Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

I've never really paid close attention to season ticket info since I live in Denver, but I saw some details posted along with the intra-squad game info. Didn't think I would ever see $20/game to watch Tech hockey. I always used to shake my head when I stepped up to the ticket window at other schools wondering if an NHL game was going to be played that evening as well for the prices they were charging. It appears the schools is really banking on Tech hosting playoff games since they are charging $204 for an 8-game package + playoffs. If Tech misses the playoffs, you paid $25+ per game for $20 seats. Assuming the best case scenario of 8+3 playoffs, that's $18.50 per game for $20 seats. Other than having the same seat all the time not much incentive to buy in bulk. I'm assuming everyone has to pay for WCHA semi and finals tickets because the league needs to get paid their cut for those games.

I guess they are also assuming season tickets will be less than 50% of the rink capacity because they are promising playoff tickets to all STHs, even the ones that purchased Friday or Saturday only packages.

I do applaud Tech for making the same seat half price for a child ($10) to keep it a family friendly event from a cost stand point. Not that $60 for a family of four is chump change, but much better than $80. Especially because Tech needs the same people to attend more than once a year to keep attendance up. There are not enough people in the area to fill the rink with new people every game. You need a core group of about 2000 that will show up for every game and then another 1000 that vary from game to game and come a couple times a year.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

If you're complaining about $25 tickets in 2018, then you don't understand the economics of running a competitive program. I know it's a struggle to survive for a lot of people in the Copper Country, but if you want a winning program, then you need to expect to pay for your share of it.

There are fans of schools in NCAA hockey that would love to go back to the days of $20-25 tickets.

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

The thing you always wonder with a small town market: If tickets were 25% less, would you draw 25% more fans and make the same money with a higher attendance number, or just draw the same number and make 25% less at the gate. I always thought there was a better chance to make more money with more people in the building (concessions, parking, etc) but I don't think $20 is crazy for college hockey considering D-II football is at $12 and bouncyball is at $14.
Ryan

[Scrum Bucket]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

Since I live in AK, I got season tickets this year for the Seawolves. They have a "family pack" that is $300, but it gets two adults and an unlimited number of kids in to each home hockey game. I think that's a great deal because I can take kids from my kids hockey team with us. I think it's a win,win because the Seawolves games are not well attended and this puts butts in the seats. I'd pay $25/game to watch Tech play all day, every day.

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...



Sorry just a number today because I'm on the road. You'll have to add your own story about David and his history with the Huskies.
Ryan J

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

The thing you always wonder with a small town market: If tickets were 25% less, would you draw 25% more fans and make the same money with a higher attendance number, or just draw the same number and make 25% less at the gate. I always thought there was a better chance to make more money with more people in the building (concessions, parking, etc) but I don't think $20 is crazy for college hockey considering D-II football is at $12 and bouncyball is at $14.
Ryan

Our attendance is great...you forget how many seats the arena has vs "capacity"

[MTUHuskies]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

Our attendance is great...you forget how many seats the arena has vs "capacity"

One item I think is telling is the attendance as percentages of the enrollment and area population. I think Tech does very well in that aspect. It's been a few years since I looked deep into it, but I believe they are at the top of the WCHA and very close to the top of NCAA.

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[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

I agree. The latest Google projections for Houghton/Hancock population is around 12,500 combined. Houghton & Keewenaw counties combined is just over 38,000. So let's say there are 33,000 people within a 30 minute drive of the rink when you include students. Tech averaged over 3,300 last year. That's roughly 10% of the population base showing up for every game. To put that in perspective, the following teams don't have an average attendance above 5,000 with WAY higher populations to draw from: BC, Notre Dame, CC, SCSU, BU, Northeastern, Harvard and the list of "top" programs who can't even draw 5000 fans a game goes on.

I question if Tech actually has 3000+ bodies in the building per game, but I'm sure the numbers are skewed a bit at every rink. Well except for Sacred Heart. I'll say there is a good chance their average attendance of 363 fans per game, is accurate. One example I've sited many times being a resident of Denver is DU's fan support. If DU could even get 5% of the local population to show up for their games, they would average well over 50,000 per game. Last years they averaged 5,664 in a metro area of over a million people.

In short, Tech's support is amazing considering where they are located and their population base. The only program that is heads and tails better is UND, pulling in 11,000+ fans per game on average. (The population of Grand Forks County is just under 71,000.)

Ryan J

[davyd83]

I agree. The latest Google projections for Houghton/Hancock population is around 12,500 combined. Houghton & Keewenaw counties combined is just over 38,000. So let's say there are 33,000 people within a 30 minute drive of the rink when you include students. Tech averaged over 3,300 last year. That's roughly 10% of the population base showing up for every game. To put that in perspective, the following teams don't have an average attendance above 5,000 with WAY higher populations to draw from: BC, Notre Dame, CC, SCSU, BU, Northeastern, Harvard and the list of "top" programs who can't even draw 5000 fans a game goes on.

