CC Hockey Season Tickets Sales Finally Rebound

From: Colorado Springs Gazette
by Joe Paisley

For the first time since the 2005-06 season, season ticket sales for Colorado College hockey have gone up.

As of Friday morning, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association member had sold 232 more season tickets than the previous season with several weeks left before the Tigers open exhibition play against Lethbridge on Oct. 2.

CC sold 4,294 season tickets for 2009-10 with 4,526 sold this offseason after a price drop was announced this spring, said Scott Lowenberg, assistant athletic director, marketing.

Lowenberg said the ticket prices and incoming freshman Jaden Schwartz, the No. 14 pick in the 2010 NHL draft, were the two factors buyers mentioned.

There are only 30 lower-bowl seats left out of the 1,500 CC season tickets remaining at the 7,343-seat World Arena. Most are available along the upper bowl sides, which cost $229. Only 125 of the cheapest ($149, upper corners) remain, Lowenberg said.

“It’s very exciting to be ahead,” he said. “We think the sales will improve even more in the next couple years.”

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I suppose the increase in sales is based on lowering the ticket price and the arrival of Schwartz.

Did DU recruit Schartz and not even bother becasue his brother plays for CC?

Any update on the Schwartz rumor?

dggoddard said...

CC locked up the Schwartz brothers pretty early in the recruiting process. Doubt that DU was ever in the picture.

By lowering ticket prices so severely, it remains to be seen if CC will make more revenue even with the increased sales.

That being said, if they get new season ticket holders who are excited to attend the games, they will garner more revenue than if they had large numbers of no shows like last season.

msbdu said...

What attracks top recruits to CC? They haven't won a championship since 1957, they don't have their own arena.

Anonymous said...

@ msbdu - I thought it was all the sex...

Anonymous said...

Ah that's it, the stunning CC beauties not mention the local talent.

Anonymous said...

It's the sex and all the MaryJane you can get so easily in Colorado. It's also attributed to the mentally retarted fanbase down there, who doesn't "get it" that there's a super-competitive team just up the street near the military base; and a spectacular, CHAMPIONSHIP calibre team about an hour's drive on I-25. Those folks in the Springs could easily go se AF or DU play; but they don't know it. So - they are Tiger Fans, and they're actually happy with it. Crazy, huh?

Dirty said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brandon said...

neither DU or CC ever sells out unless North Dakota is in town. Really, I think both places are quite pathetic for their fan support. North Dakota fans outnumber CC fans every time they are in town, and damn near outnumber DU's fans at Magness.

Dirty said...

How many season tickets does DU sell? Around 3500? Probably not more than CC at any rate.

puck swami said...

Brandon:

Denver and North Dakota can't be compared and shouldn't be compared in terms of fan support.

North Dakota is a state school, where hockey is the largest athletic attraction in the entire state, and there is virtually nothing competing with Sioux hockey in Grand Forks. Most people who live in North Dakota where born there and grew up with it, and they go for entertainment and state pride.

DU, on the other hand, is a private school in a transient state, that still averages about 95% of capacity in terms of tickets sold. Far from 'pathetic' in a town where there already 8 pro sports teams, several minor league teams, four other D-I schools within an hour of campus, and 15 ski mountains within a short drive, not to mention all the other diversions in a metro area of 2.5 million. DU is about 10th-14th on the local sports totem pole, so they do very well considering where they are and what they compete against in terms of the local sports dollar. DU Hockey brings in about $2 to 2.5 million in profits over and above expenses.

DU is also a private school, with 60% of the kids from out of state - they don't grow up with it here, and they don't have casual local allegiance advantage of a state supported school. 75% of the people in the City of Denver were born somewhere else, so they tend to keep old sports allegiances, rather than supporting the local teams. As for North Dakota fans here, 95% of the ones who show up for Sioux games here are ex-North Dakotans who now live in Colorado, and there are about 750-1,000 of them, making up about one fifth to one sixth of the Magness crowd.

Anonymous said...

Brandon has his UNDies in a bunch as usual. Swami-why waste your time with such an erudite explanation. Great, Sue fans who live in Denver really lay it on the line financially when they turn up to two games every other year at Magness

Anonymous said...

Brandon wears bird diapers - no joke... Ask him about his flight suit! Also - how many non UNDies games have you been to at the Magg Brandon - let alone down in da Springs???

Anonymous said...

Puck Swami, you are quite right in your post, Denver is a Pro sports town.

sick of whinners said...

I am a DU season ticket holder for 8 years, but sorry, I agree with Brandon. Its very lame how bad the DU fan base is, student and alumni. Look at boston schools, they have great fan base, some schools are also are private, and, last I checked, they have a few pro spots teams also

puck swami said...

1) DU has a better hockey attendence percentage (about 95% of capacity)than any Boston school - BU, BC, Harvard or Northeastern.

2) BU crowds are somewhat louder than DU because the school has 32,000 students and three times as many alumni as DU does. Yet DU has still better attendence than BU does.

3) DU handily beats Northeastern in attendence, despite Northestern being twice as large in enrollment as DU. The old echo-champber arena NU plays in makes their crowds of 2,500 sound loud.

3) DU crowds are very similar to BC crowds in terms of size and volume, yet BC has about twice the undergraduate population (9,000 BC vs 5,000 DU)

4) DU blows away Harvard in attendance and noise level, even though Harvard has 2,000 more undergrads and 10,000 more grad students.

Anonymous said...

Well put Swami. Facts often times get in the way of good arguments.

Ironic choice of names Sick of Whinners