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