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Editor’s note: Some questions have been edited for brevity.
Q. Why is hockey no longer a part of homecoming weekend at Merrimack? The 2018 season was the last time both hockey and football played during the weekend. Hockey hosted UMass and football played AIC. Obviously, they were still Division II at the time, but I always enjoyed when both teams were featured.
I’m not sure.
Traditionally, I think most people view homecoming as more of a football event than a hockey event. That said, hockey has always been one of Merrimack’s most visible programs. For a long time, it was the most visible program at the college because everything else was competing at the Division II level.
This year, homecoming is at the end of September, so the hockey season hasn’t started yet.
But to your point, I thought it made for a better event when both teams played. You could have a noon football kickoff, a 7 p.m. hockey game, and plenty of barbecuing in between. Personally, I always enjoyed that aspect of the weekend.
Trying to look at it from the college’s perspective, Merrimack doesn’t really need homecoming to generate a crowd for hockey.
The Warriors played to approximately 90 percent capacity at home last season, which ranked No. 19 nationally. And that includes every designated home game, including Penn State’s game at an NFL stadium. If you remove “home” games played in football stadiums and NHL arenas across the country, Merrimack would have been closer to No. 17 nationally in percentage of capacity.
So maybe the thinking is that hockey is already drawing close to 90 percent capacity without homecoming, and there’s potentially more return on investment by centering the weekend around football.
Merrimack announced an attendance of 15,426 for last season’s homecoming football game against Robert Morris. That’s probably the total number of homecoming tickets distributed or sold, although I don’t know that for certain. I’m just not sure you can fit 15K people into Duane Stadium, even with standing room.
Outside of that game, Merrimack’s next-highest football attendance last season was 4,819 for the home opener, and each of the final two home games drew fewer than 2,000 fans.
I don’t think you can have homecoming without football. That’s the major afternoon event. But even if I can understand some of the financial reasoning behind it, I agree with you that finishing the day with a big non-conference men’s hockey game — Wisconsin or someone similar — was a nice way to bookend the weekend.
Q. Do you have any idea when Merrimack will start selling single-game hockey tickets? I don’t see anything on the website, and games start in five weeks. Have you confirmed the non-conference schedule?
I don’t know exactly when single-game tickets will go on sale.
Honestly, I wasn’t aware they weren’t available yet until last week, when you and four other people emailed me asking about it.
I’d suggest reaching out to the college directly if you’re looking for a specific date, but I’d have to assume that information will be coming soon. The season begins in about a month.
I was away and didn’t make the football game Friday night, but I was told there was an announcement during the game that hockey tickets would go on sale this week. So stay tuned.
Merrimack also hasn’t officially released its full schedule yet, and typically the schedule release and ticket information come out around the same time.
I have confirmed all of the non-conference games:
Oct. 2 — at Sacred Heart (exhibition)
Oct. 3 — at Quinnipiac (season opener)
Oct. 16 — vs. Minnesota State
Oct. 17 — vs. Minnesota State
Oct. 23 — at Notre Dame
Oct. 24 — at Notre Dame
Nov. 6 — vs. Holy Cross
Nov. 27 — vs. St. Lawrence (Lake Placid)
Nov. 28 — vs. Clarkson (Lake Placid)
Dec. 5 — vs. Brown
Jan. 31 — vs. Dartmouth
The Hockey East schedule includes 24 games.
Merrimack will play every conference opponent at least twice, with four teams appearing three times on the schedule.
Those three-game opponents are:
UConn: two home, one away
UMass Lowell: one home, two away
Vermont: one home, two away
New Hampshire: one home, two away
Here’s a full look at the conference schedule:
That makes a total of 18 home games and 16 road games for their 34-game total schedule.
Q. I’ve been following your preseason hockey rankings and I’m wondering where you’ll have Merrimack ranked nationally to begin the year?
Well, you’re going to have to wait and see!
I do have the Warriors inside the top 15 nationally. There are still a few things that could move teams up or down a couple of spots, but Merrimack returns so much from last season that I’d be surprised if the Warriors fell outside the top 15.
Whether they crack my top 10 is another question. I’m not sure they’ll get there, but I think it could be close.
We’ll see.