Daily Campus Article About Students Getting into New Rink

[UCONNJACK]

This Daily Campus article popped on a North Carolina news website.

UConn students struggle to get tickets at new ice rink

 

[ct06111]

Built it too dang small.
With the pep band and deck taking up room, you have maybe room for 400-500 students a game. (???)

If you want that atmosphere that you boasted about last thrus, then you need more seats period.
The 400-500 are probably going to be the same 400-500 and are going to claim them early and often and will kill any new students that want to get into the sport.

2600 capacity
600 allotted to students (my guess)
Probably 1500+ or so Season ticket holders (my guess)

That leaves 500 or so. Friends and family and other donated tickets leaves little no market for ANY remaining whether it be for additional student or regular fans.

They think demand will drop after the new car smell, but wrong mentality if you want to create ticket demand and eventually increase prices.

 

[The Viking]

Do they have a way for Season ticket holders to give their tix to students if they can’t attend? Saturday was maybe 10-20% empty.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

It's unfortunate I donated to a building I may never get to see from the inside, except on a tour. As the BY said all along, too small.

 

[CL82]

Do they have a way for Season ticket holders to give their tix to students if they can’t attend? Saturday was maybe 10-20% empty.

This. I would love for some dedicated methodology to do this at Gampel and the XL, and the Rent as well. It’s probably only practical to do it for sellouts, so that you don’t depress sales, but why not let the ticket lottery create a standby list for kids who didn’t make the cut. Have the students pay whatever they normally pay for them.

 

[CL82]

Built it too dang small.
With the pep band and deck taking up room, you have maybe room for 400-500 students a game. (???)
They think demand will drop after the new car smell, but wrong mentality if you want to create ticket demand and eventually increase prices.

I’m not sure they do think that. I think they got screwed over by the fact that you pay a labor premium for state projects. Within the $70 million budget choices had to be made. More seats or more amenities for the players.

They went with the latter and now are going to utilize the fact that the barn is selling out to justify expansion. From what I can see from pictures there are a lot of opportunities to add seats to get it up to a more reasonable size. Start with the dumb student standing deck, which really looks like an afterthought and a temporary structure anyway.

 

[UCONNJACK]

I’m not sure they do think that. I think they got screwed over by the fact that you pay a labor premium for state projects. Within the $70 million budget choices had to be made. More seats or more amenities for the players.

They went with the latter and now are going to utilize the fact that the barn is selling out to justify expansion. From what I can see from pictures there are a lot of opportunities to add seats to get it up to a more reasonable size. Start with the dumb student standing deck, which really looks like an afterthought and a temporary structure anyway.

According to the February 22, 2023 BOT agenda the rink is 95% completed and approximately $3,157,000.00 under budget. So there appears to funds to make additional improvements and upgrades.

 

[CL82]

According to the February 22, 2023 BOT agenda the rink is 95% completed and approximately $3,157,000.00 under budget. So there appears to funds to make additional improvements and upgrades.

I didn’t know that. Outstanding!

I don’t know how much of that is going to be “payment on completion” though.

 

[ableton04]

I can't imagine why they need the ice-level lounge (where you can't see a whole lot anyway) when they've got the club upstairs, so eliminating that and filling it in with seats seems like a no-brainer to me if/when they want to expand.

 

[The Viking]

It does seem redundant. If you want to sit near the ice we will put seats there so problem solved. If you want to be waited on we have the bar upstairs so go up there where you get a better view anyway.

 

[DblCrossbar]

Built it too dang small.
With the pep band and deck taking up room, you have maybe room for 400-500 students a game. (???)

That leaves 500 or so. Friends and family and other donated tickets leaves little no market for ANY remaining whether it be for additional student or regular fans.

They think demand will drop after the new car smell, but wrong mentality if you want to create ticket demand and eventually increase prices.

If expansion doesn't occur, this is a reason why 6 should be the minimum, not the maximum number of games that should be played at the XL. It's not a coincidence that the WolfPack achieved higher than normal attendance after the UConn played LIU at the XL on Dec 31st. Fans have migrated to another local hockey option, and perhaps one they don't prefer, but if they're locked out their hand has essentially been forced.

 

[mac2351]

After the UNH game Cavanaugh said it is a sport meant to be played on campus. He has repeated that thought more than once in press conferences.

 

[DblCrossbar]

It does seem redundant. If you want to sit near the ice we will put seats there so problem solved. If you want to be waited on we have the bar upstairs so go up there where you get a better view anyway.

The fans that are at the equivalent table seated lounge at ice level at the XL are actually into the game. Unfortunately the fans at the lounge at Tuscano require security to invoke a mirror fog test to see if anyone there is actually breathing.

I know there are a lot of Season ticket holders fans at Tuscano, but it really does appear as though many fans don't know what to do or are seeing hockey for the first time, like it's a brand new crowd that has been attending. Again if the fans step up Tuscano, or all its flaws can potentially be a fun place, but what's it going to take to get a stronger home crowd vibe going there? We can try "the Wave" but the ice lounge may screw it up for us again .

 

[DblCrossbar]

After the UNH game Cavanaugh said it is a sport meant to be played on campus. He has repeated that thought more than once in press conferences.

While I understand that sentiment, for one students and fans need to step up to create whatever experience and atmosphere Cawlidge Hawkey should be. And access to general public fans needs to increase. We're not there yet.

The other view is that the XL is an integral part of the UConn experience, and one that could actually prove to be a unique advantage with player amenities that are now present at Tuscano. Some players might actually dig the dual faceted playing option, especially one that hosts an AHL team, and former NHL team. Playing exclusively at the XL was not the answer, but neither is playing fewer than 6 when we take in the tiny size of Tuscano.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Personally, I think the split should be 4 games at the XL and the remainder on campus. Of the remaining games on campus, have 4 of the games “students only”. I would think everyone could be happy with that split. I really like the concept of student only games. That’s what college hockey is all about.

 

[Classof87]

The bar/lounge behind the goal is a complete waste of space. They should put another set of student seating there. They could put bleachers behind the student section to get another 500-600 students in, but it would block the huge UConn Hockey signage on the wall, so that probably won’t happen.

This should have been a 3,500 seat arena, but Connecticut always thinks small when it comes to spending money. Remember when they built Gampel, it was originally an 8,000 seat facility. They added in the corner sections after the fact.

I’m a Season ticket holders for hockey, and I think the new barn is tremendous (but small). I would like there to be at least 1,000 seats for students, and I actually like the idea of a few games there being students only, like the Alaska game was.

Go Huskies!

 

[JeannoCT]

I’ve been a season ticket holder since the move to Hockey East. At the XL center, I got to know some of the people around me or at least recognized them at every game. At Toscano, I have not sat next to the same people yet. Not sure why, but I’m guessing some fans bought season tickets but are not real hockey fans. They are just selling them. That’s their right but it contributes to what I feel is a too quiet atmosphere.
And yes, Go Huskies!

 

[DblCrossbar]

I’ve been a season ticket holder since the move to Hockey East. At the XL center, I got to know some of the people around me or at least recognized them at every game. At Toscano, I have not sat next to the same people yet. Not sure why, but I’m guessing some fans bought season tickets but are not real hockey fans. They are just selling them. That’s their right but it contributes to what I feel is a too quiet atmosphere.
And yes, Go Huskies!