scott quakkelaar <[log in to unmask]> writes:
> which brings me to...  season tickets!  i just accepted a job offer in
> andover, ma.  now that i'll be leaving a hockey wasteland for the
> hockey promised land, i'm interested in season tickets.
 
I sent a reply to Scott but since there has been some talk on the topic and
it is also something that can benefit others, I will add my thoughts here.
 
I think the best suggestion in this situation is to try everyone out.  If
you draw a circle about an hour's driving time in radius from Andover, you
will find that there are eight D1 hockey schools in that area -- soon to be
nine when Bentley goes D1.  Those eight are BC, BU, Harvard, Holy Cross,
Lowell, Merrimack, UNH, and Northeastern.  Most of those eight are within a
half hour.  And Brown, UMass and Providence are not much more than an hour
away.
 
This is good both for the fan with a school affiliation/rooting interest
and the fan who isn't rooting for anyone in particular but wants to just
see college hockey.  The former can travel to most away games while the
latter can pretty much choose the "game of the night" to attend.
 
I'm guessing that Scott doesn't have a rooting interest in any of the
Boston area teams yet, so I would definitely suggest perusing the schedule
and going to see games at a variety of places before settling on one for
season tickets.  USCHO has a compilation of men's D1 games by date at
 
http://www.uscollegehockey.com/schedules/19981999/m/week/I/thisweek.cgi
 
(There are also similar schedules for men's D2-3 and women's hockey.)
 
Each person is different and has his/her own likes and dislikes.  You may
find you like some rinks more than the others, or that you want to see some
teams more than others, etc.  It's a buyer's market since you should be
able to walk up and buy tickets at most of these places, as few of them
routinely sell out.
 
Scott -- or anyone else -- may find that he wants to settle on one team to
follow or a couple of teams, or that he likes the ability to go to see the
"game of the night" and hop around from rink to rink.  Heck, it is even
easy to see a couple of games in a day with the occasional afternoon tilts.
But it is worth taking advantage of the fact that there are so many teams
to see.  And when you factor in all of the nonleague games, it's possible
for a Boston area fan to see a pretty good number of all of the D1 teams
throughout a single season.
 
Just as an example of how people may find they prefer different rinks, I
noticed some references to Merrimack being cold and "second rate", but even
the Volpe has advantages that other rinks do not have.  As Paul noted, the
fans are right on top of the action, and you can be closer to the action
than at almost any other rink -- you can even go down and stand behind the
net if you want.  I feel more "in the game" at a place like Merrimack or
Providence, or in the first row of the balcony at Northeastern.  If this
appeals to you, you may prefer those buildings and not care so much about
the negatives -- and every rink has its pluses and minuses.  The newer
rinks like Lowell, UMass, UNH and BC have nicer amenities and may be more
comfortable, but one tradeoff is that you will probably be farther away
from the ice -- and you may pay more for tickets and for concessions.
 
And to follow up some other comments -- Merrimack does have new boards and
glass, but I am told the boards are not clear.  I have not been down there
yet so this is second hand.  There is a new heating system that is supposed
to make the stands a bit warmer, but I don't know how it will compare to
the past in which it has been one of the colder places to see a game.
 
Also, for people planning to attend any games at Merrimack this year, the
school is in the midst of several construction projects that have taken
away some of the parking in the lot near the rink.  Depending on attendance
and what else is going on (i.e. night school during the week), people
arriving late may have to park a little farther away.  This may continue
for several years.  Future plans are supposed to include a new parking
garage as well as a new rink, but right now we don't know how far off in
the future that will be.
 
And in case the drive is an issue -- basically you can get from Andover to
Lowell, Merrimack, BU, Northeastern, and Harvard relatively quickly.  Rush
hour traffic may be a concern on weeknights when traveling to rinks at BC
and UNH -- you'll be going with traffic (especially if you go by Route 128
to BC) as opposed to against it, so allow some extra time.
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                [log in to unmask]               *HMM* 11/13/93
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