2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

[Montezuma]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

I'm gonna borrow this stat for Twitter if that's okay.

These are great stats. I get the overall point and it is a good one. However, one correction needs to be made. UMD actually played in 3 Frozen Fours in the earlier period (or the equivalency as not sure when they started calling it Frozen Four). They played in back to back Frozen Fours in the mid-80's and the one in 2004 in Boston where they lost a 3-1 lead going into the third period against Denver.

[NorthMike]

I honestly didn’t have a problem with Buffalo. We had a great time. Hell, I couldn’t even drink this week and I still had fun. (Thankfully my self-imposes exile ends today and when I get home my GF and I can enjoy a glass from of one of the bottles of wine I picked up.)

We’re planning a return trip outside of college hockey. The vineyards just inside Canada would make for a fantastic trip. The wines I got a tiny sip of were all tremendous. We didn’t get to do much of the falls since it was iced over. A return trip would definitely include that.

I thought the wings were a massive letdown. But then again, I live five minutes away from D-spot so it’s going to be an uphill battle. The best we got wdere actually in Toronto so 🤷*♂️

Agree, we had a great time in Buffalo.
Good food and nice folks. Had a really good beef on weck in williamsville and great wings at Gabriels Gate.
The rink is nice, just a little empty though.

[ecachawkeyfan]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

Some of the people involved in putting this year's Frozen Four together chime in on ticket prices, etc: https://bit.ly/2GeEu5F (Buffalo News)

[Slap Shot]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

That was a interesting post; nice job. Where did you dig that up?

Yeah, maybe I listened to Bucci and Melrose harp-upon the 23+ guys on UMD, but they probably don't have that right , either.

One thing I've noticed while watching D-3 for 19 years is that the 24 YO's often comprise the 1st and 2nd lines, and get much more TOI than the young guys. That might skew the average-age data in a meaningful way, or it might not.

Still, is any other NCAA sport this old, overall?

The data came from CHN.com.

I doubt there is another sport in the NCAA in which the players are this old.

[CanalPark]

The data came from CHN.com.

I doubt there is another sport in the NCAA in which the players are this old.

All of the talk about older guys seemed like recycled news, especially now that Sandelin has been taking so many guys one year out of high school some with just a single season in juniors.

[Sean Pickett]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

Some of the people involved in putting this year's Frozen Four together chime in on ticket prices, etc: https://bit.ly/2GeEu5F (Buffalo News)

I have been tracking Frozen Four ticket prices going back to the seventies (with a lot of gaps) and for every year since 1990, except for last year, which I overlooked (If anyone has those prices please send them to me so I can up date my spreadsheet). Corrections and additions of other tiered prices I may have missed are welcome, Since 1990 the top 'regular' all-season pass has increased 500%, while overall the U.S. inflation rate was 94.49% (rate from https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inf.../1990?amount=1).

I passed on buying tickets in 2010 as I refused to watch in a football field and again in 2017 and 2018 due to the rising ticket prices and the estimated travel costs. I went to Buffalo because my family wanted to go to Canada to see Niagara Falls and Toronto (which we enjoyed very much). We will likely miss Detroit and Pittsburgh is still up in the air, but we plan to attend Boston as it involves no travel costs.

Sean

[ThePowerConference]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

These are great stats. I get the overall point and it is a good one. However, one correction needs to be made. UMD actually played in 3 Frozen Fours in the earlier period (or the equivalency as not sure when they started calling it Frozen Four). They played in back to back Frozen Fours in the mid-80's and the one in 2004 in Boston where they lost a 3-1 lead going into the third period against Denver.

I knew someone would find a mistake in there somewhere.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

The tickets haven't moved because the local perception is they're overpriced, for the casual hockey fan who has no rooting interest. And this is in a town that loves its hockey, has been bereft of anything to root for by a poorly managed Sabres organization, and with a lot more fans nearby in Canada. A few years ago Buffalo hosted the World Juniors and a lot of it didn't sell out because the perception was, again, that they were overpriced.

This matches the long-term national perception, for both the regionals & the FF. I do have to say that there's never been a larger gap between the face value and the street value of the tickets. But for the most part, this wasn't Buffalo's fault. The NCAA acts like the demand for FF tickets is inelastic. It isn't.

Traffic tonight - it will back up for a bit along the 190, and it might be slow around the arena and downtown, but nothing major.

That's consistent with our experience. And upon arrival, we got $15 parking in a nearby surface lot. Traffic & Parking were non-issues.

