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January 31, 2010

UW's early forecast for outdoor hockey: Cold, profitable

By Andy Baggot
The nuts and bolts of the Camp Randall Hockey Classic are fitting nicely into place, but two fickle forces will be tracked right up to the last possible second.

Mother Nature and human nature will go a long way toward defining the quality of the inaugural event, set for Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.

On-site preparations for the first outdoor games at the 80,000-seat facility — the women’s team vs. Bemidji State at 2 p.m. and the University of Wisconsin men’s team vs. Michigan at 5 p.m. — have been under way since Monday when Ice Rink Events of Woodlands, Texas, began putting the 200x85 ice sheet and its support structure on the football field.

That process has gone smoothly, according to UW assistant athletic director and event overseer Tim Wise, leaving ample time to fret about things that can’t be controlled.

• Like the weather. Bitter cold and/or precipitation would be the biggest detriments to the event. UW Athletic Department officials posted a hopeful Weather Channel forecast on their website this week, outlining an overcast, 32-degree day.

• Like advance ticket sales. The original objective of the Camp Randall Classic was to set a world record for attendance at an outdoor hockey game, making 75,000 the target. The current mark was set at Spartan Stadium in 2001, when Michigan State and Michigan played to a 3-3 tie.

Thirty years after the famed Miracle on Ice, it would take another for that record to fall. The latest report from UW had 46,000 tickets sold. While group sales have been brisk of late — aided in part by the fact the men’s team is ranked second in the country — it’s hard to imagine that kind of surge is in the offing.

Right now, a more attainable goal would be to fill the entire lower bowl, which would mean 55,000 to 60,000. A more definitive favorable weather forecast, combined with heightened attention as the unique event draws near, would help that cause.

“I’ve been doing a lot of praying that the weather holds out and the fans show,” Wise said.

The operational budget for the event is around $600,000, according to Wise, which includes $400,000 for the rink construction, $150,000 for security-related costs and between $20,000 and $30,000 for snow removal.