Let me see, Nonni...your central point in this thread seems to be that
Maine's "home" games should be played at Alfond on every occasion possible
because:

1.  game atmosphere is the most intense at Alfond, thereby imparting extra
advantage toward our players and winning results on the ice for each game
2.  travel to other venues is a significant burden on the total UMaine
athletic budget and should be avoided
3.  fewer paying fans attend the games held away from the Alfond Arena

Therefore, I ask again...why is it that Maine now plays in a holiday
tournament in FLORIDA each year ?

Maine for many years hosted a Dexter holiday tournament at the Alfond Arena,
Orono, Maine 04469...why did it stop ?



nonni daly wrote (clipped):

>Travel costs alone are an incredible part of the budget, since -- to quote
Jack Cosgrove -- "Orono isn't a place you go THROUGH, it's a place you go
TO!" It's also a place you go FROM and at the competitive levels at which
Maine now competes, it is very costly to cover all this travel.
>
>is Maine supposed to take teams away from that all important cash cow to
>play in a totally different venue where no such support is forthcoming,
>sometimes even simply in the form of ticket sales?