Assistant coach Nick Robone goes over drills with players during UNLV hockey practice at City National Arena in Summerlin Thursday, March 12, 2020.
Tuesday, June 2, 2020 | 2 a.m.
The fun of a sports team’s schedule release is determining which games to attend.
The big rivalry game? The early-season test? It’s all about circling the calendar and finding out which night you will be in attendance.
UNLV hockey hopes that’s still the case. The team released its 30-game schedule Monday, and there’s plenty in there to look forward to. But perhaps the most interesting part was that tickets are going on sale this month.
As the sports world ponders whether games will happen and, if they do, whether they will happen with fans, UNLV is optimistic its games won’t be played in an empty arena. Games are scheduled to begin in September.
“Whether it be 50% capacity that the rink allows, or everyone is there, I’m just feeling confident right now,” assistant coach Nick Robone said. “I’d rather be prepared and ready to go and have marketing in place for it, and get ticket sales going — and plan and take the news as it comes.”
If games are canceled or required to be played in front of no fans, Robone said the team would refund the purchases and continue to stream its games online as it has in the past.
But losing gate receipts isn’t ideal. Robone estimated that the team nets about $3,000-$4,000 for home weekends from tickets and merchandise, which is big for a non-NCAA-sanctioned team like UNLV. The Rebels play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association and are not financially backed by the university in the same way its NCAA programs are.
“That kind of hurts us a bit,” Robone said of the possibility of playing without fans in attendance. “It’s just about finding a budget that makes sense for us this year, but making sure that it doesn’t affect the student-athletes’ experience.”
Like the NCAA, the hockey association was unable to complete its season and did not crown a national champion. UNLV was scheduled to head to the national tournament before it was scrapped, and finished No. 13 in the final rankings.
UNLV will travel to Virginia to open the season Sept. 24 for a two-game series with Liberty, which finished last year ranked No. 2. The Rebels will also host powerhouse Minot State, as well as regional opponents Arizona State, Arizona, Grand Canyon University and Utah. The first home game is set for Oct. 9 against Utah at City National Arena.
In total, UNLV will face four teams that finished last year in the top 10.
“Pretty much the same as every year, we want to schedule as tough as possible,” Robone said. “You’re not really going to set yourself to make any big jumps in the rankings if you don’t schedule tough teams and give yourself a chance to beat them.”
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
