The Frozen Faceoff…may it rest in peace

[MafiaMan]

After talking with numerous folks this weekend, I now have to agree with some of my fan friends:  the time has come to put an end to the Frozen Faceoff and go back to on-campus playoff games.  Here are a few of my reasons:

#1.  It’s true, this will NEVER replicate the atmosphere of the old WCHA Final Five, but even a Denver/CC championship game back then would have drawn a good number of local Gopher fans to the  game.  The lack of St Cloud fans at last night’s game was almost shocking.  It’s a now undeniable fact:  if North Dakota isn’t playing, the fan support is almost zero. 

#2.  “Casual fans” are ruining it for me.  The group of 10 parents with 30 kids under the age of 8 in front of me on Friday was tough to watch.  Dads and moms alike stumbling around drunk while kids played on iPads or ran around the aisle.  C’mon, some of us are there to actually watch the game.  

#3.  Prices and parking.  Good heavens, this isn’t exactly a family-friendly budget weekend anymore.  Check with your bank’s loan officer before buying a ticket package and don’t DARE come to the game on an empty stomach.  

#4.  I realize it’s supply and demand, but way to alienate your longtime supporters by offering hugely discounted tickets when a certain team doesn’t make it or pre-event sales are low while they sweat out a weekend in Omaha.  

#5.  It’s a shame that the conference almost hopes that CC, Denver, UNO, Miami, and Western Michigan DON’T make the tournament as it obviously NEEDS North Dakota, St Cloud State, and UMD in order to boost attendance.  On the flip-side, how fair is it for Miami, CC, or WMU to come to a near-empty rink for their chance at glory and a conference playoff championship?  It’s not.  And it certainly can’t help recruiting.  Miami had a nice run for a long time and has turned into a doormat.  

The excitement will never be the same as a Sioux/Gopher conference championship game.  It was a great run, but the WCHA Final Five died, what, a decade ago?  It’s time to dig the NCHC Frozen Faceoff’s grave and bury it as well.  
 

[fightingsioux4life]

Very sad what has happened to conference playoff tournaments. Realignment has been good for some programs (MSU-Mankato), but it has absolutely ruined the conference post-season tournaments.

[Godsmack]

I think the decision makers at the time of the formation of the NCHC naively thought they’d easily capture the magic of the WCHA Final Five with the Frozen Faceoff, not recognizing that most of the old WCHA member schools were within a day’s drive of the event, not to mention decades upon decades of cultivating and growing these rivalries that existed among UND, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Duluth, and to a lesser extent, CC and Denver. 
 

Having attended the first six Frozen Faceoffs, to show our fan support, coming out from Colorado took considerable time and expense. It got to the point where it felt like we were being price gauged between the cost of the tournament ticket packages and then the cost of concessions and beer once trapped inside the venue. As one can imagine, between DIA airport parking, airline tickets, rental car in the twin cities, hotel rooms, food and beverage, gas, etc., these annual weekend excursions were not cheap but we did it because we wanted to support the teams and the conference. After 2019, I kinda had enough and decided to vote with my wallet and, for the foreseeable future, take a break.  
 

I wrote to the NCHC following the conclusion of the 2019 tournament, expressing my disappointment with the prices charged inside the venue and for the tickets. And rather than acknowledging my feedback, I received a very short reply, deflecting blame for the high concession prices on the venue and no acknowledgment that the conference were the ones who made the decision to hire the venue and potentially having some influence or say on what the prices would be for concessions. 

[MafiaMan]

2919?  You’re quite the time traveler.  Has UND won any more titles between now and then?  Is their consecutive winning seasons streak still intact?

[Godsmack]

4 minutes ago, MafiaMan said:

2919?  You’re quite the time traveler.  Has UND won any more titles between now and then?  Is their consecutive winning seasons streak still intact?

Fixed!

[MafiaMan]

9 minutes ago, Godsmack said:

Fixed!

Good job, McFly!

[SuhakiYeahYeah]

17 minutes ago, MafiaMan said:

2919?  You’re quite the time traveler.  Has UND won any more titles between now and then?  Is their consecutive winning seasons streak still intact?

The year is 2919. Brad Berry is still the head coach, albeit in the form of a head in a glass jar. Coming fresh off of his 97th contract extension, he coaches UND to a win against Denver, led by 896th year senior Magnus Chrona. Louis Jamernik LXXVI is awarded player of the game, and both he and Berry are interviewed by Jake Brandt's great great great great great great great great great great great great grandson, wearing a suit with a combo of colors that have not been discovered yet. 

[Wilbur]

It's frustrating because I want it to work, but the ship has sailed.  The atmosphere of the championship game didn't hold a candle to other conferences.  Let's play out the last two weekends as a single game semi and higher seed hosting championship game the next.  

I hate the B1G, but they figured out their conference tournament sucked.  And ours does now too.  If Denver is playing CC at Magness they are trying against the Tigers instead of going through the motions in front of UND and SCSU fans cheering for CC. 

I watched the WBC instead of CC and SCSU last night.  Just zero energy at the game.   

