Target Center to host NCHC championships
The Target Center will begin hosting a series of collegiate hockey championship games starting in 2014.
The 2013-14 season will be the first for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The conference is made up of eight Division I schools, including St. Cloud State and the University of North Dakota.
UND hockey coach Dave Haksol said he thinks college hockey fans will enjoy seeing games at the Target Center.
"I think a lot of people know the Target Center as a basketball building," Haksol said. "My first memories of this building are as a great hockey venue. We played a few games back here in the mid-90s in the IHL with the Minnesota Moose. I recall site lines, atmosphere, everything being tremendous in this building."
Minneapolis city officials say the tournament will attract around 18,000 fans to the city. They expect the visitors to spent more than $14 million in Minneapolis during the tournament.
Mayor R.T. Rybak says the money will be a boost to the city's hospitality industry.
"We intend to get a baseball all-star game," Rybak said. "But having these amateur events that really bring out people who are even more committed to usually a family member or whatever — people who just bring a larger personal connection to the team spend a lot of money in town."
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