Attendance at Regionals

[ericredaxe]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Yeah......there's no college hockey fans in the Central/Eastern Maine area that could fill up 5,500 seats for a first ever NCAA hockey regional at a brand new facility.

You might get a bump the first year on the new arena, but unless Maine get's in the tourney (obviously they would be the host) I just don't think it is long term viable.

Lets say that Maine does not get in, BC gets a number 1 seed and is placed in the other Eastern regional in Worcester or Providence, BU (or someone else that would possibly bring fans) gets shipped out west as the last team in the tourney, and the other Hockey East team in is Merrimack.

So you have a regional of Merrimack, an ECAC team, someone from out west and the AHA auto qualifier.

I'm thinking a lot of these central/eastern Maine hockey fans that are accostomed to paying $18 - $24 for UMaine and Portand Pirate games will get scared off pretty quickly by the $40 plus ticketmaster fees.

If Maine gets in, then they would bang the place out, but that is a big gamble when they can do this in Manchester and know they are a half an hour away from half a dozen teams that will bring some fans in.

 

[sandiegoblkbr]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

You might get a bump the first year on the new arena, but unless Maine get's in the tourney (obviously they would be the host) I just don't think it is long term viable.

Lets say that Maine does not get in, BC gets a number 1 seed and is placed in the other Eastern regional in Worcester or Providence, BU (or someone else that would possibly bring fans) gets shipped out west as the last team in the tourney, and the other Hockey East team in is Merrimack.

So you have a regional of Merrimack, an ECAC team, someone from out west and the AHA auto qualifier.

I'm thinking a lot of these central/eastern Maine hockey fans that are accostomed to paying $18 - $24 for UMaine and Portand Pirate games will get scared off pretty quickly by the $40 plus ticketmaster fees.

If Maine gets in, then they would bang the place out, but that is a big gamble when they can do this in Manchester and know they are a half an hour away from half a dozen teams that will bring some fans in.

If......if........if..........*yawn*

Whatever........most people just don't want it in Maine's backyard. Have fun playing in empty arenas!

 

[Priceless]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Sure attendance sucked, but at least there was bracket integrity.

Attendance in the East was fine. Attendance sucked out west - which everyone said it would. Check out my first bracketology post back on January 1.

Even though the ECAC has five teams in the tournament, the Quinnipiac-Union game can be changed. An easy swap is to send them to Manchester for Western Michigan. We can further boost attendance in both Providence and Toledo by switching Yale and Miami. The only thing that might save attendance in Grand Rapids is if Michigan has a great second half and snags a bid. Attendance in Manchester would be fine with both UNH and BU there.

Switch BU with Lowell and you've pretty much got it. Michigan came a game away. My next post in that thread

I think the attendance out west is going to suck anyway no matter who makes the tournament. I also expect the NCAA to do whatever it can (within reason) to boost attendance. The NCAA is hoping against hope that Minnesota and Michigan (and maybe Wisconsin) have a great second half and they can stick them in Grand Rapids.

Just imagine attendance in the east had bracket integrity won out and Minnesota was in Manchester, North Dakota was in Providence and Lowell and BC were out west.

 

[Patman]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Attendance in the East was fine. Attendance sucked out west - which everyone said it would. Check out my first bracketology post back on January 1.



Switch BU with Lowell and you've pretty much got it. Michigan came a game away. My next post in that thread



Just imagine attendance in the east had bracket integrity won out and Minnesota was in Manchester, North Dakota was in Providence and Lowell and BC were out west.

West seems to suffer from geographic separation. I know I've advocated an 8 team regional before... why not just go with eight teams in the west and the 4/4 split in the east?

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

West seems to suffer from geographic separation. I know I've advocated an 8 team regional before... why not just go with eight teams in the west and the 4/4 split in the east?

how many games you playing in a day there??

 

[Priceless]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

You might get a bump the first year on the new arena, but unless Maine get's in the tourney (obviously they would be the host) I just don't think it is long term viable.

Lets say that Maine does not get in, BC gets a number 1 seed and is placed in the other Eastern regional in Worcester or Providence, BU (or someone else that would possibly bring fans) gets shipped out west as the last team in the tourney, and the other Hockey East team in is Merrimack.

