Mike writes:
 
> The question is, how does DivIII hockey (and other DivIII sports) do in
> Minnesota?  I think Mankato St has the best chance (maybe the only chance)
> of the Minnesota DivIII hockey teams to even make the Final Four.  Would
> they be a big enough draw?  We're talking about moving the tourney to a
> neutral venue AND placing it in a rink larger than any DivIII Final Four
> has ever been in, I think.  That's a big risk.  Will Minnesota hockey fans
> go to see four DivIII teams they have no rooting interest in, during the
> DivI tourney and almost immediately after the high school tourney and the
> WCHA Final Four?
 
I think that it could draw enough fans to fill Aldrich Arena, which is the
proposed site.  Its capacity is, I believe, somewhere near 4,000.  I doubt
that it could attract enough to fill a large arena like the Civic Center.
Let me make it clear that I am not endorsing moving the DivIII tournament;
I had only commented that there were probably enough interested local fans
to fill Aldrich Arena for a national tournament.
 
-- Erik