The number of visitors to men’s ice hockey Division I increased in 2022-23

The 2022-23 NCAA Division I men’s hockey season was as compelling as it has been in recent memory, and that excitement certainly showed at the gates. NCAA Division I men’s hockey attendance increased 15 percent nationally in 2021-22, and 44 of the 59 (75 percent) men’s programs that competed in both seasons saw attendance increase in 2022-23.

Arizona State experienced the largest increase in attendance, averaging 870 fans per game at Oceanside Arena in 2021-22 to 4,791 fans in 2022-23 at Mullet Arena, which opened in October. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) boasted the largest per-game percentage increase, growing 513 percent year-over-year.

Biggest increase in attendance (fans/game)
1. Arizona State (+3,921)
2. Omaha (+2,063)
3rd RPI (+1,884)
4. Sacred Heart (+1,849)
5. Minnesota (+1,243)

The largest increase in the number of participants (pct/game)
1. RPI (+513%)
2. Sacred Heart (+493%)
3. Arizona State (+451%)
4. Yale (+136%)
5. Dartmouth (+113%)

The increase in enrollment for 2022-23 is due in part to the lifting of COVID restrictions that were still in place at some schools, mainly ECAC. However, what college hockey experienced in 2022-23 was more than a post-pandemic return to normality; at least nine schools set new single-game attendance records for their current home states in 2022-23: Arizona State (Jan. 14), Connecticut (several), Mercyhurst (Oct. 1), Northeastern (several), Northern Michigan (Dec. 2), Omaha ( Feb. 10), Penn State (Jan. 21), Sacred Heart (Jan. 21) and St. Thomas (Feb. 4).

The regular-season contest also featured a quartet of National Hockey League (NHL) venues in Detroit, Boston, Denver and New York: Michigan and Michigan State met in front of 18,325 at Little Caesars Arena, the Beanpot averaged 18,258 at TD Garden; Colorado College and Denver played in front of 17,952 at Ball Arena; and Cornell and UConn battled in front of 12,247 at Madison Square Garden.

Fans also turned out in droves for three away games in 2022-23. The Faceoff on the Lake (Feb. 18) between Michigan and Ohio State drew 45,523 fans to Clevelands FirstEnergy Stadium, while 22,500 for the Frozen Fenway doubleheader (Jan. 7) featuring UConn vs. Northeastern and Boston College vs. Fenway UM Parks .

The season culminated in the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa, where Quinnipiac defeated Minnesota with 19,444 at Amalie Arena, the second-largest national championship game attendance ever.