UTICA, NY – The nationally ranked Utica College men’s ice hockey team has once again led all NCAA Division III ice hockey programs in home attendance. The No. 3 Pioneers have upped their streak to fourteen straight seasons atop the Division III national average attendance list, according to the annual count tracked by US College Hockey Online.
In 17 home dates during the 2019-20 season, the Pioneers averaged a total of 3,394 fans per home game. That average is over 1,200 fans per game higher than any other team in Division III. Utica’s home attendance average this year would also rank 22nd in all of NCAA College Hockey, just ahead of longtime Division I power Boston University. The Terriers averaged 3,313 fans over the course of the season.
This season, a total of 57,703 tickets were spoken for at Pioneers games. That number more than doubles that of the second most-attended Division III program in the nation, Oswego State. The Lakers were second in average with 2,073 fans.
Plattsburgh State, Geneseo, and Norwich rounded out the top five. Four of the top five schools in home attendance were from New York State.
Members of the nation’s finest fan base witnessed one of Utica’s strongest seasons to date. The Pioneers finished with a program record for wins and a 25-2-2 overall record in the 2019-20 campaign. They hold the longest active winning streak in NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey at 20 straight games. That streak was integral to capturing a fourth straight conference regular season title, a second conference tournament title in three years, and the top overall seed in the 2020 NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship Tournament. Utica posted a home record of 14-1-2 this season.
