ORONO, Maine — For those who watched Boston College beat Minnesota-Duluth 4-0 Sunday night in the NCAA Hockey Tournament’s Northeast Regional championship game, it appeared that the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass., was mostly empty.
That’s because it was.
The crowd was listed at 4,470 and when you figure in the capacity of the DCU Center, which is 12,239, that means 36.5 percent of the seats were filled.
Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna said there was a good reason for the low attendance.
“Eight o’clock on a Sunday night is too late,” said Bertagna. “I bought 10 tickets apiece for Saturday and Sunday because in the position I’m in, I get a lot of calls [for tickets]. I wound up eating three of them on Saturday and eight on Sunday.”
Saturday’s games pitted Maine against Minnesota-Duluth and Boston College against the Air Force Academy and the two-game bracket attracted 5,925 fans.
The 8 pm. starting time for the final was dictated by ESPN-TV.
The network wanted to air regional games live, particularly the regional championships. That required staggered starts. There were two regional finals on Saturday and two on Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, ESPN aired the West Regional final between Minnesota and North Dakota at 5:30 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
On Saturday, UMass Lowell and Union played at 6:30 p.m. in the East Regional in Bridgeport, Conn., and the Midwest Regional final between Ferris State and Cornell in Green Bay, Wis., started at 9 p.m.
University of Maine coach Tim Whitehead said it would have made more sense to play the Minnesota-Duluth-BC game at 5:30 p.m. and the Minnesota-North Dakota game at 8 p.m., especially considering that it would have been a 7 p.m. Central time start in St. Paul.
The reason ESPN has so much pull is simple: The network has paid the NCAA $500 million for the multimedia rights to 24 NCAA championships through the 2023-2024 season.
Mark Bedics, the NCAA’s media coordinator for the men’s Division I hockey championships, explained that Sunday night games attract more TV viewers than Sunday afternoon.
Bertagna and Whitehead said another reason behind the low attendance was ticket prices.
It cost $85 to watch all three games in the Northeast Regional while a one-day ticket cost $47.50.
“Money is still tight,” said Bertagna.
The commissioner used the plight of some loyal University of Maine fans as an example.
They dished out money to attend the Black Bears’ Frozen Fenway game against New Hampshire on Jan. 7, bought tickets for Maine’s three home Hockey East quarterfinal games against Merrimack, more tickets for the Hockey East semifinals and final at the TD Garden in Boston, and then there was the Northeast Regional.
“Gas is close to $4 a gallon,” said Bertagna.
“And then there’s food and hotel rooms,” added Whitehead.
Whitehead also noted that the team’s 5-2 loss to Minnesota-Duluth was purchased by WABI-TV of Bangor and aired on The CW, which made it easy for fans to stay home and watch it rather than spend the money to go to Worcester.
“They need to lower the ticket prices and to realize that if they are going to allow local [TV] carriers to [purchase and] show the game, that’s going to hurt attendance,” said Whitehead.
ESPNU broadcast the games and that station is carried in 73 million homes as compared with the 100.5 million homes that have ESPN and ESPN2.
One Frozen Four semifinal will be carried on ESPNU and the other on ESPN2. ESPN2 will carry the championship game instead of ESPN.
None of the regionals did well attendancewise.
The two days’ attendance at the Northeast Regional averaged out to 5,197 fans per day and that represents 42.5 percent of capacity.
The West Regional in St. Paul averaged 10,180 per day, 56.4 percent of capacity (18,064), the Bridgeport Regional attracted an average of 5,209 for 61.9 percent capacity (8,412), and the worst regional was in Green Bay with an average of 3,286 for 37.7 percent of capacity (8,709).
The University of Wisconsin failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament which was the primary reason for the attendance woes in Green Bay.
Bedics said the NCAA Hockey Tournament format is discussed every year at the American Hockey Coaches Association meetings in Naples, Fla., in April. The Men’s Division I Ice Hockey Committee will discuss it at its meeting in June.
