Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

Attendance was over 38,000

Tickets sold may have been 38,000 but there were never 38,000 people in the park at one time. I watched the first game at the Cask and it looked like Fenway was about half full. By the third period of the UNH-Maine game there were just a smattering of folks in the bleachers, which hold around 7800 seats and fewer still in the right field grandstand which is an area where it is terrible to watch baseball let alone a hockey. My guess is that at its peak, the UNH game was viewed (if that is the appropriate word) by around 25,000 people.

Our seats were in section 31 close to the field, great for a ball game, not so great for watching hockey, so we moved. We wound up in section 12, high up so we could get some sense of what was going on but, frankly, it was a futile effort. I'd say we were about 200 feet from the rink which would be like watching a game at the Whit from the Main Street bridge over the railroad tracks. I was warned by people who went to the Bruins game or the BU-BC game two years ago that I would be disappointed because, ultimately, it was hard to follow what was going on. Personally, I think the whole outdoor game is a gimmick. Seemed like a great idea back when Ty Conklin participated in the Ice Game in Edmonton in a football stadium, not so great when it is now one of dozens of games played outdoors. Nice money grab by the Red Sox, that's about it.

BTW, from a UNH perspective the game was awful. They had 10 shots after two periods and from what I could see it looked like they couldn't get out of their own zone. Only quick strikes by Henrion and Goumas kept the game within reach. And good for these two for having the fortitude to tie it up early in the third. But this come-from-behind trend, where they don't show up for two periods then mount a furious rally in the third, has got to stop. While not the most talented bunch that Umile has had in recent years, they certainly have enough speed and skill to at least get the puck out of the zone. The fact that they did in the third period shows that they are capable but, for some reason, not so for a full 60 minutes. Umile says there is plenty of hockey left but, honestly, if they don't play with more consistency, the season could last for another 3 months and it wouldn't matter.

BTW, anyone want my 2 tickets for Dartmouth game. I'd rather watch the Pats.

 

[Felger]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

Nice money grab by the Red Sox, that's about it.

Any word on brick sales?

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

Tickets sold may have been 38,000 but there were never 38,000 people in the park at one time. I watched the first game at the Cask and it looked like Fenway was about half full. By the third period of the UNH-Maine game there were just a smattering of folks in the bleachers, which hold around 7800 seats and fewer still in the right field grandstand which is an area where it is terrible to watch baseball let alone a hockey. My guess is that at its peak, the UNH game was viewed (if that is the appropriate word) by around 25,000 people..

That is to be expected for these double header games. This happens at the opening night of the beanpot and the Hockey East semifinals pretty much every year. The beanpot is sold out every year, but on opening night there are maybe at most 9-10,000 people there for each individual game. The double headers help sell tickets, but the result is also a half full stadium for each game (plus a few stragglers who stick around or show up early for part of the other game.)

 

[gscott13]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

If you see this, ask if the Downeaster is coming back to Maine late. For B's, Celtics and Sox games they often hold the late train until the game is over. They might do the same tonight considering it's both Maine and New Hampshire in the late game.

the answer to this was no, they did not have a late final departure... had leave at the end of two to catch the train... given that the train stops in durham, hockey east should have tried to work out a deal with amtrak to have a delayed final train... had to know that the train would be sold out with fans that had come down to the game, which it was...

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

That is to be expected for these double header games. This happens at the opening night of the beanpot and the Hockey East semifinals pretty much every year. The beanpot is sold out every year, but on opening night there are maybe at most 9-10,000 people there for each individual game. The double headers help sell tickets, but the result is also a half full stadium for each game (plus a few stragglers who stick around or show up early for part of the other game.)

Actually the last few years the first night of the Beanpot has really not been sold out, mostly because of the anemic interest of those from Harvard. The finals do sell out but it's not like the old days when it was a very hard ticket to get

 

[AMC]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

Say what you will about attendance, and the quality of the hockey, but I think it was a great event for the schools. There was a huge amount of young alumni there for each school, I saw a number of fellow Maine alums who probably never attended a hockey game while in Orono but either lived in Boston or came down for the event and the opportunity to see everyone. You couldn't turn a corner without running into someone you knew.