I question if Tech actually has 3000+ bodies in the building per game, but I'm sure the numbers are skewed a bit at every rink. Well except for Sacred Heart. I'll say there is a good chance their average attendance of 363 fans per game, is accurate. One example I've sited many times being a resident of Denver is DU's fan support. If DU could even get 5% of the local population to show up for their games, they would average well over 50,000 per game. Last years they averaged 5,664 in a metro area of over a million people.

In short, Tech's support is amazing considering where they are located and their population base. The only program that is heads and tails better is UND, pulling in 11,000+ fans per game on average. (The population of Grand Forks County is just under 71,000.)

Ryan J

The market share for Tech is even more impressive when you consider the economics of the market. Even back in the pre-Mel era when the team was drawing 2200, that was still a good number for an area like the Copper Country. Terrific support.

[davyd83]

I agree. The latest Google projections for Houghton/Hancock population is around 12,500 combined. Houghton & Keewenaw counties combined is just over 38,000. So let's say there are 33,000 people within a 30 minute drive of the rink when you include students. Tech averaged over 3,300 last year. That's roughly 10% of the population base showing up for every game. To put that in perspective, the following teams don't have an average attendance above 5,000 with WAY higher populations to draw from: BC, Notre Dame, CC, SCSU, BU, Northeastern, Harvard and the list of "top" programs who can't even draw 5000 fans a game goes on.

I question if Tech actually has 3000+ bodies in the building per game, but I'm sure the numbers are skewed a bit at every rink. Well except for Sacred Heart. I'll say there is a good chance their average attendance of 363 fans per game, is accurate. One example I've sited many times being a resident of Denver is DU's fan support. If DU could even get 5% of the local population to show up for their games, they would average well over 50,000 per game. Last years they averaged 5,664 in a metro area of over a million people.

In short, Tech's support is amazing considering where they are located and their population base. The only program that is heads and tails better is UND, pulling in 11,000+ fans per game on average. (The population of Grand Forks County is just under 71,000.)

Ryan J

The market share for Tech is even more impressive when you consider the economics of the market. Even back in the pre-Mel era when the team was drawing 2200, that was still a good number for an area like the Copper Country. Terrific support.

[joecct]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

I believe it will cost you $15 / seat at Clarkson.

[John J. MacInnes]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

The official launch of the Joe Shawhan Hour for the season will be on Monday morning at 9am on Mix93 WKMJ.

[MTUHuskies]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

The official launch of the Joe Shawhan Hour for the season will be on Monday morning at 9am on Mix93 WKMJ.

Nice! Looking forward to the season.

Gotta get those Packy questions sent into dj@themix93.com



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[Wi.Huskies Fan]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...

I agree. The latest Google projections for Houghton/Hancock population is around 12,500 combined. Houghton & Keewenaw counties combined is just over 38,000. So let's say there are 33,000 people within a 30 minute drive of the rink when you include students. Tech averaged over 3,300 last year. That's roughly 10% of the population base showing up for every game. To put that in perspective, the following teams don't have an average attendance above 5,000 with WAY higher populations to draw from: BC, Notre Dame, CC, SCSU, BU, Northeastern, Harvard and the list of "top" programs who can't even draw 5000 fans a game goes on.

I question if Tech actually has 3000+ bodies in the building per game, but I'm sure the numbers are skewed a bit at every rink. Well except for Sacred Heart. I'll say there is a good chance their average attendance of 363 fans per game, is accurate. One example I've sited many times being a resident of Denver is DU's fan support. If DU could even get 5% of the local population to show up for their games, they would average well over 50,000 per game. Last years they averaged 5,664 in a metro area of over a million people.

In short, Tech's support is amazing considering where they are located and their population base. The only program that is heads and tails better is UND, pulling in 11,000+ fans per game on average. (The population of Grand Forks County is just under 71,000.)

Ryan J

I would think Tech attendance at games is based on how many tickets are sold for the game; not by how many tickets scanned at the door.

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: Michigan Tech 2018 Off-season - The Next Step is Just Inches Away...



No pretty black background today because this is actually one of the few jerseys I let out of my collection, many years ago. The short version of the story is the a friend of Frank Loconsole, who wore this jersey for Tech in the mid-80s, was looking for one of his jerseys to give him as a gift. As luck would have it, the person had another jersey of this exact style and we just swapped numbers and I ended up with the #6 jersey from this set in return.

About the jersey... This Cooper Polyzorbs jersey is from an era of fashion forward thinking in the NHL which trickled down to the minors and college hockey. Known as the "Cooperall" era, when form fitting jerseys were worn with padded PANTS made by Cooper rather than the knee length breezers that preceded and followed this short span of hockey history. Tech wore these jerseys when they played in the CCHA (circa 1982-84) and for a time they also featured a patch honoring the legendary Huskies coach John MacInnes.