals  2,051        Final  3,102
2003 Duluth       Semifinals  4,801 (host) Final  5,167 (host)
2004 Providence   Semifinals  2,526        Final  3,522
2005 Durham       Semifinals  2,204        Final  2,056
2006 Minneapolis  Semifinals  2,876 (host) Final  4,701 (host)
2007 Lake Placid* Semifinals  3,423 (host) Final  3,355
2008 Duluth**     Semifinals  3,023 (host) Final  4,031 (host)
2009 Boston       Semifinals  2,706        Final  2,437
2010 Minneapolis  Semifinals  2,070 (host) Final  1,473
* first year FF held a week earlier
** Thursday-Saturday

By Attendance
Semifinals          Final
4,801 (host)        5,167 (host)
3,423 (host)        4,701 (host)
3,023 (host)        4,031 (host)
2,876 (host)        3,522
2,706               3,355
2,526               3,102
2,204               3,079
2,099               2,437
2,070 (host)        2,056
2,051               1,473

Having the host in the tournament has boosted attendance (except this year). The top four semifinals and the top three finals all involved the host team.

It is hard to determine if the change to a week earlier is impacting attendance, as it went up the first year for the semifinals, but dropped for the final. The semifinal attendance has now dropped for three straight years and the final attendance for two straight and 3-of-4.

I find the drastic attendance drop off this year troubling. The semifinal attendance is second to last, despite the host playing, and over 600 less than last year’s. The final attendance is dead last, almost 1000 less than last year and over 600 less than the previous low.

It will be interesting to see the attendance in Eire next year, with or without Mercyhurst. And regarding ticket prices, I see that tickets for next year are already on sale:

All session passes for Friday & Sunday are $50.00 adult, $40.00 student.
All session passes are on sale now. Single tickets go on sale March 11, 2011.

Sean

 

[JosephPSchmoe]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

Thanks for doing the work, Sean. I'd love to fill the new Amsoil Arena when the Bulldogs host in 2012 just to see what that's like. I have no idea how only 1400 showed up to this year's title game. That's just strange.

 

[skatefast]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

The attendance at this year's Frozen Four is just baffling to me also, Schmoe. If I recall, there was some chatter here on the boards about it in reference to the other things happening that weekend in the world of hockey.

I just spoke with some of the UMD players yesterday who weren't aware of the venue choice and they are fired up. Particularly last year's freshman class who are still riding that National Championship high. But as one said to me, "That's sick..." (I guess that means good, eh?) "...but I've not even started playing THIS year!". Great focus, I say.

Looking forward, I hereby invite any out of towners to crash at my place for the 2012 event. And in the spirit of Canada Day today, Canadian get first dibs.

 

[JosephPSchmoe]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

I'm not (quite) naive enough to think we can fill all 6600 seats at Amsoil Arena in 2012. But if we can get 4-5000 like the last two Frozen Fours we hosted here, that would work for me. I'm just really curious what the atmosphere there would be like with a nearly full house. Those felt like championship tournaments. This year's most decidedly did not.

 

[brookyone]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

Those felt like championship tournaments. This year's most decidedly did not.

Man...watching the games and the level of play in each game, I feel pretty much the exact opposite.

 

[binnyrus]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

Man...watching the games and the level of play in each game, I feel pretty much the exact opposite.

I agree with Schmoe in the sense that the crowd, excitement, atmosphere at the more filled up DECC "seemed" to be more of a championship atmosphere than the empty feeling of Ridder this past one.

Certainly the level of play in this year's game (like I think nearly every year) in terms of competitiveness was better. I'd still say that the 03 game between UMD and Harvard in terms of atmosphere and evenly matched talent made for the "best" sense of a championship game. The tension and excitement in the house for the NCAA D-I game that day was all a fan or player could ask for.

I wish that were the case every year, at every venue.

 

[JosephPSchmoe]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

I didn't mean to imply that the level of play wasn't up to championship caliber. I don't think anyone could ask for better play from these young women. It gets better every year.

I just remember that as soon as I walked into Ridder Arena, I was struck by the lack of "championship atmosphere," for lack of a better way of saying it. I'm sure that had to do with the place only seating 3400 and still being half empty for a national title game (and I know it's been hashed over in another thread, so I won't beat a dead horse.)

My original point is that I hope we can cram lots of fans into the new Amsoil Arena for the 2012 tournament just to see what that's like. And I hope it's another East/West title game.

 

[Sean Pickett]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

Thanks for doing the work, Sean. I'd love to fill the new Amsoil Arena when the Bulldogs host in 2012 just to see what that's like. I have no idea how only 1400 showed up to this year's title game. That's just strange.

It was easy, since it was already done, but I do appreciate your thanks for the original effort.

I would also love to have the NC game be sold out every year (and more in the east so I can attend more of them).

Sean

 

[ARM]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

I just remember that as soon as I walked into Ridder Arena, I was struck by the lack of "championship atmosphere," for lack of a better way of saying it. I'm sure that had to do with the place only seating 3400 and still being half empty for a national title game (and I know it's been hashed over in another thread, so I won't beat a dead horse.)

I agree. In 2001, there were over 3,000 fans for the UMD/SLU championship game in Mariucci. Of those, some were Dartmouth or Harvard fans that had hung around from the 3rd place game. That was probably matched by more fans this time who have gotten into the habit of attending Frozen Fours that showed up w/o a team to support. There were about an equivalent number of Saint fans in 2001 as Big Red fans in 2010. Only the hardcore Gopher fans showed up both years. The big drop was that the Bulldog fans didn't turn out in force in 2010 like they did in 2001. Maybe the novelty has worn off, and now only diehard UMD supporters attend. It was too bad, because 3,000 people in Ridder would have made for a great atmosphere.

 

[dhmn]

Re: 2012 Frozen Four In Duluth

I've been too busy lately to get around here and keep up to date.. but the DECC also applied to host the Women's Worlds (that spring I believe?).. haven't heard obviously if there's been any announcement in terms of where those might be held for that tournament.

I really hope that the new arena can bring in a bunch of outside fan interest just to see the arena if they haven't by that time, besides the crowd that has been obviously bolstered in UMD's hosting, by being in the Championship game each time.

If there is an answer to why so few travelled the two hours to see UMD win their 5th title I'd love to hear it (and not just the 'I hate women's hockey garbage from the usuals.) Personally I hate the whole early game time for a National Championship.. especially on a Sunday when a number of people who might otherwise come would maybe pass it up for family stuff.