Section 7AA 2013-2014?

[alcloseshaver]

I don't think we do. Another page or two and the 3A crowd will start responding to their thread about how much more passionate they are than every other fan base.

Which is amazing since I've never even looked at that thread. As Challenge the status quo guy would say, "Go 3A Go"

[northwoods oldtimer]

For all of DJ's hype for Duluth Visitor and Convention Bureau the majestic Amsoil was a flipping morgue Saturday. Thought it was the girls section semi's.

Go Elks!!

[greenway1969]

I've totally changed my mind on having Amsoil continue to exclusively host 7AA. First there were no signs on 35 for the exit to the arena, if I didn't know about the DECC I'd ended up in Two Harbors. Signs for the entrance to Amsoil were totally absent. The only "away" fans that showed up were Rapids fans. Attendance was dismal. Given it was a "home" game for East, East fans did not show up in great numbers. Obviously no support from the community. I was totally conned by DJ about how great a venue Amsoil is. A great venue is more than just a nice building. If holding the tourney at Amsoil is a money issue they certainly didn't get a huge chunk of money from the gate. Least attended semifinals I have ever witnessed. I have been to semi-final games at the Coliseum, Aldrich (Single A) and Braemer and the atmosphere was much better. Drove on an extremely icy road (highway 2) for a disappointing experience. Should have drove down to Braemer and BIG for a true sectional playoff experience.

[slyer]

now that was a joke, all the chatter about how it will be packed and other arenas just aren't big enough give me a break they could've played these games in moose lake and still had room. went to a class a regional game last night and that place was packed, better atmosphere than amsoil or the old dump. rather be in a small arena that's packed standing room only than a large arena with nobody. I think we can say that it doesn't have to be played in Duluth anymore because it's the only building BIG enough to hold the crowd, put that one to rest boys and girls what a joke

[mnmouth]

now that was a joke, all the chatter about how it will be packed and other arenas just aren't big enough give me a break they could've played these games in moose lake and still had room. went to a class a regional game last night and that place was packed, better atmosphere than amsoil or the old dump. rather be in a small arena that's packed standing room only than a large arena with nobody. I think we can say that it doesn't have to be played in Duluth anymore because it's the only building BIG enough to hold the crowd, put that one to rest boys and girls what a joke

Admittedly, the crowd and atmosphere at Amsoil yesterday was not equal to what it normally is on Semifinal Saturday, though there have been similar disappointments in years past. And usually it has occurred when Duluth school's winter break coincides with the semifinals. Pure speculation but the fact that Denfeld, Hermantown and Marshall were all playing out of town may have had something to do with more Duluth area fans not showing up. Also having no school bands present at the event was a major issue. This has also been a problem in the past. And where were the Andover and Elk River cheerleaders?? When schools don't even send their cheerleaders to a section semifinals I wonder just what their commitment to it is.

[alcloseshaver]

It is a tough situation, So odd to have 2 schools 15 miles apart drive to Duluth to play, but CEC almost beat ER and would have helped the crowd. Another thought is to have a standby rink available for 2 southern teams like the 7AA girls do. They had Fogarty ready to go, could do the same and draw a bigger crowd and pack the place and still make their money. Flexibility?

[alcloseshaver]

now that was a joke, all the chatter about how it will be packed and other arenas just aren't big enough give me a break they could've played these games in moose lake and still had room. went to a class a regional game last night and that place was packed, better atmosphere than amsoil or the old dump. rather be in a small arena that's packed standing room only than a large arena with nobody. I think we can say that it doesn't have to be played in Duluth anymore because it's the only building BIG enough to hold the crowd, put that one to rest boys and girls what a joke

Admittedly, the crowd and atmosphere at Amsoil yesterday was not equal to what it normally is on Semifinal Saturday, though there have been similar disappointments in years past. And usually it has occurred when Duluth school's winter break coincides with the semifinals. Pure speculation but the fact that Denfeld, Hermantown and Marshall were all playing out of town may have had something to do with more Duluth area fans not showing up. Also having no school bands present at the event was a major issue. This has also been a problem in the past. And where were the Andover and Elk River cheerleaders?? When schools don't even send their cheerleaders to a section semifinals I wonder just what their commitment to it is.

ER and Andover don't have cheerleaders. Most of the kids play sports at these schools.

[karl(east)]

It is a tough situation, So odd to have 2 schools 15 miles apart drive to Duluth to play, but CEC almost beat ER and would have helped the crowd. Another thought is to have a standby rink available for 2 southern teams like the 7AA girls do. They had Fogarty ready to go, could do the same and draw a bigger crowd and pack the place and still make their money. Flexibility?

