NCAA Hockey Provides Healthy Economic Boost

GREEN BAY, Wis.
March 23, 2006

Green Bay, WI – With the 2006 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championships - Midwest Regional in Green Bay this weekend, the area can expect quite a boost to the local economy.

This is the first time Green Bay has hosted the Midwest Regionals, making this weekend’s event the second NCAA Regional Championship held in Green Bay within the last 15 months. NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Regionals were held at the Resch Center in December of 2004.

At the time PMI and the Packer Country Visitor and Convention Bureau secured the event for Green Bay in early 2003, a conservative economic impact was estimated at more than $1 million for the two-day event.

“We welcome all four teams to Packer Country, and hope they have a fantastic stay in Green Bay, said Kari Sliva, Packer Country Visitor and Convention Bureau President/CEO. The Packer Country Visitor and Convention Bureau greeted players and coaches at the airport today, and they have already made plans for specific restaurants they wanted to try while in the area. This is precisely the kind of event that MECCA had in mind when building the Resch Center. Hosting an NCAA Division I tournament is huge, and we consider it an honor to host such a prestigious event.”

With Wisconsin fans eager to cheer on the home team, this weekend's tournament is a near sellout. Tickets for Saturday's semifinals are sold out, with a limited number of seats remaining available for Sunday's final. This is the second time within a month and a half that Wisconsin has played a college hockey game in Green Bay. On February 11th, the Badgers played Ohio State in front of 40,890 fans at Lambeau Field for the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic.

Wisconsin, the #1 seed in the Midwest Regional plays #4 seed Bemidji State at 1:30pm at the Resch Center. #2 seed Cornell faces off against #3 seed Colorado College at 4:30pm. The winners of the two games play on Sunday at 4:00pm.

“We are very proud to have been able to secure the 2006 Midwest Regionals and bring an event like this to Green Bay for the first time. A great deal of planning and community partnerships made it possible to compete with cities larger than ours, and Green Bay has bids in for the return of the Midwest Regionals to the area in 2010 and 2011,” said Sliva.

Area hotels assisting in this weekend’s event include Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn City Centre, Ramada Plaza Hotel, Best Western Midway, St Brendan's Inn, and the Wingate Inn.

For more information on events and activities in Packer Country, visit www.packercountry.com.

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Packer Country Visitor & Convention Bureau is the regional destination marketing organization committed to improving the visitor experience and increasing the economic impact of tourism to its communities. For more information call 888-867-3342 or visit us online at www.packercountry.com.