Students started lining up almost 24 hours before Minnesota Duluth men's season tickets went on sale Tuesday morning on campus at the Sports and Health Center.
By the end of the day nearly 700 of the allotted 873 student tickets were sold for 2012-13. Students are paying $110 for 15 games beginning with an Oct. 12-13 series with Ohio State. A year ago, entering the first full season at Amsoil Arena, student tickets sold out in one day.
The Bulldogs are coming off two straight years in the Division I playoffs -- an NCAA title in 2011 and a quarterfinal appearance in 2012.
"We expect the student section to be sold out before the first game," said UMD ticket manager Lisa Paczynski. "Considering that the economy is still coming back, we're glad to be at about the same level we were last year for student and public sales."
UMD ranked eighth in Division I attendance in 2011-12, averaging a school-record 6,328 fans per home game. Amsoil Arena seats 6,726.
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Individual game tickets, for students, go on sale Oct. 8 at $8 per game. Individual game public sales begin 10 a.m. on Oct. 2 at $30 per game for series against Wisconsin (Oct. 26-27) and St. Cloud State (Nov. 23-24), and $23 for all other games when purchased in person at UMD or Amsoil Arena. Ticketmaster sales have added charges.
UMD's public season ticket sales ended with about 4,200 packages sold at $400 each for 19 games, said Paczynski.
The UMD men are taking part in captain's practices, with the coaching staff allowed to be on the ice two hours a week. Official practice opens Oct. 6.
UMD women No. 7
The UMD women's team is ranked No. 7 in the USA Today-USA Hockey Magazine Division I preseason poll released Tuesday. Four Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams are represented: defending NCAA champion Minnesota at No. 1, Wisconsin No. 2, North Dakota No. 5 and UMD.
The Bulldogs, 21-14-1 last season, were ranked No. 8 in Monday's U.S. College Hockey Online preseason poll. UMD finished 2011-12 ranked No. 10 and missed the NCAA playoffs.
North Dakota suspends four players
The University of North Dakota suspended four men's players Tuesday who will sit out the season's first game Oct. 19 versus Alaska Anchorage in the Goal Rush tournament in Fairbanks, Alaska.
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The suspensions, following a team party held Saturday in Grand Forks, N.D., are for captains Andrew MacWilliam, Corban Knight, Danny Kristo and Carter Rowney.
"The behavior in this situation was unacceptable," North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison said in a statement. "Measures taken by the athletics department do not preclude possible additional measures by the department, or actions by the university, local or state authorities."
"Recent actions by our team are not a good representation of our place as role models within our community," coach Dave Hakstol said. "We have young men of high character in our locker room, but our players, and in particular our leaders, must be accountable for their actions."