That would be sensible for semis between two north metro teams. I believe there was a contingency in place to use Mariucci in the final a few years back, when there was a chance that no northern teams would make it. Again, logistics would be the issue, but it's possible.

Amsoil is a nice building and the atmosphere is great when you can fill it up, but if it's not full, it can be dull in there. Even UMD games can be pretty quiet. It seems like the building really swallows up sound; I was in amongst East people who were making plenty of noise, but you wouldn't know it from the other side of the arena. The student sections are too far apart, too. It doesn't help that all of the seats down around the glass are lousy, which leaves all the fans from certain schools spread out along the top 5 rows of the lower bowl, and not in an established section. Say what you want about the old DECC, but the atmosphere was great in there, even for some of the metro-vs.-north games. I'm sure school breaks, bad roads, and exhaustion from wall-to-wall hockey (UMD-UND, Olympics, other section playoff games, youth hockey districts) over the past week didn't help matters yesterday.

I'm not buying that schools with 1,500+ students can't find five girls who can skate passably well and wave pom-poms, though. Or at the very least a guy in an Elk suit. There was a guy in an Elk suit at some point in my relatively young memory. Maybe some parents or boosters need to take some initiative and demand better support for these games, because like it or not, they are at Amsoil right now. It shouldn't be too hard to put together a fan bus for a section final.

[alcloseshaver]

It is a tough situation, So odd to have 2 schools 15 miles apart drive to Duluth to play, but CEC almost beat ER and would have helped the crowd. Another thought is to have a standby rink available for 2 southern teams like the 7AA girls do. They had Fogarty ready to go, could do the same and draw a bigger crowd and pack the place and still make their money. Flexibility?

That would be sensible for semis between two north metro teams. I believe there was a contingency in place to use Mariucci in the final a few years back, when there was a chance that no northern teams would make it. Again, logistics would be the issue, but it's possible.

Amsoil is a nice building and the atmosphere is great when you can fill it up, but if it's not full, it can be dull in there. Even UMD games can be pretty quiet. It seems like the building really swallows up sound; I was in amongst East people who were making plenty of noise, but you wouldn't know it from the other side of the arena. The student sections are too far apart, too. It doesn't help that all of the seats down around the glass are lousy, which leaves all the fans from certain schools spread out along the top 5 rows of the lower bowl, and not in an established section. Say what you want about the old DECC, but the atmosphere was great in there, even for some of the metro-vs.-north games. I'm sure school breaks, bad roads, and exhaustion from wall-to-wall hockey (UMD-UND, Olympics, other section playoff games, youth hockey districts) over the past week didn't help matters yesterday.

I'm not buying that schools with 1,500+ students can't find five girls who can skate passably well and wave pom-poms, though. Or at the very least a guy in an Elk suit. There was a guy in an Elk suit at some point in my relatively young memory. Maybe some parents or boosters need to take some initiative and demand better support for these games, because like it or not, they are at Amsoil right now. It shouldn't be too hard to put together a fan bus for a section final.

Good points, I would think ER will come up with more fans for this one. All set for Amsoil next year. Maybe a school like STMA can jump in and bring some life. It is not uncommon to see metro schools without cheerleaders?

[slyer]

you really think 5 girls with pompoms will change the atmosphere or a guy in an elk suit gotta be one of the dumbest things that I've read. I've also heard that the atmosphere at amsoil or the dump was so special, yea real special wasn't it, as far as the other excuses that no one was there all happen every year other than the Olympics, you still have bad roads, other games going on and school breaks.maybe it would be a better idea to have de put together a fan bus to go watch a semi or final game outside of Duluth for once I bet that they would have a ten bus fleet with ten cheerleaders and two hounds in suits what else could you ask for

[green4]

It is a tough situation, So odd to have 2 schools 15 miles apart drive to Duluth to play, but CEC almost beat ER and would have helped the crowd. Another thought is to have a standby rink available for 2 southern teams like the 7AA girls do. They had Fogarty ready to go, could do the same and draw a bigger crowd and pack the place and still make their money. Flexibility?

I'm not buying that schools with 1,500+ students can't find five girls who can skate passably well and wave pom-poms, though. Or at the very least a guy in an Elk suit. There was a guy in an Elk suit at some point in my relatively young memory. Maybe some parents or boosters need to take some initiative and demand better support for these games, because like it or not, they are at Amsoil right now. It shouldn't be too hard to put together a fan bus for a section final.

I don't think the problem is finding girls or a mascot to do it. It seems to be more that schools in the metro just have stopped allowing cheerleaders on the ice. Not sure why but I don't think I have seen Cheerleaders on the ice in Edina for 5-7 years or any of the Lake conference schools for that matter. Edina usually brings a mascot to state but not during regular season games.