Stuff to do around here:

As others said, if you're into art, there's the Albright Knox gallery (modern art) up Elmwood by the 198. Across the street is the Burchfield Penney gallery. The Darwin Martin House on Jewett Parkway near the zoo is a popular tourist site. Niagara Falls, of course, and there are a couple casinos in the area if that's what you're into.
Like any city these days, we have our share of breweries. There's Big Ditch downtown, Resurgence up Niagara Street, 42 North down in East Aurora (a bit of a drive), New York Beer Project up towards Lockport (another bit of a drive), Hamburg Brewing south of the city. Belt Line Brewing Company near the Larkin District just opened. Community Beer Works on the West Side. These tend to close earlier, at 11 or 12.
Buffalo is proud of its food - do this weekend right and you may drive home 10 pounds heavier. Wings are found both at bars and at pizzerias. The best are when they come right out of the fryer to your table. I've never been to Anchor Bar - it's usually for tourists. Duff's is a standard place, they have several locations but the original is in Amherst at Sheridan and Millersport. Bar Bill is a big deal down in East Aurora. Other local favorites are Nine Eleven Tavern in South Buffalo and Gabriel's Gate in Allentown.
Buffalo style pizza is somewhere between Chicago deep dish and NY thin slice. The usual best are LaNova's on the West Side, Bocce Club on Bailey Ave in Amherst, and Imperial Pizza on Abbott in South Buffalo (a Bocce clone). Santora's is pretty good too, they have one by UB North Campus and another huge operation out on Transit in East Amherst (it's yuppie heaven).
It's Lent here, which means fish fry season, so on Friday you'll find lots of that going on. Either at restaurants or as fund raisers at churches and fire halls.
Unfortunately you're going to miss Dyngus Day by a week.
Dinosaur BBQ of Syracuse opened a location downtown a few years ago, very good food.
For nightlife - there's some downtown, mostly around Chippewa Street, but that's for bachelorette parties and meat-heads. The meat-head crowd has also moved onto Allen Street, but if you're out late (bars here can stay open till 4 am, though most probably close earlier), end your night at "The Old Pink" on Allen near Elmwood. It's a 'dive of dives', and doesn't get going till after 1. Elmwood - it's kinda spread out, from Allen north to Forty Thieves, Thin Man, Thirsty Buffalo, up to Cole's (an old Buffalo favorite, good for wings and beef-on-weck too) and Mr Goodbar. Essex St Pub on the west side is pretty chill. Hamburg and East Aurora have some walkable areas, so does Williamsville (Moor Pat and the Irishman). Hertel Ave in North Buffalo has been revived, that's very walkable and plenty of bars (Mes Que for soccer, Wellington, Sterling). They've built some things around the arena downtown - 716, and the Labatt Draft House - they're part of Pegula's money making operation, it wasn't enough to just get your money in the arena. They're probably still celebrating St Patrick's Day down in South Buffalo, at places like Nine Eleven, Blackthorn, and Doc Sullivan's.
People don't drink much Bud or Miller around here, the basic beers are (Labatt) Blue or Blue Light or Molson.
Lloyd Taco and Deep South Taco, La Divina in Kenmore, for Mexican. Late night food - Mighty Taco or Jim's Steakout. Oh, or Allen Street Poutine - outstanding stuff, by a couple guys from Montreal. Ted's for grilled hot dogs. If you're willing to take a little ride, Grover's in Amherst on Transit for burgers. Red-sauce Italian food - Chef's east of downtown, and Santasiero's on Niagara St at Lafayette. Pick up some Paula's Donuts at some point, the main one is on Sheridan in Tonawanda. Beef-on-weck is roast beef on a kimmelweck roll, some of the best ones are Bar Bill's in East Aurora, Schwabel's in West Seneca, and Kelly's, another dive up Delaware in North Buffalo.
If you're looking to watch Premier League action on Saturday or Sunday morning, head to Mes Que on Hertel. They've been able to show the Beanpot for us the past couple years because the get pretty much every channel.

You can find some more ideas at stepoutbuffalo.com and https://www.buffalospree.com/Buffalo...s-Best-Of-WNY/, also https://buffalonews.com/section/gusto/

Hope you all have a nice visit to our city.

Superb post, lots of great information. We personally benefited from your recommendations of New York Beer Project, Duff's & Paula's.

One unexpected pleasure: The Brooklyn Mozzarella Logs at NYBP. Cheese Sticks on Steroids. Now that's an appetizer!

As you may have gathered, we were based in the Tonawanda/Amherst Area, not far from the University of Buffalo. Outside of the hockey, we made it to both Lockport & Niagara Falls. Fine weekend. Thanks for your contributions.

