August 23, 2000

Hockey Ticket System Changes

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Looking to firm up Lynah Rink’s reputation as the greatest atmospere in college hockey, the Cornell Athletic Ticket Office is reforming the season ticket system to from a a mail-in lottery system to one based solely on first-come, first serve.

The decision comes out of a desire to allow the most devout Cornell men’s ice hockey fans first crack at tickets, which will be $90 for the season.

While in the past, students had to rely on luck and seniority to lay their hands on a set of tickets, this year they will have to earn them by waiting in line. Students can start lining up outside of Field House starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16. Tickets will be distributed on Monday, Sept. 18, at 5 p.m.

According to Gene Nighman of the Ticket Office, the new system will avoid the situation of empty season ticket seats that the lottery system spurred on last year.

“Some kids just never used their tickets,” he said.

It will also reward students who feel passionately about Cornell hockey rather than those who are fortunate enough to mail out their ticket forms early enough.

“We wanted the most avid fans first access to the rink,” stated head coach Mike Schafer ’86.

Like last year, two tickets can be purchased by each buyer.

However, students need not trudge their sleeping bags to Lynah in order to stand in line for tickets. On the first day of the process, students will receive a line number at the Ticket Office. During the day there will be random line checks, which will stop at 11 p.m. and begin only at 9 a.m. the next morning, affording students the opportunity to spend the night in their own beds rather than on the ground.

But the Ticket Office will not deny students the chance to sleep out.

Nighman said, “They’re welcome if they want to.”

Archived article by Shiva Nagaraj