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Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

They won't rent out the biggest two suites to normal folks, GPL has tried the last two years. After that first year, we were told that MTU "doesn't want that large of an opponent presence" in the marquee suites. The new reason is that that save the two biggest suites for alumni/big donors/prez/etc No problem with that, btw.

MTU is on the edge of expansion. If the crowds stick, then I could see it. If the honeymoon of success wanes, then I could see them standing pat.
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

Yeah, but at what point does it make sense trying to shoehorn all of that into the Mac, which has been open since 1972, versus building a whole new arena with all of those bells and whistles.
The short version of why:
$10M < $100M
Unless you know someone who can kick in the extra $90M, I'm guessing they will go with the renovation / expansion option. (And I would be VERY surprised if they spent anything even close to $5M to blow out the end of the rink.)
Ryan J
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

The short version of why:
$10M < $100M
Unless you know someone who can kick in the extra $90M, I'm guessing they will go with the renovation / expansion option. (And I would be VERY surprised if they spent anything even close to $5M to blow out the end of the rink.)
Ryan J
Just my opinion, but anything worth doing is worth doing right. I hope they go with the high end options.
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

MTU is on the edge of expansion. If the crowds stick said:
How close to this edge?

I don't see them building new even if they had a $100 million laying around. What is wrong that needs correcting that is not possible with a retrofit? Personally I enjoy how the crowd feels on top of the ice and a new arena would most likely not have this. NEW does not always mean better. Example the Berry which NMU plays at is not a great place. Another is the Amsoil arena where I've had several tours and seen several games at, which it does have some nice touches there are STILL obstructed view seating.
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

I agree there won't be a new building. They'll just expand the current one.
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

I see zero chance Tech gets a new rink in the next 20 years. The seats alone are a 20+ year capital investment to say nothing of the videoboard or suites. You don't add those items to the building if you are even remotely thinking about a new barn. If you look at the teams that get those new $50M+ rinks they usually have one or more of the following associated with it:
- Alumni who donates the majority of the cost for construction
- New team, no current rink to speak of
- Formerly played in an unacceptable rink (really old, or seating capacity way too low)
- Rink was owned by the local city / county, not the university

I don't think Tech falls into any of those categories, unless John Scott becomes a 50 goal scorer and gets a much larger contract. If Tech were to get a new rink, in today's days of tight public school budgets, I'm pretty sure it would be something along the lines of NMU or LSSU not the Amsoil or Ralph. Those former rinks IMO would NOT be an upgrade from the JMSIA so there is no point in doing it.

Ryan J
 
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Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

I see zero chance Tech gets a new rink in the next 20 years. The seats alone are a 20+ year capital investment to say nothing of the videoboard or suites. You don't add those items to the building if you are even remotely thinking about a new barn. If you look at the teams that get those new $50M+ rinks they usually have one or more of the following associated with it:
- Alumni who donates the majority of the cost for construction
- New team, no current rink to speak of
- Formerly played in an unacceptable rink (really old, or seating capacity way too low)
- Rink was owned by the local city / county, not the university

I don't think Tech falls into any of those categories, unless John Scott becomes a 50 goal scorer and gets a much larger contract. If Tech were to get a new rink, in today's days of tight public school budgets, I'm pretty sure it would be something along the lines of NMU or LSSU not the Amsoil or Ralph. Those former rinks IMO would NOT be an upgrade from the JMSIA so there is no point in doing it.

Ryan J

I honestly put the Amsoil on par with the Mac. The one upside of Amsoil is the location, and that is admittedly a HUGE benefit for the arena.
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

Yeah, but at what point does it make sense trying to shoehorn all of that into the Mac, which has been open since 1972, versus building a whole new arena with all of those bells and whistles.

Any new arena they'd come up with will give us a poorer viewing experience than the Mac, why pay 10-20 times the money to get an arena that is a worse experience than the current one?
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

First let me say that the viewing experience at the Mac is one of the best, if not the best in college hockey... but..
When you have 2500 seats and you sell almost that many standing room tickets, and do it several times a year, that means to me that you need more seats. I would think a healthy ratio of maybe 5 to 1, seats to standees is about right. selling 2000 standing room tickets seems like an awful lot.

Second, it's about more than seats. The food services are terrible and Tech could really make substantially more money on food if the service was good and people didn't have to wait for 30 minutes to get it.

Third, bathrooms. once again, bathrooms are fine with 2500 people but when you have 4000 or 3000 even, the waits are long, they run out of paper, and on the whole it's not that good. You should be able to go to the bathroom, get some pizza, and be back to your seat between periods, and that does not happen now.
Forth, we could use a place for the Hall of Fame and some additional suites.
Fifth, check out what newer arena's around the country are doing. Making the games an experience brings in more people.

So I'm for having an expansion sooner rather than later. I think additional, similar quality, seats are important in the scheme of it.

You do know you can get your hand stamped, leave the arena, use the bathrooms out in the SDC (if you head for the other end of the building or the 2nd floor you have no lines at all), and then get back into the arena before the start of the next period
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

I'm pretty sure Davis is back for this year. I think Mel mentioned it on his last radio show and the team released his white jersey from last season. Normally if the player is leaving the program, they are gifted their jersey.
Ryan J
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

How close to this edge?

I don't see them building new even if they had a $100 million laying around. What is wrong that needs correcting that is not possible with a retrofit? Personally I enjoy how the crowd feels on top of the ice and a new arena would most likely not have this. NEW does not always mean better. Example the Berry which NMU plays at is not a great place. Another is the Amsoil arena where I've had several tours and seen several games at, which it does have some nice touches there are STILL obstructed view seating.

For the record, the improvements needed at Lakeview (new locker rooms, etc), the PEIF (addition for speed skating), and future needs for Hedgecock; were more than it would have cost for the complete wishlist (that didn't happen) for the Berry. AND, any improvements that NMU had done to Lakeview, they would have STILL just been renting the building from the City of Marquette and wouldn't have had choice of prime dates.

Building their own on campus ice arena (and forcing basketball to join them) meant control of their own facility. Only downside is that construction issues and revisions forced the Berry to be as-is, in that there isn't much that can be done additionally to the building.


MTU has control of their own facility, and the ability to add on if needed. And, with the investment in new cooling lines just a few years ago coupled with the continued improvements, I don't see MTU abandoning the building for a new facility. Plus, adopting the Miami, Notre Dame, and Omaha mentality of "a packed house at 3k/5k/etc. is much better than a half empty or 2/3 full 16k arena," keeps the demand up (as long as the team is still competitive and a draw).
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

Davis is indeed listed on the roster.

I see that now. He wasn't yesterday, must've been missed!


What a small true freshmen class, plus the redshirt freshmen Kero, Blacklock, Anderson, Birks all hitting the ground running after being around the team last year. I'm hoping for big things this year!
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

I see that now. He wasn't yesterday, must've been missed!


What a small true freshmen class, plus the redshirt freshmen Kero, Blacklock, Anderson, Birks all hitting the ground running after being around the team last year. I'm hoping for big things this year!
Me too. The guys we lost were important though and I wonder if we will get an increase in speed, especially on D, and if the new guys can light the lamp. Very much looking forward to coach Mel's comments once things get a bit further along.
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

Don't forget that Keegan Ford is basically a freshman in this class as well.
 
Re: Michigan Tech 2015 off-season I: Building on what we've learned...

The defense is going to be the clear strength of this team. I think they may occasionally struggle to score, especially early, but the defense should keep them in every game.
 
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