So you have a regional of Merrimack, an ECAC team, someone from out west and the AHA auto qualifier.

I'm thinking a lot of these central/eastern Maine hockey fans that are accostomed to paying $18 - $24 for UMaine and Portand Pirate games will get scared off pretty quickly by the $40 plus ticketmaster fees.

If Maine gets in, then they would bang the place out, but that is a big gamble when they can do this in Manchester and know they are a half an hour away from half a dozen teams that will bring some fans in.

No need to do the nightmare scenario. Just take last weekend's regional in Manchester. Denver and Wisconsin will fly into Bangor, the same as they flew into Manchester. New Hampshire is 3 hours away, Lowell 3.5. Not the same as the 40 and 50 minute commutes they enjoyed this past weekend. Are you seriously going to drive 3+ hours each way to attend the regional? Are you going back the second day too, because that adds 6-7 more hours of driving. I don't think so. Are 5500 locals going to shell out $80 for a two-day pass to see Lowell and UNH in the tournament? I don't think so. Attendance would be about what you saw in Toledo...probably worse.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

how many games you playing in a day there??

Put the west super-regional in St Paul. Friday is 1v8 and 2v7. Saturday is 4v5 and 3v6. Winners play on Sunday (1v4, 2v3) with two teams advancing to the Frozen Four.

 

[sandiegoblkbr]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

No need to do the nightmare scenario. Just take last weekend's regional in Manchester. Denver and Wisconsin will fly into Bangor, the same as they flew into Manchester. New Hampshire is 3 hours away, Lowell 3.5. Not the same as the 40 and 50 minute commutes they enjoyed this past weekend. Are you seriously going to drive 3+ hours each way to attend the regional? Are you going back the second day too, because that adds 6-7 more hours of driving. I don't think so. Are 5500 locals going to shell out $80 for a two-day pass to see Lowell and UNH in the tournament? I don't think so. Attendance would be about what you saw in Toledo...probably worse.

Your guess.......and our OPINIONS will always be guesses because they will never try it. Why are so many of you afraid of an NCAA regional in Maine??? My guess is that many of you don't want it because it might be successful enough to be in the rotation. And aren't regional tickets on sale way before teams are announced??? This whole notion of no one will show up if Maine isn't in it is B.S. The State of Maine has a ton of college hockey fans........and I'm betting quite a few of them would pony up the $$$ to see an NCAA regional in Bangor or Portland......especially since so little quality college hockey is now played in the state.

 

[Slap Shot]

Attendance in the East was fine. Attendance sucked out west - which everyone said it would.

Doesn't negate the fact they nailed bracket integrity. That extra 15k in total tickets across the country will save NCAA hockey.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Doesn't negate the fact they nailed bracket integrity. That extra 15k in total tickets across the country will save NCAA hockey.

I wasn't aware that NCAA hockey needed saving. If it's that close to folding that an extra 15K tickets sold makes the difference between having hockey and not having hockey then we're in an even worse situation than imagined.

I am aware that it is a new practice to sacrifice integrity for the Almighty Dollar (in every walk of life) but that is Capitalism. Ain't it grand?

 

[LTsatch]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Bridgeport might be a ****hole, but its regionals have drawn good crowds as well, its worst day (with, admittedly, its worst set-up yet, with no Yale) being 5090 last year.

Connecticut and Southern NY, and Long Island have built in hockey crowds that just love to see a good game. I went and watched the regional last year, even though Yale was only a host. All of the luxury boxes were sold, that place is the perfect size for a regional, if the City of Bridgeport was nicer and had more to offer, it would be a sellout every year. I am glad it is coming back next year.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Your guess.......and our OPINIONS will always be guesses because they will never try it. Why are so many of you afraid of an NCAA regional in Maine??? My guess is that many of you don't want it because it might be successful enough to be in the rotation.

Well, for the most part, all we have on here are our guesses and opinions. Personally, living on the North Shore I'd actually be more likely to travel to Bangor over Bridgeport if my team ended up there.... although quite honestly, I'm not sure I would travel to either.

But you may be right... I think the ability to have it in the backyard of a multitude of teams probably means that Bangor will not get a bid for one. And my opinion/guess is that (unless Maine is there) that it would not draw as well as Worcester or Manchester.

