Maine, New Hampshire Hockey In Talks To Play At Fenway Park
by Brian Favat on May 12, 2011 4:30 PM EDT
in Boston College Hockey
Email
PrintAccording to a report in the Bangor Daily News, the University of Maine and New Hampshire are in talks to play an outdoor college hockey game at Fenway Park. Hockey East Commissioner Joe Bertagna said the league has been in negotiations with the Sox about hosting another set of outdoor hockey games at America's Most Beloved Ballpark.
The league's negotiations with the Sox are still in the very preliminary stages and nothing has been decided, though Bertagna added that we are unlikely to see a repeat of the 2010 BC-BU Frozen Fenway event:
"We had such a good feeling after the first one. We got a good bump out of it. The kids had a great experience."
He said if it does become a reality, "it won't include the same schools. We want to spread the wealth."
While I can appreciate the "spread the wealth" gesture, I'm wondering whether a UNH-Maine hockey game would sell out like the 2010 event between BC and BU. Bertagna added that the BC-BU game did generate a profit (which was divided up among all Hockey East programs), but that it wasn't a large amount. And if the game wasn't a sellout, would the league take a financial hit to stage the event?
If you want to spread the wealth, that's cool, but shouldn't an outdoor game at Fenway Park include one of the three Boston teams? How about Northeastern? Heck, even UMass-Amherst? Would you attend this event if the two men's programs were UNH and Maine? Your thoughts?
(Do I sound a little bitter? Sure. But forgive me if I don't like the idea of two of BC's Hockey East rivals taking center stage in our own backyard.)
13 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Spreading the wealth
I guess then the best way to ‘spread the wealth’ and prevent this from looking like a baseball beanpot game in terms of attendance is to have the second half of the double header be NU-UMass.
Between Maine’s fans (who travel well), and NU’s fans (who can walk to the ball park), this should be a pretty good ticket.
Boooo!
I agree with Brian here…if Maine and UNH want to have an outdoor hockey game, then they can play somewhere in New Hampshire or Maine, not Boston. An outdoor college hockey game at Fenway has to have a Boston school in it…
It would be a damn shame if they lay the ice down on Fenway again
And the Eagles, hell and even the Terriers aren’t playing on it.
A damn shame.
Agreed
However, would be a nice HE tradition if made annual. Assuming it would be structured as a doubleheader, a rotational system would still put York and Co. @ Fenway ~1x/3 years.
by Eagle in Brighton on May 12, 2011 10:44 PM EDT up reply actions
They could just do the double header with BC and BU being the 2nd game
Then other Hockey East teams could participate in the 1st game.
No need for the women to be involved in this as they certainly aren’t generating any revenue.
FWIW
Maine brought the most fans to the HE Tournament Semis/Championship at the TD Garden in 2010. And both BU and BC were there. Maine is pretty much the Clemson of Hockey East in terms of their fan support.
Both UNH and Maine are loved by their respected states and are considered their “teams” (unlike BC and BU in Mass) and hillbillies will likely flock down from all over to attend. It might not sell out but I think it would do a lot better than most people would think. Both teams would be a much better draw than UMass or NU and would definitely bring more fans than either of those teams.
“Maine is pretty much the Clemson of Hockey East in terms of their fan support.”
So you mean Maine fans have unrealistic expectations every year? Think they are going to win the National Championship every August?
BC Interruption, SBN's Boston College Eagles blog
by Brian Favat on May 15, 2011 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions
This is also true
There were a lot of “Maine is BACK” stories this year, especially after they walloped North Dakota back in October. We see where that got them. Probably more comparable to FSU/Notre Dame/Miami actually – program that used to be good and everyone thinks is “back,” but isn’t back.
Also
Maine-UNH is one of the most underrated rivalries in college hockey. It’s not at the level of BC-BU and probably not at the level of Mich-MSU or Minn-UND/Wisc, but it’s up there as one of the tops in the country (probably top 5) and definitely #2 in Hockey East. It doesn’t really bother me if they gave these two teams a chance because at least they did the BC-BU game first.
What’s wrong with the Portland Pirates’ Hadlock Field then?
BC Interruption, SBN's Boston College Eagles blog
by Brian Favat on May 15, 2011 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Size
It probably fits as many people as Alfond Arena or the Whittemore Center…haha. Fenway is the biggest outdoor venue other than Gillette Stadium (or Alumni Stadium, imagine if they played an outdoor game there?) that’s somewhat near either of these schools.
Also, the Fenway Sports Group and the Red Sox are all for making the Red Sox not just Boston’s team but “New England’s” team (see all of their promotional things they have, such as “Maine Day” or “New Hampshire Day”) and what better way to give Fenway a more inclusive of all of New England feel than by hosting a game between New England’s two biggest programs that aren’t located Boston?
I’m all for letting the hillbillies have their moment in the sun. Especially since it’s been quite a while for Maine (and never for UNH). I can share the spotlight every once in a while. Besides, they can get all the attention of having their outdoor game while we get all of the attention of winning a couple of games in Tampa in April :)
Maine and UNH can have Fenway. Let’s go play a doubleheader against the Penn State club team right before the 2012 Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park.
BC Interruption, SBN's Boston College Eagles blog
by Brian Favat on May 15, 2011 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Overrated
I was at the fenway Winter Classic. It was basically impossible to see from anywhere. So have fun freezing your pucks off while your players develop frostbite and pneumonia.
Go mack!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on BC Interruption
Related FanShots on BC Interruption
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