At the end of the day, these games aren't made for those of us on this board who live and breathe college hockey. It's for the 20 and 30 something year old alums who are just starting to make some money and need to be prodded to donate and keep up ties to their schools. I'd advocate for holding a Maine-UNH Fenway game every 2 or 3 years.

 

[Snively65]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

My guess is that at its peak, the UNH game was viewed (if that is the appropriate word) by around 25,000 people.

Our seats were in section 31 close to the field, great for a ball game, not so great for watching hockey, so we moved. We wound up in section 12, high up so we could get some sense of what was going on but, frankly, it was a futile effort. I'd say we were about 200 feet from the rink which would be like watching a game at the Whit from the Main Street bridge over the railroad tracks. I was warned by people who went to the Bruins game or the BU-BC game two years ago that I would be disappointed because, ultimately, it was hard to follow what was going on.

I think that 25,000 would be overly generous estimate for either game; hardly any UMass or UVM fans stayed for the UNH-Maine game. I read somewhere that the games would not be worth it unless you bought tickets to good viewing seats, so that is what I did. That said, I will probably not attend any more Fenway games, not so much because of the viewing angles and cold, but because the beer and food options are awful and way overpriced.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

Actually the last few years the first night of the Beanpot has really not been sold out, mostly because of the anemic interest of those from Harvard. The finals do sell out but it's not like the old days when it was a very hard ticket to get

OK, well it has been listed as a sellout for the past several years. But my point was not to get into a debate about beanpot attendance, but rather that, for most double header games, fans only attend the game of the team that they are interested in, and maybe hang out for a tiny bit of the other game. Thus even if Fenway sold every ticket for yesterday, it is not surprising that the arena was not full at any given time.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

the answer to this was no, they did not have a late final departure... had leave at the end of two to catch the train... given that the train stops in durham, hockey east should have tried to work out a deal with amtrak to have a delayed final train... had to know that the train would be sold out with fans that had come down to the game, which it was...

It's a shame Hockey East dropped the ball on that one. Something to remember for next time.

Say what you will about attendance, and the quality of the hockey, but I think it was a great event for the schools. There was a huge amount of young alumni there for each school, I saw a number of fellow Maine alums who probably never attended a hockey game while in Orono but either lived in Boston or came down for the event and the opportunity to see everyone. You couldn't turn a corner without running into someone you knew.

At the end of the day, these games aren't made for those of us on this board who live and breathe college hockey. It's for the 20 and 30 something year old alums who are just starting to make some money and need to be prodded to donate and keep up ties to their schools. I'd advocate for holding a Maine-UNH Fenway game every 2 or 3 years.

I follow most of the players on Twitter and they all were raving about the atmosphere and fan support. They definitely loved being part of the experience. Even NESN got in on the act with new camera angles (whether through necessity or ingenuity) which really worked. If the Red Sox can get a rotation, they might be able to do games every year. I saw some BC alumni talking about holding a tournament with BC, BU and two western teams. Maine and New Hampshire can be another pair, UVM/UMA can host one and I'm sure the New England ECAC and AHA teams would want in on the act. With the local high school teams, D-III and women's teams, I bet they could do one every January with a rotation so schools go 3-4 years between Fenway games so it doesn't get stale. I bet someone in the Red Sox front office is already working on the proposal...

 

[brassbonanza]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

No more Fenway games, it's a TERRIBLE place to hold a game. If they want to do outdoor games, BC's Alumni Stadium would actually provide just about the best viewing angles you could get anywhere.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

It's a shame Hockey East dropped the ball on that one. Something to remember for next time....

Have they done this for when UNH or Maine has a late game at the hockey east playoffs at the garden? I wonder if Amtrak is flexible enough to do something like this that would seem to make perfect sense?

