North Dakota is the nation’s most-watched college hockey team in 2011-12
The UND men’s hockey team punctuated another highly successful season by leading NCAA Division I men’s hockey three attendance categories in 2011-12.
North Dakota led the nation in total attendance (419,981) and average attendance (9,999.5) for all games – which includes home, away and neutral – and also led the country in total home attendance (249,501).
UND’s average home attendance of 11,341 fans per game ranked second nationally behind only Wisconsin’s 11,772.9.
“Our fans show up in large numbers and give our team an added boost in every building that we visit across the nation,” said UND head coach Dave Hakstol. “Here are Ralph Engelstad Arena, they have been a huge part of developing a dominant home-ice advantage over the past 10 years. Their passion is truly amazing.”
UND averaged just under capacity in the 11,634-seat Engelstad Arena in 2011-12, selling out 11 of 22 home games and eight of the last 10. The Sioux played in front of two of the five largest crowds in program history when 12,065 turned out to watch a 1-1 overtime tie with Michigan Tech on Feb. 18, and 12,029 witnessed a 3-0 win over Minnesota State in the regular season finale on March 3. Those two crowds ranked as the fourth and fifth-largest in program history.
UND went 15-4-3 at home in 2011-12, including a 10-3-1 mark in WCHA play. UND was 26-13-3 overall, set a league record by winning its third straight Broadmoor Trophy as WCHA Final Five champions, and advanced to the NCAA West Region championship as the tournament’s No. 1 seed.
Average Attendance Leaders (All Games)
1. North Dakota, 9,999.5
2. Minnesota, 9,272.4
3. Wisconsin, 9,174.3
4. Boston College, 8,268.6
5. Michigan, 7,055.7
Total Attendance Leaders (All Games)
1. North Dakota, 419,981
2. Minnesota, 398,715
3. Boston College, 363,820
4. Wisconsin, 339,448
5. Michigan, 289,284
Total Attendance Leaders (Home Games)
1. North Dakota, 249,501
2. Wisconsin, 235,458
3. Minnesota, 219, 401
4. Nebraska Omaha, 141,544
5. Colorado College, 135,078
Complete NCAA Division I men’s hockey attendance leaders can be found at www.collegehockeystats.net/1112/nationald/d1m.
— Jayson Hajdu, assistant Athletics director for media relations, 777-2985, jayson.hajdu@athletics.und.edu.
