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Has there been any discussion about making the class A semi/finals part of the AA season ticket package? I have held tickets for a long time and have yet to use my Mariucci tickets, yet pay for them...

How about making the class A teams have a full house since season ticket holders account for about 11,000 seats?

Thoughts?

reg dunlop wrote:Has there been any discussion about making the class A semi/finals part of the AA season ticket package? I have held tickets for a long time and have yet to use my Mariucci tickets, yet pay for them...

How about making the class A teams have a full house since season ticket holders account for about 11,000 seats?

Thoughts?

I'd be in favor if were an option. Many would not want to be forced to pay for the Class A semi/finals if it were to made mandatory.

For $92 dollars you're still getting a great value. My family is way more likely to show up at Mariucci than any A game, so if they were included (assuming cost doesn't go up), we wouldn't show.

Bonin2121 wrote:For $92 dollars you're still getting a great value. My family is way more likely to show up at Mariucci than any A game, so if they were included (assuming cost doesn't go up), we wouldn't show.

You would rather go to the AA Mariucci than the A Semi's?

I think you may be in the minority there.

There's no reason they couldn't offer the option. Are Class A championship bracket tickets the same price or more than AA co solution. They could even make a few more $$$ on the deal. People may prefer to spend the day in Saint Paul, especially if that's where they're staying.

But apparently all Pioneer fans are bitter and cynical this week, and any time we pipe up we need to be reminded we lost to Stillwater. So just disregard this, and say something about how we're not there.

I think the question would become logistics and where people would be seated. All I know is my season ticket seat for tonight's game was 99.9% likely filled by some Hermantown student. Would they stick the students at the ends just like the AA?

Past years, I've loved the A semifinals. This year, no interest. Just going to the AA games tonight, but if I had to, I may have chosen AA at Mariucci for this year. Maybe would have gone if Breck was there.

Doc Holliday wrote:I think the question would become logistics and where people would be seated. All I know is my season ticket seat for tonight's game was 99.9% likely filled by some Hermantown student. Would they stick the students at the ends just like the AA?

Past years, I've loved the A semifinals. This year, no interest. Just going to the AA games tonight, but if I had to, I may have chosen AA at Mariucci for this year. Maybe would have gone if Breck was there.

A sessions are always General Admission. So you would just have a GA ticket rather than your assigned seat for the AA sessions. You would just have the ticket before hand so no standing in line.

Why would you want the lower section half empty because of no shows - especially the Friday afternoon games.

InYourFace09 wrote: A sessions are always General Admission. So you would just have a GA ticket rather than your assigned seat for the AA sessions. You would just have the ticket before hand so no standing in line.

Good point....but would the #'s work out in terms of number of AA ticket holders compared to people that want to watch the A? I'm guessing there wouldn't be enough tickets....

I could imagine it would work, but would probably take some work. Probably easier to just keep cashing in on the nice ticket sales they're currently getting for the consolation games...

I think the numbers would be fine. There isn't a huge amount of interest in either the AA consolation finals or the A semis. Whatever option people would choose, most of those seats would be given away to friends, neighbors, etc., just like they are now. It would take noting away from the AA consolation games, and it may generate some interest in class A.

The fire marshal need not worry about it.

East Side beat Roseau 8-3 and 6-2 . Roseau was seconds away from playing in the semi"s and perhaps the finals in AA . If you remember, the Rams did win the consy this year. Thanks for not going to the A games because I get great seats at it every year and 4 of my top 10 games all time were A games. You really can't be hockey fans if you think the A games ( championship bracket ) are not worth going to. But once again, thanks for leaving the great seats for me. As gor giving mr A general admission instead of AA consolation .... I would save $34 every year. Bring it on MSHSL.

whos_it wrote:East Side beat Roseau 8-3 and 6-2 . Roseau was seconds away from playing in the semi"s and perhaps the finals in AA . If you remember, the Rams did win the consy this year. Thanks for not going to the A games because I get great seats at it every year and 4 of my top 10 games all time were A games. You really can't be hockey fans if you think the A games ( championship bracket ) are not worth going to. But once again, thanks for leaving the great seats for me. As gor giving mr A general admission instead of AA consolation .... I would save $34 every year. Bring it on MSHSL.

Parse my words carefully, Grasshopper.

Note that I stated (what I believe are) facts. Further, note that I made no statement about whether or not I think hockey fans are or are not justified in not attending AA consolation or A semifinal games. The attendance figures are readily available. I would caution you to not read into my comments what isn't there. Judging by my post alone, I made no value judgements about the attendance at A semis, which is low relative to AA championship series games.

Finally, I did state my believe that allowing AA season ticket holders to get A semi tickets instead may boost interest I the A tournament.