 

[sandiegoblkbr]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Well, for the most part, all we have on here are our guesses and opinions. Personally, living on the North Shore I'd actually be more likely to travel to Bangor over Bridgeport if my team ended up there.... although quite honestly, I'm not sure I would travel to either.

But you may be right... I think the ability to have it in the backyard of a multitude of teams probably means that Bangor will not get a bid for one. And my opinion/guess is that (unless Maine is there) that it would not draw as well as Worcester or Manchester.

UNH has been in EVERY Manchester regional..........I wonder how Manchester would draw without UNH?

 

[scoreboard]

Your guess.......and our OPINIONS will always be guesses because they will never try it. Why are so many of you afraid of an NCAA regional in Maine??? My guess is that many of you don't want it because it might be successful enough to be in the rotation. And aren't regional tickets on sale way before teams are announced??? This whole notion of no one will show up if Maine isn't in it is B.S. The State of Maine has a ton of college hockey fans........and I'm betting quite a few of them would pony up the $$$ to see an NCAA regional in Bangor or Portland......especially since so little quality college hockey is now played in the state.

I don't think it is anything against Maine. I think Portland is a great city. The problem is the NCAA knows they can count on places like Manchester and Worcester to get bigger crowds at less than capacity than a sold out Portland would have. Also, you have to bid for the regionals to get them. Has Maine put in a bid recently?

 

[scoreboard]

UNH has been in EVERY Manchester regional..........I wonder how Manchester would draw without UNH?

I hope we never find out.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

I don't think it is anything against Maine. I think Portland is a great city. The problem is the NCAA knows they can count on places like Manchester and Worcester to get bigger crowds at less than capacity than a sold out Portland would have. Also, you have to bid for the regionals to get them. Has Maine put in a bid recently?

I always love it when a guy from San Diego says the guy from Brunswick, Maine has something against the state. One of us lives here, one of us lives about as far away as possible while staying in the continental United States. Which person has something against Maine?

The answer to your question is no. No one has put in a bid (Bangor still lacks an arena that meets NCAA specifications to host) and I don't think Portland cares to risk it. The Civic Center ekes out a profit as it is without gambling on an NCAA hockey regional.

 

[chickod]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

Why are so many of you afraid of an NCAA regional in Maine??? My guess is that many of you don't want it because it might be successful enough to be in the rotation.

Afraid? We've spent a week on this thread talking about poor attendance. Look at the numbers. There are only 1.3 million people in the ENTIRE STATE of Maine, and most of them are south of Augusta. Just who is going to go? I'm not driving six hours to see a regional that my team is not in. I don't think too many others are either. Just look at Providence, a "hotbed" of hockey as it was described on this thread. You had two teams with virtually no support (Canisius), two with moderate support (Union and Quinnipiac) and a fourth with, shall we say, "disappointing" support (BC). BC is 40 miles from Providence. Just who is going to go to these games????? Nobody is knocking Maine, but it becomes an issue of proximity. We just talked about the same problem in the West, so why do we want to create a similar scenario in the East, where we have enough schools in a more densely-populated area to insure good attendance?

I'm not "afraid" of it being successful. My point is I don't think it WILL be successful. Now I assume you're talking about Bangor (because the new facility was mentioned). If you're talking about Portland, that would be a different story...

 

[chickod]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

but that is Capitalism. Ain't it grand?

Better than socialism...you should compare them...should be easy since we used to have the former and now we have the latter...

 

[chickod]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

There are many factors that go into why certain regional locations are failing. Geography is one. Population density is another. Outrageous prices don't help. Trying a regional in a place like Bangor (or quite frankly, Portland) is a bad idea. The eastern regionals should rotate between Providence, Manchester and Worcester and the west should have a permanent home in St Paul. Where the second western regional goes is anyone's guess because there hasn't been another location out west (that the NCAA will consider) that has been a success. Maybe put one regional in Minneapolis and the other in St. Paul?

100% agreed.

 

[WildShawn]

Re: Attendance at Regionals

If you're talking Portland, if they built a new arena, I'd be all for giving it a shot, but the current arena is a crap hole, worse than the crap hole arena in Worcester which at least has a more central location (but is honestly the worst venue they consistently use for the NCAA's, by far). If you're talking Bangor..... um.... no.