I follow most of the players on Twitter and they all were raving about the atmosphere and fan support. They definitely loved being part of the experience. Even NESN got in on the act with new camera angles (whether through necessity or ingenuity) which really worked. If the Red Sox can get a rotation, they might be able to do games every year. I saw some BC alumni talking about holding a tournament with BC, BU and two western teams. Maine and New Hampshire can be another pair, UVM/UMA can host one and I'm sure the New England ECAC and AHA teams would want in on the act. With the local high school teams, D-III and women's teams, I bet they could do one every January with a rotation so schools go 3-4 years between Fenway games so it doesn't get stale. I bet someone in the Red Sox front office is already working on the proposal...

I will be interesting to see how quickly these get stale... I think more than once every 4 years per school and it will start to get old.

 

[Umileated]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

I follow most of the players on Twitter and they all were raving about the atmosphere and fan support. They definitely loved being part of the experience. Even NESN got in on the act with new camera angles (whether through necessity or ingenuity) which really worked. If the Red Sox can get a rotation, they might be able to do games every year. I saw some BC alumni talking about holding a tournament with BC, BU and two western teams. Maine and New Hampshire can be another pair, UVM/UMA can host one and I'm sure the New England ECAC and AHA teams would want in on the act. With the local high school teams, D-III and women's teams, I bet they could do one every January with a rotation so schools go 3-4 years between Fenway games so it doesn't get stale. I bet someone in the Red Sox front office is already working on the proposal...

Were you watching in the park, or at home? The in park camera work was supremely frustrating for me and those around me.

Rule #1) Always keep the net in your frame. So many times they were zoomed in on a player putting a SOG, with the net itself outside of the camera shot.
Rule #2) Pick a side of the ice, and keep all of your cameras on that side. It's disorienting to watch a cut scene from one camera to another that are spaced far apart around the perimeter. The net overhead angles were neat, but don't cut between them directly. If you do have cameras at contrasting perspectives, only use them if the focus of play is being "handed off" to that camera from the previous angle. Think of shot sequences during an auto race: the car in focus is being "handed off" from Camera A to Camera B, helping the viewer pick up on the new perspective intuitively.
Rule #3) Wide shots are more useful in hockey. I got the sense that they had the regular Fenway camera crew there - guys used to following the baseball kept on the puck possessor way to closely. If UNH is trying to set up a tic-tac-toe, then I want to see the whole offensive zone - not disorienting pan shots from player to player. Also for the above net cameras, those shots should have at least half of the ice width in frame at any given point, ideally both side boards. Save the close ups for the corner cameras, and don't use them for more than 2-3 seconds at a time.
Rule #4) Wait for a stoppage before putting up any sort of foolish graphic. Us poor folks in the RF box missed the 5-3 shorty because they needed to let us know that there was a power play for over 20 seconds. This might have been the highlight of the game if Ralph Cox wasn't on field earlier.
Rule #5) The center ice long frame is your best friend. Exploit it. This angle is your default angle, and all others should be brief asides from it. This angle exists because a viewer needs a consistent frame of reference that is versatile enough to see the whole ice.

 

[MainefaninMA]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

I had a great time, sat up in PAV Box which while far away was a great seat. Went down to see my brother in the Maine section for a bit and the atmosphere down there seemed great as well. I'd love to see them do it every 4 years, so players that play 4 years will get a game there. Maybe have a big trophy for the game.

That said, the food was terrible there. Hardly any options and the sausages and hot dogs were much worse than during Red Sox games. $8 for a can of bud light dumped into a cup was a tad of a downer, but it beat the alternative of not drinking!

OT Black Bear win didn't hurt either.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

Have they done this for when UNH or Maine has a late game at the hockey east playoffs at the garden? I wonder if Amtrak is flexible enough to do something like this that would seem to make perfect sense?



I will be interesting to see how quickly these get stale... I think more than once every 4 years per school and it will start to get old.