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote:

whos_it wrote:East Side beat Roseau 8-3 and 6-2 . Roseau was seconds away from playing in the semi"s and perhaps the finals in AA . If you remember, the Rams did win the consy this year. Thanks for not going to the A games because I get great seats at it every year and 4 of my top 10 games all time were A games. You really can't be hockey fans if you think the A games ( championship bracket ) are not worth going to. But once again, thanks for leaving the great seats for me. As gor giving mr A general admission instead of AA consolation .... I would save $34 every year. Bring it on MSHSL.

Parse my words carefully, Grasshopper.

Note that I stated (what I believe are) facts. Further, note that I made no statement about whether or not I think hockey fans are or are not justified in not attending AA consolation or A semifinal games. The attendance figures are readily available. I would caution you to not read into my comments what isn't there. Judging by my post alone, I made no value judgements about the attendance at A semis, which is low relative to AA championship series games.

Finally, I did state my believe that allowing AA season ticket holders to get A semi tickets instead may boost interest I the A tournament.

We are not far apart. I can read data as well as the next guy. I can see attendance as well. The 3-4 AA had about 1200 people at it. I just don't understand NOT attending these awesome games .... to each their own:) By the way .... my use of "east side" above is in reference to East Grand Forks.

I would of loved to see EGF in person. My son and I were planning on going to the A semi's on Friday morning until we saw the line for tickets at 10:45 A.M. Rather then wait in line, for who knows how long, we ate lunch and watched the games on TV.

It would of been nice to use the $48 AA general seating consolation tickets I had in my pocket for the A general seating semi's.

Don't let long ticket lines discourage you. The staff at the X keeps things rolling pretty good. I've been in the line for AA semis when stretches through the RiverCentre lobby and past. Thinking there was no way I'd get in on time, I was in the building well before the puck dropped.

We have season tickets. Have had them in the family for years. A couple suggestions for the MSHSL.

We have used our Friday AM and Sat AM AA conso GA tickets once in the past 25 years. Make the AA package Thurs AM/PM, Fri PM and Sat PM. 4 total sessions not six.

If you want to pump up the A level then add one A season to the Premium package - the Championship round at the X. That's its no more.

Thank you

Based on nothing more than conjecture, I am convinced that this season ticket scam (of including consolation games) is the reason that the games are still at Mariucci. It's too big, and anyone who gets get hit up for parking.
Aldrich would be perfect. Suitably sized, it might even have a little atmosphere. parking is free. And it's no farther from the X than Mariucci is.

So why not move it there? Rent would be cheaper.

Look at the "attendance" figures, which are really "tickets sold" figures. These numbers are padded by the season ticket sales, because attendance isn't close to 11K. I think MSHSL would be embarrassed to sell that many tickets to a 3,500 seat venue.

I've been a season ticket holder for 20+ years, I used to go to the AA consolation games but pretty much quit when they put up TCF Stadium as parking at the U is terrible on Friday morning. Some years I go on Saturday like I did this year, others I don't, it depends on who plays and I really wanted to see Luverne again. I don't go watch the A games unless there is someone I want to see, like Luverne and New Prague this year, it's mostly a way for me voice my displeasure at the system that allows privates to control half of the A tournament by beating smaller community schools out along the way (Breck, Lourdes, SCC, STA, etc.) Even if A tickets were included in my package I would throw them out more often than not.

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote:
Look at the "attendance" figures, which are really "tickets sold" figures. These numbers are padded by the season ticket sales, because attendance isn't close to 11K. I think MSHSL would be embarrassed to sell that many tickets to a 3,500 seat venue.

Great point. So wondering do the official reported "attendance" figures include the 11,000 people that attended the Friday morning AA conso semi-finals at Mariucci and the 11,000 people that attended the Saturday morning/afternoon A/AA conso finals at Mariucci???

BogeyMan wrote:

East Side Pioneer Guy wrote:
Look at the "attendance" figures, which are really "tickets sold" figures. These numbers are padded by the season ticket sales, because attendance isn't close to 11K. I think MSHSL would be embarrassed to sell that many tickets to a 3,500 seat venue.

Great point. So wondering do the official reported "attendance" figures include the 11,000 people that attended the Friday morning AA conso semi-finals at Mariucci and the 11,000 people that attended the Saturday morning/afternoon A/AA conso finals at Mariucci???

That's my understanding.

The MSHSL lists the attendance at 1227 for the A consolation semi finals, 2868 for the AA consolation semi finals on Friday. 3104 for the A/AA consolation championships.

If you add up the total attendance it's 103,121.

goldy313 wrote:The MSHSL lists the attendance at 1227 for the A consolation semi finals, 2868 for the AA consolation semi finals on Friday. 3104 for the A/AA consolation championships.

If you add up the total attendance it's 103,121.

I don't have it in front of me right now, but the program from last week's tournamnet shows AA Friday Consolation attendance of about 11K. Saturday's A/AA Consolation session was about 6.5K.

I akse Karl in his "tournamnet notes" thread last week if the figure from MSHSL are "through the gate" or "tickets sold" and he said it's "tickets sold."