Seawolves moving games to campus

Alaska Anchorage announced on Wednesday that it is leaving Sullivan Arena after more than 30 years and will play games starting this coming season at its practice rink in the on-campus Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

The reason for the move is financial as, according to the press release, "state budget cuts require the university to evaluate its venue needs." The release said the Wells Fargo rink will be expanded to a 2,500-seat facility by 2021. Currently it holds only 750 seats. Sullivan Arena holds about 6,200, although UAA averaged 1,944 fans per game last season.

The WCHA issued a statement in support of the move, saying, "given the current budget climate in Alaska ... (the league) views it as a step towards strengthening the long-term viability of the Alaska Anchorage men’s hockey program." The statement added that UAA has assured the WCHA that the facility will meet all league and NCAA requirements for hosting games.

The future of the Alaska programs has been in question over the last couple of years due to the financial issues in that state.

Earlier this spring, Alaska Fairbanks announced that it will remain in that city's Carlson Center this upcoming season, but is looking to move back on campus within two years. One reason for that is the Carlson Center's aging ice plant. The Patty Ice Arena at UAF will serve as a backup home arena this season. The Carlson seats 4,324 for hockey, while the Patty has seating for 1,047. The linked story from March said no renovation plans for the on-campus rink were announced but that the WCHA requires its arenas to have at least 2,500 seats.

According to an attendance list on USCHO, there were 13 arenas in men's college hockey last season that had seating under 2,500. They were:

Brown, 2,495
Ferris State, 2,490
Air Force, 2,470
Union, 2,225
Colgate, 2,222
Princeton, 2,100
Bentley, 1,917
Canisius, 1,800
Niagara, 1,800
Robert Morris, 1,589
Holy Cross, 1,400
Mercyhurst, 1,300
Arizona State, 747

Here were the sizes of the WCHA arenas (does not include standing room):

Alabama Huntsville 6,600
Alaska Anchorage, 6,206
Bowling Green, 5,000
Minnesota State, 4,832
Bemidji State, 4,373
Alaska, 4,324
Michigan Tech, 4,466
Northern Michigan, 3,754
Lake Superior State, 3,373
Ferris State, 2,490

In some good news on the arena front, Alabama Huntsville is exploring building a new arena.