Liberty Hockey Capacity Numbers

I had some extra time to do a general comparison of LU’s hockey arena compared to the hockey arenas in the six conferences. These numbers are for D1 mens hockey arenas. Some places have alternative areas. Some womens hockey programs have different arenas.

These numbers are from wiki. They might not be 100% accurate in every case. That being said, these numbers give a general idea of LU’s arena compared to the rest of D1 hockey.

For comparison, I will put LU’s arena capacity in rank order with each conference. I will also put the conference average within the ranking of each conference.

The national capacity average is approximately 5588. The range is between 1200 to 17500. The median is approximately 4600.
3000 LaHaye Ice Center (Liberty University)

Each conference will have a separate post.
Atlantic Hockey Association
Big Ten Conference
ECAC Hockey
Hockey East Association
National Collegiate Hockey Conference
Western Collegiate Hockey Association

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_ic...Division_I

Atlantic Hockey Association (arena capacity numbers)

8412 Sacred Heart
6866 American International
4300 RIT
3104 Conference Average
3000 Liberty University
2648 Army
2502 Air Force
1917 Bentley
1800 Canisius
1600 Holy Cross
1500 Mercyhurst
1400 Niagara
1200 Robert Morris

Big Ten Conference (arena capacity numbers)

17500 Ohio State
15325 Wisconsin
10000 Minnesota
9565 Conference Average
6637 UM
6470 Michigan State
6000 Penn State
5022 Notre Dame
3000 Liberty University

ECAC Hockey (arena capacity numbers)

4780 Rensselaer
4500 Dartmouth
4267 Cornell
3500 Yale
3386 Quinnipiac
3205 Conference Average
3100 Brown
3095 Harvard
3000 Clarkson
3000 Liberty University
2300 St. Lawrence
2225 Union
2222 Colgate
2092 Princeton

Hockey East Association (arena capacity numbers)

14750 UConn
6224 Boston
8329 UMass
7884 Boston College
6501 New Hampshire
6496 UMass Lowell
6370 Conference Average
5641 Maine
4666 Northeastern
4003 Vermont
3030 Providence
3000 Liberty University
2549 Merrimack

National Collegiate Hockey Conference (arena capacity numbers)

11640 North Dakota
7898 Omaha
7750 Colorado College
6732 Minnesota Duluth
6585 Conference Average
6026 Denver
5763 St. Cloud State
3667 Western Michigan University
3200 Miami
3000 Liberty University

Western Collegiate Hockey Association (arena capacity numbers)

6602 Alabama Huntsville
6399 Alaska Anchorage
5000 Bowling Green
4832 Minnesota State
4700 Bemidji State
4699 Conference Average
4595 Alaska
4466 Michigan Tech
4000 Lake Superior
3902 Northern Michigan
3000 Liberty University
2493 Ferris State

I can only see LU going Atlantic or by a blessing Hockey East. If needed, LU can also expand the LIC if needed. I would really like the team to go NCAA D1, but that can only occur if our residential population increase by a few thousands and decent amount of those students would be male. I’m also looking at men’s lacrosse as well.

Hockey East will never take a startup program. They might take regional programs like Holy Cross, Bentley, or RIT who may want to move up. Notre Dame was an exception as an out of region team, and their were loathe to join the Big Ten or NCHC and are excellent for Hockey East’s TV ratings.

Atlantic Hockey has taken new programs over the years. They have historically been the weak sister of college hockey, but other programs have moved on to better league, like Quinnipiac, which is a national power now.

Another option might be a breakaway league. Bowling Green hates the WCHA and wants to start a new one more regional conference. Add UA-Huntsville, Oakland, Louisville, Pitt and maybe Cansius and Niagara and Liberty. Louisville is in talks with a local group that wants to donate an arena. Pitt is rumored to start. Oakland just needs a campus arena. Even Alabama is looking to build a decent college arena. There is a core around the Ohio Valley that wants in. This would be more ideal than the Northeast.

Best of luck with hockey.

New season starts Friday!

Sent from my Moto G (4) using CSNbbs mobile app

2018/2019 Schedule.
http://www.liberty.edu/campusrec/clubspo...1&TeamID=2

Just beat Penn State 3-1. Packed arena looked good on tv

LU won both games last weekend. 3-0 start to the season.

http://www.liberty.edu/campusrec/clubspo...1&TeamID=2

Liberty Flames #9 win tonight on the road against #24 Delaware 2-1.

Game replay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dIAnQrBW64

LU hockey split with Syracuse this weekend. Lost Friday in OT 5-4. Won today 7-1.

Is it us who is going to be announced as going NCAA DI hockey?
Hearing the announcement of a new team is imminant.

(11-02-2018 05:54 PM)army56mike Wrote:  Is it us who is going to be announced as going NCAA DI hockey?
Hearing the announcement of a new team is imminant.

Where are you hearing this information from?

(11-02-2018 05:54 PM)army56mike Wrote:  Is it us who is going to be announced as going NCAA DI hockey?
Hearing the announcement of a new team is imminant.

I haven't heard one way or the other. Illinois has been seriously looking into hockey. Could be them.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using CSNbbs mobile app

I wonder if it’s Oakland University. They were the 2nd out of 5 teams who received funding for a feasible study.

LU has had internal discussions that could move the program to D1 in 8-10 years. The transition will not be happening in the near future.