The Ice Breaker Tournament: A Superficial Review



You are winner.

Disappointment was my initial feeling.  Then sleepy.  Then apathetic.  Then...meh.  Go hockey.
I hope this isn't true, but there were only 2,254 at the Sprint Center (according to the box score) last weekend for the Ice Breaker tournament.  That can't be right, can it?  Last year, on a college campus of a school in the finals, 9,000+ people attended.  Surely KC could have gotten half of that number to show up.  Either way, bully for those of you who got to see the games in person.

Before we freak out too much, it's worth a look at the attendance numbers when the Ice Breaker was in St. Louis, a neutral site, two years ago.  The final featured Boston University and Notre Dame, and only had just over 2,000 people attend (again, according to the box score).  The tournament was also in an NHL-sized arena -- Scottrade Center -- so, yeah.  Don't feel too bad, Kansas City hockey fans.  We beat the average!

But, I for one hoped more people would attend, especially for a televised event.  But, we can't always get what we want.  That didn't take away from the good times had by those in attendance, I'm sure.  Alas, there are other things to do on a Friday and Saturday night in Kansas City, despite popular belief.  The only real issue with people not showing up to the Ice Breaker is that hockey folks around town assumed people would pack the house for the Rangers-Avalanche game scheduled for the Saturday before.  Of course, the NHL is different than the NCAA for a variety of reasons, so fans found something else to do or went on living their lives instead of exchanging their tickets.

Introducing the Unscientific, Arbitrary, Favorite College Hockey Team Deciding Flowchart

YOU MUST CLICK THIS TO EMBIGGEN UNLESS YOU CAN READ 2 POINT FONT

Click to embiggen, just like it says above, or click here and use the zoom in tool you resourceful Internet user.  Or click here.  Or perhaps here.  CLICK HERRRREEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Do you not have a favorite college hockey team?  Well, you came to the right place, champ.  All 59 NCAA Division 1 hockey programs represented in the preceding flowchart.  SCIENCE was not used in determining this chart.  EMOTION was though, so that's good.  College sports fandom is based on EMOTION.  The green arrows are 'yes' answers to the questions presented.  The red arrows are 'no' responses.  Yes, the flowchart looks like Africa and southwestern Asian continent.  Yes, that is a coincidence.

Remember: THE ICE BREAKER TOURNAMENT IS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY!!!!

The schedule is as follows:

All games will be televised on NBC Sports Network.

Check out each school's primer for the Ice Breaker while you are here:

Army Opens Season At Ice Breaker

Maine: Men's Ice Hockey Travels to Kansas City, Mo. for 2012 Ice Breaker Tournament

#13 Irish to Face Off Against Maine in Opener of 2012 Ice Breaker Tournament

Nebraska-Omaha doesn't not have a story on the tournament

Check out PucKChaser's much more detailed preview of each squad.

Once again, click here to check out the flowchart's full size.

Oh, also, look at that post below.  Nutbush's first post.  Welcome, Nutbush.

Ice Breaker Tournament Games To Be Televised on NBCSN

Are you going to the Ice Breaker Tournament games at the Sprint Center on October 12th and 13th?  Well, you should, because aside from the Mavericks, that may be the only non-rec league hockey we get to see in our fair metropolitan area this fall/winter.  But, if you can't make it out, don't worry because NBC Sports Network has you covered.

Three of the tournament games – including the tournament championship – will be shown on NBCSN.  Here is the schedule, via SBNation:

So, this is nice.  Every team gets at least one game on television.  For Army, this will be their only NBCSN televised game.

This will not only give Kansas City hockey fans a nice change of pace from the NHL exhibition games every year, but also expose the Sprint Center ice its first television audience.  The barn may not be completely full for these games, but this will give a section of the national hockey-loving public a taste of what Kansas City has to offer as a hockey town.

To the best of my research, other than Mavs and Blades games that have been televised locally on MetroSports, I cannot find the last actual nationally televised hockey game in Kansas City history.  Has there been one?  My knowledge of the 1970s is a bit fuzzy, but television coverage for the Scouts may have been minimal, if not nonexistent (just ask Aaron over at the NHL in KC).  Please correct me if I'm wrong, though.

Go be a part of Kansas City hockey history and sit in the stands, or watch, the first (maybe) nationally televised hockey game in Kansas City history!

NBCSN channels in KC:
Time Warner: 55, 323, 1323
U-Verse: 640, 1640
Dish: 159
DirecTV: 603

NBCSN channel page