AHL games are a blast. I've been to a number of Admirals games. It's a very similar pace and type of game to the college level. Obviously it's a bit of a step up, but it's a fun, easy game to watch. AHL games are typically a blast because of the statement Fetch said...most of the fans that go love the team with a passion.
Also, I read the other day that attendance numbers averaged around 3.5k at the bottom (I think it was OKC), and about 10k at the top (I forget who). That's not that daunting even for this area. The hard part would be to do it for 38 home regular season games (plus playoffs).