[zman09]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

Agree, we had a great time in Buffalo.
Good food and nice folks. Had a really good beef on weck in williamsville and great wings at Gabriels Gate.
The rink is nice, just a little empty though.

Glad to see some of you all had a good time. I really think we (as average sports fans) have hit the wall when it comes to ticket prices on amateur sports...or even sports in general. When people want to plan a day or weekend around an event, and have kids in tow we want to have tickets in hand well before the date. So those reports of $50-60 tix available within hours of the game on the secondary market only appeal to a handful of folks who can go at the spur of the moment.
But anyway,, maybe the FF just needs to stay near Minnesota and Massachusetts. They are bound to send one or more teams from those general areas which would keep at least some local interest.

[Slap Shot]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

Not sure we need to (panic?) yet on the Frozen Four. Per this story linked previously: High ticket price was set during bidding for Frozen Four, organizers say

Ten previous host venues had average crowds of at least 17,806 for the Frozen Four, according to NCAA records, and the 13,624 at the Frozen Four national championship game Saturday in Buffalo was the lowest attendance for the title game since 2001.

One ticket for the two semifinal games and the national championship game cost $300 for a seat in the lower bowl, while a seat in the upper bowl cost $210-$215.

According to the NCAA, ticket prices for the 2018 Frozen Four at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minn., were $290 a ticket in the lower level for three games, and $175 per ticket in the upper level.

The local organizing committee that secured the bid to bring the Frozen Four to Buffalo included Pegula Sports and Entertainment and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, of which Canisius is a member.

The cost of tickets was also tied to the bid that the committee submitted to the NCAA in 2016 for Buffalo to serve as host. Potential tickets prices were included in Buffalo's bid to the NCAA in 2016, although the NCAA had to approve final ticket prices based on the recommendation of the local organizing committee, a spokesman said.

“I want to make sure it’s clear,” Maher said. “The ticket pricing is driven by the competitive bid. If our bid was lower, the ticket prices would have been lower, but the likelihood of getting the Frozen Four would have been even lower.”

This Maher guy sounds like a real treat and not sure he's anyone I'd want leading the post-mortem if I had hopes they'd learn anything from the experience. That said it's way too early to judge if Buffalo was a trend or an anomaly.

[walrus655321]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

One ticket for the two semifinal games and the national championship game cost $300 for a seat in the lower bowl, while a seat in the upper bowl cost $210-$215.

According to the NCAA, ticket prices for the 2018 Frozen Four at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minn., were $290 a ticket in the lower level for three games, and $175 per ticket in the upper level.

I still have the confirmation email from my purchase for the 2015 Frozen Four. I bought two All-Session tickets (granted in the upper level, in a corner, probably the lowest price tier) for $331. At $210/ticket that would be $840 for a comparable purchase, only 4 years later, in a smaller market. That's just stupid.

[Montezuma]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

For information purposes, I paid $60 per ticket on Thursday on the street. For the championship game, we paid $45 per ticket on the street. Both days we were in the lower bowl but only watched the first semifinal and the championship games from our ticketed seats in the first period. At the first intermission we moved over to section 102 to be with the majority of the UMD fans.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

I still have the confirmation email from my purchase for the 2015 Frozen Four. I bought two All-Session tickets (granted in the upper level, in a corner, probably the lowest price tier) for $331. At $210/ticket that would be $840 for a comparable purchase, only 4 years later, in a smaller market. That's just stupid.

If I'm understanding Slap Shot correctly, 2 All Session Passes in the Upper Corners would have been $420, not $840. But that's still a pretty healthy increase from $331.

For information purposes, I paid $60 per ticket on Thursday on the street. For the championship game, we paid $45 per ticket on the street. Both days we were in the lower bowl but only watched the first semifinal and the championship games from our ticketed seats in the first period. At the first intermission we moved over to section 102 to be with the majority of the UMD fans.

I spoke with a couple of fans who paid $40 per ticket on Thursday. In Club Level.

Scalpers were offering sellers a dinner choice: Enough cash to buy a sandwich and a small beverage in the arena. Or, you could eat your tickets. Just a matter of taste.

This was a very bad year to be caught with extra tickets.

[dxmnkd316]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

Club level SUUUUUCKED this year. Bathroom lines were horrid.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: 2019 Frozen Four: NCHC vs. Hockey East

Club level SUUUUUCKED this year. Bathroom lines were horrid.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Not doubting your word, but it worked out better for me. At the restrooms closest to Section 214, there was no such issue. Shrug.

Wait times for concessions were a little long. But the Beef-on-Weck & the Perry's Ice Cream were both worth the wait -- IMHO.