There won’t be any format change for next season because the four four-team regional sites already have been set: Manchester, N.H.; Providence, R.I.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; and, for the first time, in the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio, which was built in 2009. The Frozen Four will be held for the first time in Pittsburgh.
Regional sites haven’t been awarded for the 2013-2014 season yet but the Frozen Four will be held in Philadelphia, also for the first time.
Other regional formats have been discussed including a best-of-three series in the first round at the home rinks of the top eight seeded teams followed by two four-team regionals which each will produce two winners for the Frozen Four.
There also has been discussion of two eight-team Super Regionals which each will produce two Frozen Four teams.
Whitehead prefers the current format.
“It just needs to be tweaked,” he said.
“The best-of-three format [for the first round] gives the home team too big of an advantage,” said Whitehead. “The Super Regionals would be a logistical nightmare. You’d need eight locker rooms and how would you divide up the tickets among so many teams [and sets of fans]?”
Bedics said changing the format would require a consensus among the coaches and athletic directors and there doesn’t seem to be a consensus at this time to change it.
Whitehead led the Black Bears to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006-2007, but don’t look for the university to pocket any money for its accomplishment.
“The NCAA covers our expenses: our travel, food and lodging,” said Maine athletic director Steve Abbott. “We don’t make any money off it.”
The NCAA and the D-1 Conferences have to assert some influence on the Live gate ticket cost. In a venue like Worcester half the building should be available at $10 bucks for those hocket fans that are within an hour of that place. It would fill the building and create an exciting atmosphere for the players. The NCAA and HE has been blinded by the big bucks of ESPN.
I agree… ridiculous ticket prices…totally ridiculous. “Pete and Larry” obviously didn’t have to pay to get in.
It’s too bad the city of Bangor decided not to put ice in the new arena and increase seating capacity beyond the current Bangor Auditorium’s capacity of 5,948. Otherwise, Bangor could be in the hunt to host a regional.
ryanrrobbins, what planet are you from?
From the Dec. 21, 2009, Sink Combs Dethlefs “Marketing and Facility Sizing Arena and Meeting Complex” final report: “According to U of M hockey and athletics representatives, it is perhaps more likely for a new arena in Bangor to be selected to host a regional round of the NCAA hockey tournament. In recent and upcoming years (through 2011), Eastern and Northeastern sites include Worcester, Manchester, Providence, Bridgeport, Albany, and Rochester. Host facilities are required to have at least 5,000 seats, with 7,000 being preferable, and the ability to host four teams simultaneously in separate locker rooms. Based on discussions with U of M representatives, the NCAA prefers not to use oncampus arenas and as a rule, places the host university at its partner facility. As a result, should the U of M and a Bangor arena be selected as a regional host, the Black Bears would automatically play in Bangor (assuming they qualify for the tournament).”Maine draws extremely well when it goes to regionals. And if I remember correctly, the regionals don’t generally sell out at the large arenas, such as the one in Worcester. Boston College was there, and fewer than 6,000 bothered to watch the Eagles vie for a spot in the Frozen Four. That would never happen to Maine.
It’s a good thing it didn’t sell out – we’d still be waiting in line for the men’s room.
The Maine game would without a doubt sell well; the other 3 games? Not a chance. Eight months ago UMAINE could not even sell out Alfond for a game. Add to that reality the lack of hotel rooms and airport flights for teams….well, as I said: never happen. Bangor is at the end of the earth when it comes to college sports. You are reading from a ‘fluff’ promo package that was used to push for construction of the city’s new high school basketball arena…..I now know what planet you are from..Bangor…. LOL
Apparently McHomey is trolling mbr.org for stories ala Warner. What is your username on mbr, Larry? :) :)
Go away.
Yes, you and robbins need to take a hike.
how would chris howat look in the black and blue? that would boost attendance, i’ll wager! (can we start a petition?)
Who is Chris Howat and who wears Black and Blue, assume u mean Blue & White?
If Chris goes to a D1 school it will be in Boston. His dream is to play at Conti Forum in maroon and gold….who can blame him?