Better late than never.
Just four weeks before the second of two games between Air Force and Colorado College was scheduled to be played, the schools announced their Feb. 17 game will indeed be played outdoors at Falcon Stadium.
The long-rumored event, coming two days after the NHL Stadium Series game between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings is scheduled to be played, finally became a reality on Monday.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to play at Falcon Stadium,” Falcons coach Frank Serratore told the school’s official website. “Our program has never participated in an outdoor game. This one will be extra special because it’s being played on our campus against our cross-town rival. I strongly encourage the entire front range community to attend and cheer on their local college teams, and experience what may very well be a once-in-a-lifetime event.”
Why so long in taking to decide where Colorado Springs’ two Division I hockey teams would play on the 17th?
One hang-up was the NHL’s insistence that a certain threshold of tickets sold for the NHL game be surpassed. Apparently it was.
Hurdle No. 2 was the Academy and the League coming to an agreement on a sum for the Falcons to “rent” their own stadium for the event. The NHL “owns” the ice surface because it foots all the expenses for setting up the Stadium Series event.
Suffice to say Air Force will need to sell an awful lot of $25 tickets to make this work with the bottom line. But that is a fraction of what it will cost to attend the NHL game, which is why the college matchup wasn’t confirmed until a satisfactory amount of tickets were sold to the Avs-Kings game.
If you’re a casual hockey fan (or sports fan in general) who is intrigued by the idea of outdoor hockey between two of the region’s three NCAA D-I teams, then $25 is a relatively small price to pay.
CC played NCHC rival Denver in 2016 at Coors Field in the Battle on Blake. This will be the first outdoor game Air Force has played in the program’s 52-year Division I history.
It’s a fitting affirmation of the game’s growth in the Front Range, and it’s an excellent opportunity for both programs to gain exposure to eyeballs that might not otherwise visit Cadet Arena or Broadmoor World Arena to watch a game.
©First Line Editorial 2020