[mnmouth]

I don't think the problem is finding girls or a mascot to do it. It seems to be more that schools in the metro just have stopped allowing cheerleaders on the ice. Not sure why but I don't think I have seen Cheerleaders on the ice in Edina for 5-7 years or any of the Lake conference schools for that matter. Edina usually brings a mascot to state but not during regular season games.

Cheerleaders, mascots and school bands by themselves are not integral to the game. But the atmosphere in the building suffers at these events when all three are missing. The game goes on, but aside from the 7AA semis being held at a beautiful venue, it's just a hockey game. Perhaps that's all the new generation requires - a competitive game - and it's difficult to argue against this. But I remember not long ago when bands competed against each other, student sections shouted chants back and forth and a true revelry occurred at these games by virtue of a more involved school presence.

[BlueLineSpecial]

I'm not surprised the crowds were weak. Andover and Elk River are over two hours away, Grand Rapids is an hour away. I can't imagine a casual fan making that trip for a semi-final game of sections. The state of MN had press releases advising people to avoid driving this weekend, and they had state troopers saying the driving conditions were the worst they'd seen in 20+ years.

Another issue is that the games themselves didn't really have meaning besides the GR DE rivalry. So let's say Andover wins. I'll be honest, if I was a fan of Andover my thought process would be to see if they make it to section finals before investing a day or more and a good chunk of change on making the several hour round trip.

Add in a dash of apathy because of Duluth's section dominance and you had a recipe for small crowds.

[Houndhockey]

As an East fan I love the fact that semifinal Saturday is held in Duluth. The opportunity to watch two games back to back with good talent and their respective seasons on the line is something l look forward to each year. That being said, if the games were to be held in the metro, and East was playing, I would be more than happy to make a day of it and still watch both games. The crowds yesterday in Duluth were a major bummer, but it seems to me that they have been dwindling for these events over the last few years. I would imagine they will show for Thursdays game however.

[Slammer]

As an East fan I love the fact that semifinal Saturday is held in Duluth. The opportunity to watch two games back to back with good talent and their respective seasons on the line is something l look forward to each year. That being said, if the games were to be held in the metro, and East was playing, I would be more than happy to make a day of it and still watch both games. The crowds yesterday in Duluth were a major bummer, but it seems to me that they have been dwindling for these events over the last few years. I would imagine they will show for Thursdays game however.

Thursdays game will be packed.

[sticksave]

Amzoil is a beautiful place. It didn't measure up to the hype. Parking was full and became difficult at one point. As far as the skyway walk from the lot you were still outside plenty. Concerning the lack of fans from the metro teams. THE ROADS SUCKED!. I would be plenty hesitant to jump in the car to drive to Duluth when I-35 was half ice in the metro along with HWY 23 being all ice, unless I had a direct stake in the game. My trip took an extra 45 minutes and I'd be damn hesitant to let my teenage kid drive there on those roads to watch. Face it, there are only about 100 parents per team (including JV), and maybe a 100-200 staunchly loyal fans per town (lots of casual fans), hence the small crowds. Why jump in the car and drive 150 miles to watch hockey when there were plenty of other good games in the metro 30-40 miles away. The talk of alternate sites in the case of 2 metro teams facing off are GREAT ideas. It would have made the ER VS Andover game more exciting if their fans could be there.

[norcon]

As an East fan I love the fact that semifinal Saturday is held in Duluth. The opportunity to watch two games back to back with good talent and their respective seasons on the line is something l look forward to each year. That being said, if the games were to be held in the metro, and East was playing, I would be more than happy to make a day of it and still watch both games. The crowds yesterday in Duluth were a major bummer, but it seems to me that they have been dwindling for these events over the last few years. I would imagine they will show for Thursdays game however.

Thursdays game will be packed.

Very unlikely...half full at best. Only chance would be if Rapids or Cloquet were playing. Their fans are more loyal than any other communities by far.

[TheInsider]

As an East fan I love the fact that semifinal Saturday is held in Duluth. The opportunity to watch two games back to back with good talent and their respective seasons on the line is something l look forward to each year. That being said, if the games were to be held in the metro, and East was playing, I would be more than happy to make a day of it and still watch both games. The crowds yesterday in Duluth were a major bummer, but it seems to me that they have been dwindling for these events over the last few years. I would imagine they will show for Thursdays game however.

Thursdays game will be packed.

It will not be similar to last year. But, it should be a pretty good crowd.

[gitter]

I think attendance is suffering for high school hockey in general. It's not just Amsoil, but even in the metro. And I think it stems from, in part, the lack of big name players playing HS hockey. Back in the day, everyone would talk about the Neal Broten's, Henry Boucha's, Corey Millen's, Dave Spehar's, Larry Olimb's, etc. And that talk led to people filling the stands wanting to see these giants play. Now these giants are leaving before anyone can talk about them. By the time the casual fan has heard of a kid, well he's leaving to go play in the USHL or WHL or Ann Arbor. Now all the talk is, not who to go watch, but who left. Just look at the NHL scouting list.....its pretty tough to find an A-rated player playing MSHSL these days. Like it or not, the landscape is changing and I think that is having some residual effects on other intangibles relating to the game.

