BC handles most post-season (and Beanpot, for that matter) tickets at
neutral sites by a priority system, which rewards those hockey season
ticket holders who also donate to the general BC sports program (thought
the Flynn Fund, named after the former AD William Flynn) with first shot
of their ticket allotment for an event.  Second priority goes to hockey
season ticket holders who don't donate to the Flynn Fund (like Rick and
I).  If there are any tickets left, they are released to the general
public. Also, I believe there are a limited number of tickets set aside
for current students; those are allocated by a separate lottery.

As far as home first-round HEA tournament games, BC season ticket
holders have a limited amount of time to reserve their regular season
ticket seat.  If the ticket office doesn't hear from them, the seats are
released for public sale. It sounds like UNH does it the same way.

Unfortunately, these tournaments only allocate a certain number of
tickets to the participating schools, and, at least in the case of UNH
and BC, there are not enough tickets allocated to the schools to satisfy
all the season ticket holders. I have a feeling that when BU opens it's
new arena next year, they may run into the same situation that UNH, BC
and many other schools have now.

-----Original Message-----
From: - Hockey-L - The College Hockey Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Cathryn Spreeman
Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2004 9:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Post-Season Hockey East: how does your school handle ticket
distr ibution?


Especially for Hockey East folks, but anyone interested may chime in:



Just wondering how your schools handle post-season tickets, i.e., Hockey
East tournament at the Fleet, Regionals, Frozen Four.  Does your
Athletic Department oversee distribution/sale of tickets?  Do season
ticket holders get first dibs?  Etc.



If memory serves me correctly, beginning with last year's Hockey East
tournament, UNH fans could not get tickets through UNH for the
semifinals and championship game.  In prior years, we could stand in
line at the Whittemore Center when they went on sale.



At playoff time, UNH season ticket holders get a chance to keep their
season seats for the quarterfinals.  After that, they are totally on
their own. Consequently, my husband and I have been buying our tickets
online as soon as they become available for HE tournament and also for
the Regionals, but plenty of other UNH fans are left out in the cold at
this time of year.



Am I mistaken to think that each of the participating schools gets a
block of tickets for the tournament in Boston and/or the Regionals
and/or the Frozen Four?



I am looking for a point of comparison.  Maybe UNH is doing exactly what
every other HE school is doing.  If so, we'll continue to buy our
tickets in the Fall and hope UNH makes it.  But if not, we're thinking
of politely lobbying for change.



Thanks much to anyone who responds!



Cathryn C. Spreeman

Office of International Students and Scholars

University of New Hampshire

Hood House

89 Main Street

Durham, NH 03824

(603) 862-1508 (telephone)

(603) 862-0844 (fax)