(01-05-2016 09:01 AM)BroncoFever Wrote: I just understand why the attendace isn't better. Students do a great job supporting the team, but the other 2/3 of the rink has more empty seats vs fans. Now they don't want to give the students thier usual discount
Bronco hockey should be the hottest ticket in town. Is there another sport at WMU who's home games regular features the top ranked teams in the country? This year, 10 of 15 home dates feature teams ranked in the top 20, with a possible 4 home games vs #1 team (s) in the country:
Oct 13 #10 BG
Oct 20-31 #1 Omaha
Nov 13-14 #9 SCSU
Jan 9 #15 Irish
Jan 29-30 #1 North Dakota
Feb 26-27 #17 DU
Yet attendace for those games so far has ranged between 60-80% of capacity. I don't get it, other than Bronco Hockey is not being marketed very well.
Not trying to create an argument again, or beat a dead horse, but with all due respect, most "Bronco" fans want to see (1) what they consider big name teams, which means MSU, UM, Notre Dame, and (2) a winning team. You and I know that North Dakota, St Cloud, Duluth, Omaha, and Miami are great programs, or teams having good seasons, but except for a few conscientious hockey people, most don't care about those schools any more than they do Ferris, Mich. Tech, or LSSU. They do perk up though if our boys are on extended winning streaks, or at the top of the league standings. Everyone loves a winner.
Marketing can help, but winning games, and being at the top of the league gets folks excited, and keeps interest in the program. Less than that, if for extended periods, saps the energy from a program.
There will always be a certain amount of bronco hockey supporters who show up come hell or high water. Others want wins. If we cant go on decent unbeaten streaks, and compete at the top of the standings, in this conference or any other conference, our hockey program will lose the nice momentum that Blashil started, and will become dormant as a program. Nobody will care how good a conference we play in; only that we are at the bottom of the standings.
Likewise, winning can quickly turn a downtrodden program into an exciting one. Look at what Bowling Green, Minn St, and Mich Tech have done the past couple years. And trust me, none of the folks enjoying the ride that those schools are enjoying gives two hoots that their conference isn't the SEC of the hockey world. Its all a matter of perspective.
The problem with the NCHC is that it
is arguably the best conference, from top to bottom, in the country, and even the bottom half teams are really good. Its real hard to win real big in this league even if you are the best team. If you are middle of the pack it is even harder to win. And therefore, it is super hard to go on decent unbeaten streaks, or to even go on the kind of run to be considered "hot". It is what it is. Then add salt to the wound by playing these games with marginal home crowds because nobody knows or cares that North Dakota or Denver are perennial hockey power schools. Just another division 2 or 3 football school as far as most are concerned.
.....but I digress