Gopher game moves to Xcel

MSU expects to widen fan base

By Shane Frederick
Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — One of the city's busiest hockey weekends of the season is going to be cut in half.

The Minnesota State men's hockey team's Jan. 14 home game against the University of Minnesota will be moved to St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center, MSU Director of Athletics Kevin Buisman announced Monday.

Buisman said the school is taking advantage of "a unique opportunity to provide exposure to the hockey program" and, he hopes, gain a revenue windfall of as much as $100,000 by drawing a large crowd to the Friday night Western Collegiate Hockey Association game.

The one-time opportunity to play at the "X" partially came as a result of the National Hockey League lockout, which has kept the Minnesota Wild's home rink dark all season.

The Mavericks' Jan. 15 game against the Gophers will be played at Mankato's Midwest Wireless Civic Center as scheduled.

"We are working very hard to increase attendance at our home games and believe outreach to other areas beyond Mankato is vital to the future growth of our program," Buisman said.

Season-ticket holders and those with single-game and suite tickets will receive replacement tickets for the game at no additional cost.

However, the night away could be costly for the Civic Center and area businesses.

Always a highly anticipated opponent, the Gophers have helped the Mavericks draw six of their top 13 home crowds. That includes a figure of 5,074, the program's fourth-largest crowd, last January.

The X, which is the site for the WCHA Final Five championship, holds more than 17,000 for hockey. Buisman said he thinks at least 11,000 tickets can be sold for the game.

According to Civic Center Executive Director Burt Lyman, the Mankato facility likely will lose $30,000 - mostly in concessions and fees - because of the move. That's not enough to break the budget, he said.

"We're being supportive," Lyman said. "They're a very important client to us. It's their home ice. But they're seeing this as an opportunity. I hope it makes more hay for both of us."

The Civic Center will still receive rent from MSU because a Maverick women's hockey game will be played there that night.

John Rauchman, co-owner of McGoff's Irish Pub, is more concerned about his Friday-night receipts, however. His bar is located across Hickory Street from the Civic Center and is busy on hockey nights.

"That weekend, when the Gophers are in town, is No. 1," Rauchman said. "Shouldn't they look at the fact that they're a Mankato team that should support the businesses in town that support them?"

Buisman, who came up with the idea along with Dean Trauger, MSU's vice president for finance and administration, said he's expecting some public backlash. But he said he's stressing that this one-time event will help the program and the community in the long run.

"We hope we made a good marketing decision," Buisman said. "And we hope this will help us draw (400) to 500 more fans a night."

Besides drawing their own ticket base, the Mavericks likely will be playing the home game in front of several thousand Gopher fans.

But coach Troy Jutting signed off on the move, along with MSU President Richard Davenport.

"There are a lot of positives to it," Jutting said. "It definitely exposes our hockey program to a lot more people on a first-hand, come-out-and-see-us basis. And it exposes us for recruiting."

Buisman said the Xcel Energy Center agreed to give MSU 100 percent of the revenues from the first 5,100 tickets sold. Money from the next 2,000 tickets will go toward promotions and other expenses. From there, the revenues will be split between the MSU and the arena on a sliding scale.

Buisman said he hopes an endowed scholarship for the hockey program can be created with the profits.

"Financially, this can help our university and our department by playing the game up there," Jutting said. "It's a one-shot deal."

Victor Colway, a first-year season-ticket holder, had mixed reactions when told of the change Monday evening. He said the exposure will help the program, but he had concerns ranging from the local economy to the Mavericks' home-ice advantage.

"Selfishly, I'd like them to stay on their home turf," he said. "Playing at the X is not going to help them on the ice."

Colway said he plans to make the trip to St. Paul.