Saturday night’s “College Hockey Showdown” at Madison Square Garden is a good example of what these neutral site events can mean when done right.
Though MSG wasn’t close to sold out - it looked to be about 2⁄3 full - the environment and the event were fantastic and worthy of the big stage.
The atmosphere at the game was outstanding - it almost felt a bit like the intensity, environment, and big-game feel of the Beanpot at times. Naturally, most of the excitement was generated by the traveling hordes of Fighting Hawks fans, but BC was present as well, and the Eagle fans in attendance were certainly more in to it than they get at the usually moribund Conte Forum.