SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – With a combination of success on the field of play and a revamped marketing and communications plan, utilizing both traditional and new media strategies, the Lake Superior State athletic department saw an average attendance increase of 33% for hockey, basketball and volleyball during the 2018-19 season. The department also saw a surge in advance ticket sales, particularly for hockey.
Laker hockey, which finished the season with a 23-12-2 record and had its most wins in a season since 1995-96, led the way with a 35% increase in attendance. The hockey team averaged over 2,000 fans per game this season as the Lakers went on to win their first-ever home Western Collegiate Hockey Association Playoff series — sweeping Bemidji State in a two-game quarterfinals set on March 8-9 at Taffy Abel Arena. The attendance at home hockey games saw an increase of more than 500 fans per game over the 2017-18 season.
The volleyball team was second with an attendance increase of 21% over the previous season. The Laker volleyball team tallied its most wins in a season since 2011 and forced a fifth set in 13 of their 25 matches on the season.
The Laker men's and women's basketball teams saw their attendance increase 19% over the 2017-18 season. The men's basketball team finished the season with a 15-12 record, including an 8-4 mark at Bud Cooper Gymnasium, and made the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. The women's basketball team won its most games in a season since 2011-12 and its most home games since 2016-17.
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