Lynah Rink seats 3,836 people. Last night, more than 800 students attempted to be among the lucky few who will fill the ancient venue this winter, as the athletic ticket office began the weekend-long ticket distribution process.
At approximately 8:45 p.m. last night, the athletic department announced that it would distribute line numbers in the parking lot north of Berman Field. Hundreds of undergraduates reported to the distribution site within minutes of the announcement, at which point ticket office staffers began to hand out numbers.
“I decided to do it here tonight between 7 and 7:30,” said Gene Nighman ’81, director of athletic tickets and events, shortly after the line number distribution began. “We knew we were going to do it tonight, but we weren’t sure where. We actually had another site determined, and I drove by there, and thought after looking at it that it wasn’t the best site. After brainstorming, this seemed to be a good spot, because we had a fence to contain one side, and there’s plenty of lights and plenty of parking.”
By 9:30 p.m., the ticket office had distributed 687 line numbers. As each line number can be used to purchase two tickets, this number represents the 1,374 seats available to undergraduates. The remaining students were placed on a waiting list, and will be recalled should any of the students who did receive line numbers fail to report to any line check over the next four days, or if any student holding a line number purchases only one ticket.
“Kids on the waiting list won’t have to stay the night,” Nighman said. “We’ll call or e-mail them if a ticket becomes available.”
Despite some initial confusion at the line’s start time, many students seemed satisfied with the outcome of the process.
“It’s a lot better than I thought it was going to be, I thought it was going to be just one big mob of people, but I think they’re actually doing a pretty good job,” said Brenden Miller ’08, who got line number 542.
For many students, being in the right place at the right time proved to be the key to success. “I didn’t even hear the start time,” said Shane Messner ’07, who was first on line. “I was sitting in the Class of ’44 Room, waiting for any suspicious activity, I saw the police officer knock on the door to talk, and about 25 minutes later, I saw a bunch of guys walking out with the ‘Hockey Ticket Sales’ sign, I just walked next to them the whole entire time, waiting for them to put it down.”
Messner, who is a member of the track and field team, did not have tickets last year. “Last year I was a freshman, ignorant to how the whole line worked, so I didn’t have a chance,” he said. “This year, I knew it would be somewhere around Bartels. I knew, being an athlete, about the Class of ’44 Room, and I used that to gain an advantage over everyone else.”
However, many students went home displeased, after the line number quickly ran out. “This is an outrage. The free-for-all nature made everything much worse,” said Will Hausberg ’05. “I’m a senior, and after having tickets for three years, I think that maybe I should have some sort of priority.”
Students who did receive line numbers spent last night in Barton Hall, and will do the same tonight and tomorrow night for line checks between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Line checks will also take place between 6:30 p.m. Friday and 8:00 p.m. Saturday. Seat selection will take place Saturday night.
Archived article by Owen Bochner
Sun Sports Editor