Hell, even look at this forum. It used to be full of posts and banter for all games, and now you only have to scroll down 1/3 of the way to find posts from 7 days ago. I barely could find updates to games going on on semifinal Saturday.

[north_bear]

Amzoil is a beautiful place. It didn't measure up to the hype. Parking was full and became difficult at one point. As far as the skyway walk from the lot you were still outside plenty. Concerning the lack of fans from the metro teams. THE ROADS SUCKED!. I would be plenty hesitant to jump in the car to drive to Duluth when I-35 was half ice in the metro along with HWY 23 being all ice, unless I had a direct stake in the game. My trip took an extra 45 minutes and I'd be damn hesitant to let my teenage kid drive there on those roads to watch. Face it, there are only about 100 parents per team (including JV), and maybe a 100-200 staunchly loyal fans per town (lots of casual fans), hence the small crowds. Why jump in the car and drive 150 miles to watch hockey when there were plenty of other good games in the metro 30-40 miles away. The talk of alternate sites in the case of 2 metro teams facing off are GREAT ideas. It would have made the ER VS Andover game more exciting if their fans could be there.

I think the roads definitely played a factor. Travel was being not advised Fri and the roads didn't get much better by Sat morning. Highway 2 was pretty snow and ice packed until about Floodwood. 200 loyal fans lol, I feel sorry for those teams.

[Nevertoomuchhockey]

Clearly Amsoil should be excluded from all future MSHSL scheduling until the city of Duluth puts up a sign on 35 for greenway and co. Puhleeze. You've been driving your kid to every single backwater rink since mites like the rest of us correct? Tell me you can't find the rink in Carlton, not Duluth. I started using this about ten years ago - www.rinkfinder.com

[fastncrash]

I don't think we do. Another page or two and the 3A crowd will start responding to their thread about how much more passionate they are than every other fan base.

Yeah.... you guys have about 30,000 more posts to catch up to 3A!

[TheInsider]

I think attendance is suffering for high school hockey in general. It's not just Amsoil, but even in the metro. And I think it stems from, in part, the lack of big name players playing HS hockey. Back in the day, everyone would talk about the Neal Broten's, Henry Boucha's, Corey Millen's, Dave Spehar's, Larry Olimb's, etc. And that talk led to people filling the stands wanting to see these giants play. Now these giants are leaving before anyone can talk about them. By the time the casual fan has heard of a kid, well he's leaving to go play in the USHL or WHL or Ann Arbor. Now all the talk is, not who to go watch, but who left. Just look at the NHL scouting list.....its pretty tough to find an A-rated player playing MSHSL these days. Like it or not, the landscape is changing and I think that is having some residual effects on other intangibles relating to the game.

Hell, even look at this forum. It used to be full of posts and banter for all games, and now you only have to scroll down 1/3 of the way to find posts from 7 days ago. I barely could find updates to games going on on semifinal Saturday.

You must have missed the DE-Rapids section Final last year... Jam packed Amsoil Arena.

[gitter]

I think attendance is suffering for high school hockey in general. It's not just Amsoil, but even in the metro. And I think it stems from, in part, the lack of big name players playing HS hockey. Back in the day, everyone would talk about the Neal Broten's, Henry Boucha's, Corey Millen's, Dave Spehar's, Larry Olimb's, etc. And that talk led to people filling the stands wanting to see these giants play. Now these giants are leaving before anyone can talk about them. By the time the casual fan has heard of a kid, well he's leaving to go play in the USHL or WHL or Ann Arbor. Now all the talk is, not who to go watch, but who left. Just look at the NHL scouting list.....its pretty tough to find an A-rated player playing MSHSL these days. Like it or not, the landscape is changing and I think that is having some residual effects on other intangibles relating to the game.

Hell, even look at this forum. It used to be full of posts and banter for all games, and now you only have to scroll down 1/3 of the way to find posts from 7 days ago. I barely could find updates to games going on on semifinal Saturday.

You must have missed the DE-Rapids section Final last year... Jam packed Amsoil Arena.

I would hope a section final fills up....just as I would hope the Xcel Center fills up for AA games. My point was 'in general' as I clearly stated in my opening sentence. Its quite easy to cherry pick a section final with GR-DE, or WBL-HM at the Coliseum as an example of a jam-packed arena. Where are they the other 27 games before the section finals and state tournament....like they used to be back in the day.