By Carlos Calo Rodríguez
It’s game day at the M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Connecticut.
Workers arrive five to six hours before puck drop or tipoff to ensure everything is ready for the students and fans. Their goal is to create an experience that makes people want to return.
For a 7 p.m. game on a Friday, staff members typically arrive around noon or 1 p.m. At that time, the arena is mostly silent. The faces are familiar, and the atmosphere is all business. Workers hustle across all three levels of the arena to prepare for the flood of fans soon to arrive.
The mid-level is the hub of activity. It houses the lobby, ticket office, concessions, and marketing offices. This level also leads to the Lender Basketball Court on the left and the ice hockey rink on the right. Below that are the locker rooms—for home and visiting teams, youth teams, and referees—as well as the gym, press room, and facilities offices. Upstairs is the University Club, where boosters gather pregame, and the media level, home to the broadcast team, student media, and the game operations crew managing music, the video board, and public address announcements.
The marketing team is constantly on the move, setting up contests for intermissions during hockey or media timeouts and halftime for basketball. Downstairs, players stretch and prepare their bodies in the gym. Nearby, the television crews are prepping in the studios, while concession workers haul supplies from the lower kitchens up to the lobby stands to ensure everything is ready before the gates open. They are also in charge of the pre-game table in the lobby, giving out Quinnipiac gear and the post-game signings from the players. They are one of the first to get into the Arena and one of the last groups to leave.
Doors typically open an hour to 90 minutes before game time. At Quinnipiac, that depends on how many fans are waiting and what the weather is like. If it’s cold or rainy, staff often open the doors a bit earlier. Once fans are allowed inside, the mood shifts. The staff is still working at full speed—but now, thousands of people are inside, and that changes everything.
“On a big gameday, people are super excited about what the day is going to be like,” said Quinnipiac University Athletic Director Greg Amodio. “There is nothing better than when we get that occasional Friday night game, and we load up with a bunch of promotions and specials, and the place is packed. At the end of the day, it should be a student-based initiative, that’s what we are trying to build for the community.”
Big crowds
The ice hockey rink has a capacity of 3,625 fans. On February 21, 2025, it was packed for one of the biggest games of the year: Quinnipiac vs. Yale in the “Battle of Whitney Avenue.” The Bobcats won for the 17th consecutive time, a victory that reinforced the heated rivalry between the two nearby schools.
“Playing in front of a sold-out arena is definitely one of the best things about hockey,” said Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey goaltender Noah Altman. “As you grow up and start playing at a higher level, the crowd ramps up. When you’re playing well, it almost feels like you’re in control of the entire arena. It’s so special knowing thousands of people’s days rely on your performance. There’s pressure, but I’ve always played my best when the crowd is big and loud—it helps me focus.”
For a game like this one, preparation starts from the moment the season schedule is released. The fans are just waiting on the tickets for this match-up up and tickets go out fast.
“The general public will buy those usually during the first two days after we start selling them,” said M&T Bank Arena Executive Director Eric Grgurich. “We sold out on those, and then we only have the student tickets. When we release the student ticket, it’s like our Super Bowl, where they go in under two minutes, 1,400 tickets will be gone.”
On the other side of the building, the Lender Basketball Court holds up to 3,570 fans. The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team has won the regular season title two years in a row, driving up attendance and enthusiasm. On February 28, 2025, the Bobcats faced Saint Peter’s on ESPNU. The arena was sold out, and the energy was electric. The game had extra meaning: Quinnipiac was seeking revenge after falling to Saint Peter’s in the conference semifinals the year before—part of the Peacocks’ run to March Madness.
Big crowds aren’t new to Quinnipiac. The school has hosted marquee events, including the NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Frozen Four in both 2014 and 2019.
“My favorite was the second one,” said M&T Bank Arena Executive Director Eric Grgurich. “We executed better because we knew what to expect from 2014. It was really cool—we sold out the championship game both times, and for the second one, we even had standing-room-only. We worked with departments all across campus to pull it off, and it came out fantastic.”
That 2019 tournament featured powerhouse programs: No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 2 Minnesota, No. 4 Clarkson, and No. 6 Cornell. In the end, the Wisconsin Badgers lifted the national championship trophy with a 2-0 win over Minnesota.
Dual-Use Facilities
Quinnipiac has one of the few dual-use facilities in the NCAA. The M&T Bank Arena houses two separate venues under the same roof. While other colleges like Holy Cross, UMass, or Army West Point use the same floor to transition between a basketball court and an ice rink, Quinnipiac’s advantage is that both sports have their own dedicated spaces.
Facilities like the Lenovo Center—home to NC State University’s men’s basketball team and the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes—also operate under one roof, but they share the same surface for both sports. This requires both teams to carefully coordinate schedules.
Fan Experience
“We are always trying to make sure it’s a safe event for everybody,” commented Grgurich.
Fan experience is crucial in college sports. It plays a significant role in driving ticket sales, strengthening connections with fans and communities, and enhancing the overall success of athletic programs.
For a mid-major like Quinnipiac, winning the 2023 NCAA National Championship in men’s ice hockey has significantly boosted fan engagement. Merchandise featuring the championship team remains popular, and the atmosphere at games reflects that enthusiasm.
Every game at the arena includes at least one or two fan contests, mostly involving students. Whether it’s dizzy bat, a trike race, or the blue line battle, fans compete for prize packs featuring Quinnipiac athletic gear. Depending on the game and contest, prizes can be even more substantial. For example, the half-court shot contest during the 2024–2025 basketball and hockey seasons awarded Avelo airline tickets.
Quinnipiac is relatively small compared to larger institutions like UConn, Syracuse, or Clemson, which tend to draw more students to games. So, how does Quinnipiac keep its fans engaged?
One challenge is the arena’s location. M&T Bank Arena is situated on the York Hill Campus, which houses mostly junior and senior students within walking distance. However, the main campus—Mount Carmel—is home to the majority of underclassmen, who must take a shuttle to reach the arena. The shuttle service is managed by an outside company, Valet Park of America, meaning the athletics department has no control over routes or schedules on game days.
Another important factor is rivalries. Quinnipiac is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and frequently competes with strong programs like Fairfield and Sacred Heart, both of which are geographically close and athletically competitive.
“The university should do a better job of promoting rivalries,” said Quinnipiac junior James Nolan. “Fairfield and Sacred Heart are local schools that we’re always competitive with. I’d love to see that narrative played up more.”
A more nationally recognized rivalry exists with Yale, stemming from the 2013 Men’s Ice Hockey National Championship in Pittsburgh, where Yale defeated Quinnipiac 4–0. Since then, the two teams have met regularly, with Quinnipiac dominating the series, winning all but two games. Quinnipiac has also built a strong rivalry with ECAC opponent Cornell. Since 2001, the two programs have faced off 55 times, with Cornell holding a narrow edge: 28 wins to Quinnipiac’s 21, along with six draws.
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