[MafiaMan]

5 minutes ago, SuhakiYeahYeah said:

The year is 2919. Brad Berry is still the head coach, albeit in the form of a head in a glass jar. Coming fresh off of his 97th contract extension, he coaches UND to a win against Denver, led by 896th year senior Magnus Chrona. Louis Jamernik LXXVI is awarded player of the game, and both he and Berry are interviewed by Jake Brandt's great great great great great great great great great great great great grandson, wearing a suit with a combo of colors that have not been discovered yet. 

 

I suppose UND dropped the word “Fighting” from “Fighting Hawks” by then too because it sounded too mean.

[fightingsioux4life]

14 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

It's frustrating because I want it to work, but the ship has sailed.  The atmosphere of the championship game didn't hold a candle to other conferences.  Let's play out the last two weekends as a single game semi and higher seed hosting championship game the next.  

I hate the B1G, but they figured out their conference tournament sucked.  And ours does now too.  If Denver is playing CC at Magness they are trying against the Tigers instead of going through the motions in front of UND and SCSU fans cheering for CC. 

I watched the WBC instead of CC and SCSU last night.  Just zero energy at the game.   

So did the WCHA (and now CCHA).

The 1986-87 season (we all remember that season fondly ) was the last year of on-campus sites for the league playoffs (the two-game total goal series). In 1988, the WCHA launched the neutral site post-season tournament with first round games remaining on-campus (First called the Final Four, then Final Five). It took years to get built up into what it became. Unfortunately, the current alignment of teams does not allow a similar metamorphosis with regard to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. So going Back To The Future (sorry, couldn't resist ) isn't as crazy as it sounds. It could work.

[johnsowe]

The xcel is too big however maybe a smaller venue would be better. Maybe the conference torny winner host the FF? 

[MafiaMan]

21 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Unfortunately, the current alignment of teams does not allow a similar metamorphosis with regard to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. So going Back To The Future (sorry, couldn't resist ) isn't as crazy as it sounds. It could work.

[Godsmack]

2 minutes ago, johnsowe said:

The xcel is too big however maybe a smaller venue would be better. Maybe the conference torny winner host the FF? 

How about the 17,500 seat arena in downtown Omaha? Plus, Omaha’s more centrally located for all conference members and downtown Omaha is well equipped to host fanbases (they do it each and every year with the college World Series). 

[MafiaMan]

6 minutes ago, johnsowe said:

The xcel is too big however maybe a smaller venue would be better. Maybe the conference torny winner host the FF? 

The conference tourney currently IS the Frozen Faceoff.  Are you suggesting that St Cloud State would host next year’s tournament because they won it this year?  If so, interesting idea…

[johnsowe]

11 minutes ago, Godsmack said:

How about the 17,500 seat arena in downtown Omaha? Plus, Omaha’s more centrally located for all conference members and downtown Omaha is well equipped to host fanbases (they do it each and every year with the college World Series). 

Sorry how is 17500 better than 18500? I would say des Moines or Sioux falls 

[johnsowe]

10 minutes ago, MafiaMan said:

The conference tourney currently IS the Frozen Faceoff.  Are you suggesting that St Cloud State would host next year’s tournament because they won it this year?  If so, interesting idea…

Sorry the regular season champion 

[Godsmack]

6 minutes ago, johnsowe said:

Sorry how is 17500 better than 18500? I would say des Moines or Sioux falls 

A thousand? 

[Godsmack]

7 minutes ago, johnsowe said:

Sorry how is 17500 better than 18500? I would say des Moines or Sioux falls 

I’d be down with Des Moines or Sioux Falls though. 

[Sweethockey]

Sioux Falls has a really nice rink! Not far either. I went to the Bruins-Wild yesterday afternoon. That atmosphere was electric. The announced attendance was 19,320.

[Godsmack]

24 minutes ago, MafiaMan said:

The conference tourney currently IS the Frozen Faceoff.  Are you suggesting that St Cloud State would host next year’s tournament because they won it this year?  If so, interesting idea…

The only potential issue is what to do if Miami or CC were to win the frozen Faceoff? (Unlikely I know given their history but still plausible). Their arenas only seat around 3,000-3,500. Hardly large enough to accommodate the demand. 

[Oxbow6]

Just now, Godsmack said:

The only potential issue is what to do if Miami or CC were to win the frozen Faceoff? (Unlikely I know given their history but still plausible). Their arenas only seat around 3,000-3,500. Hardly large enough to accommodate the demand. 

I might travel to CC.....to see you and Mrs. Godsmack but Miami? No bueno.

[SIOUXFAN97]

49 minutes ago, johnsowe said:

Sorry how is 17500 better than 18500? I would say des Moines or Sioux falls 

Jfk... Sioux falls.... Nope

[johnsowe]

If at CC they can play at World Arena and Miami could play at Cincinnati. Wmu could play in Grand Rapids. 

[Kevin G]

1 hour ago, Godsmack said:

How about the 17,500 seat arena in downtown Omaha? Plus, Omaha’s more centrally located for all conference members and downtown Omaha is well equipped to host fanbases (they do it each and every year with the college World Series). 

I guess I'm not seeing how moving to Omaha (or Des Moines or Sioux Falls) fixes the problems we're seeing in the Twin Cities. 

[johnsowe]

9 minutes ago, Kevin G said:

I guess I'm not seeing how moving to Omaha (or Des Moines or Sioux Falls) fixes the problems we're seeing in the Twin Cities. 

Smaller venues except for Omaha