DCU Defends NCAA Hockey Attendance and the Future of Hockey in Worcester
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Sandra Dunn of the DCU Center
“Attendance at 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Northeast Regional in Worcester was actually a great success. In fact, it was the highest attended regional among the four cities that hosted the event this year: Worcester, Albany, St. Paul and Cincinnati,” said Dunn, General Manager for SMG.
For Finals - 62% of Seats Were Empty
Worcester’s attendance for the two games on Friday was 6,682 — just over half the seats were filled. For the regional final, despite regional favorite and national power Boston College playing, the attendance dropped from Friday to just 4,572 — 62 percent of the seats were unsold.
“This was the 14th regional held at the DCU Center. Worcester is held in high esteem with the NCAA including a variety of records like “Most Hockey Tournament Games by any Arena (2012)”, “Most Regional Games by any Arena (45)” and “Largest Crowd for a Session (1999)”. In fact, we hold 4 of the top 5 most attended Regionals in NCAA history,” said Dunn.
After GoLocalWorcester published a feature on Monday about the lack of ticket sales, numerous Worcester area residents chimed in on social media. They identified the lack of marketing, ticket prices and failure to create a greater hockey experience.
The attendance at DCU for a high profile event like the NCAA Regional Finals raises more concerns about the ability of the DCU to sustain a pro-minor league hockey team.
In the past few years, Worcester’s DCU has lost two minor league hockey teams.Worcester is being presented with a new team. In February, the ECHL announced they were awarding a team to Worcester. The ECHL is a level of hockey significantly lower than the IceCats and Sharks that played in the AHL. The league is double AA hockey and unlike the AHL which shuffles players between their rosters NHL rosters all season, the ECHL is comprised of affiliated teams and independent teams alike.
Dunn Says Worcester Can Support Another Team
“As to the past and future of hockey in Worcester, the overall story is one of triumph and hope. Central Massachusetts has been fortunate to have two successful AHL teams who, combined, played a total of 20 seasons at the DCU Center,” said Dunn. “Their reasons for leaving were different, though neither was due to under-performance of the market or poor attendance. Furthermore, in addition to hosting over a million fans over the course of 9 seasons, The Worcester Sharks raised money for local charities and established many strong community partnerships. Again, the model for success is not always about quantity, but a balance of quality, demand and relationships.”
“The team has already made several steps toward achieving their benchmarks with commitments toward season tickets and corporate partnerships and it is still 22 months until the first puck will be dropped. With a significant financial investment in Worcester, a love for the sport and a desire to entertain and engage fans, Worcester Pro Hockey HC has a very bright future in Worcester and throughout Central Massachusetts,” said Dunn.
Efforts to see the agreement between the business relationship between the new hockey club and SMG have been blocked by Dunn. She has refused to disclose ownership, rent payments and other financial issues between the expansion team and SMG.
Related Slideshow: A History of Hockey in Worcester
1954-55
1955-56
1978
1994
2005
2006-07
2009-10
2012
Jan. 29, 2015
April, 25 2015
May 1, 2015
February 6-7, 2016
February 8, 2016
Related Articles
- The Greatest Massachusetts Olympic Hockey Players
- AHL Game Erupts Into Classic Hockey Brawl In Final Minute Sunday
- NCAA Ice Hockey Regionals set
- Worcester Pro Hockey to Reveal Team Name & Logo at Sunday’s Fan Fest
- Pro Hockey Could be on it’s Way Back to Worcester
- Worcester Hockey Rink Proposal Blasted by Canal District Leader
- Shrewsbury Youth Hockey to Host 1st Annual Pond Hockey Tournament
- Gronkowski Spikes Hockey Puck Prior to Bruins Game
- Will Worcester Give Its Heart to Yet Another Hockey Team
- A History of Hockey in Worcester
- Providence, Boston College Hockey Among 4 Teams Playing at DCU Center
- Boston College, Minnesota-Duluth Advance in NCAA Hockey Regional
- Empty Seats Plague NCAA Hockey in Worcester
- Pro Hockey is Returning to Worcester in 2017
- Burncoat’s O’Connor Named MA High School Hockey All-Star
- Nichols College Men’s Hockey Raises Over $4,400 for Movember Foundation
- Catch the NCAA Division I Hockey Northeast Game With Your WOO Card
- Former Friar new hockey coach at Holy Cross
- DCU Center Selected to Host 2016 NCAA Hockey Northeast Regionals
- Bob Lobel: Spring Hockey Fever
- Report: Providence, Not Worcester, A Top 10 Hockey City
- Central Mass Hockey Enjoys Home Ice in Bay State Games
- Central Mass Hockey Goes for Bay State Bronze
- Bob Lobel: Hockey Parents Belong in the Penalty Box
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It