Amtrak does it for Bruins, Celtics and Sox games, so I would think they could do it for other events. I don't know if they've held the train for a late game at the tournament or not.

Yeah, I think they have to protect against it getting stale. Maybe set up a rotation like

2013: Harvard/Yale/Holy Cross/Sacred Heart
2014: NE/PC/WCHA/BTHC
2015: UML/MC/WCHA/BTHC
2015: BU/BC/BTHC/LTHC
2016: ME/NH/ND/LTHC
2017: UMA/UVM/LTHC/BTHC

Around those main attractions, build in women's, D-III and high school games; plus public skating so the city stays happy. Games wouldn't get stale if there's a five-year gap between your school's appearance.

 

[all bear]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

Amtrak does it for Bruins, Celtics and Sox games, so I would think they could do it for other events. I don't know if they've held the train for a late game at the tournament or not.

Yeah, I think they have to protect against it getting stale. Maybe set up a rotation like

2013: Harvard/Yale/Holy Cross/Sacred Heart
2014: NE/PC/WCHA/BTHC
2015: UML/MC/WCHA/BTHC
2015: BU/BC/BTHC/LTHC
2016: ME/NH/ND/LTHC
2017: UMA/UVM/LTHC/BTHC

Around those main attractions, build in women's, D-III and high school games; plus public skating so the city stays happy. Games wouldn't get stale if there's a five-year gap between your school's appearance.

Looks good except that it really should be a 4 year rotation...that way it might be a slight ( very ) incentive for a player to stay all 4 years just to be able to say he participated.

 

[UNH GH]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

Was sitting in the RF Bleachers. View wasn't great, but acceptable. I could see about 65% of the ice surface. Great experience, enjoyable game.

 

[sandiegoblkbr]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

No more Fenway games, it's a TERRIBLE place to hold a game. If they want to do outdoor games, BC's Alumni Stadium would actually provide just about the best viewing angles you could get anywhere.

At BC??? No thanks!

Now if we're talking Foxboro........

 

[NU 10]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

Watched the two games on NESN and enjoyed it. It was great seeing all the fans soaking the atmosphere at Fenway. I am looking forward to watching the Norwich Cadets play the Babson Beavers and Harward take on Union next Friday. Did any of you watch the games this weekend from the HPPC or EMC club seats and how where they.

 

[FiveHole12]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

Amtrak does it for Bruins, Celtics and Sox games, so I would think they could do it for other events. I don't know if they've held the train for a late game at the tournament or not.

Yeah, I think they have to protect against it getting stale. Maybe set up a rotation like

2013: Harvard/Yale/Holy Cross/Sacred Heart
2014: NE/PC/WCHA/BTHC
2015: UML/MC/WCHA/BTHC
2015: BU/BC/BTHC/LTHC
2016: ME/NH/ND/LTHC
2017: UMA/UVM/LTHC/BTHC

Around those main attractions, build in women's, D-III and high school games; plus public skating so the city stays happy. Games wouldn't get stale if there's a five-year gap between your school's appearance.

I suppose it works for some, but I won't ever go to another Fenway game (was at the first BC/BU) no matter who is playing. I go to see the game, and you can't see the game at a baseball stadium.

Now, if they want to build an outdoor hockey arena, I'm all in, although the crappy ice does put a damper on the quality of play.
For outdoor enthusiasts, how about a game on the River Charles? Can watch from helicopters and blimps.

 

[all bear]

Re: Frozen Fenway: New Hampshire vs Maine

I suppose it works for some, but I won't ever go to another Fenway game (was at the first BC/BU) no matter who is playing. I go to see the game, and you can't see the game at a baseball stadium.

Now, if they want to build an outdoor hockey arena, I'm all in, although the crappy ice does put a damper on the quality of play.
For outdoor enthusiasts, how about a game on the River Charles? Can watch from helicopters and blimps.

Lets not be silly there BU fan.