For the first time in the 2011-2012 season, the Carolina Hurricanes hosted their “College Night” promotion offering discounted tickets to college students in the Triangle.
Tuesday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators was the first of six games that will feature the promotion this season. With the deal, students have the opportunity to purchase lower level seats starting at $30 and upper level seats starting at $15.
Ottawa (4-5-0) defeated Carolina (3-4-2) in a shootout for its first win at RBC Center since Dec. 12, 2007.
The College Night series has taken on a new shape this year as a new ambassador initiative has been put in place. The first 100 students to register valid College Night tickets outside of section 109 have the opportunity to receive a free t-shirt if they “check-in” to RBC Center on Facebook using a smart phone.
Hurricanes’ marketing coordinator Coop Elias said the College Night promotion is especially crucial toward the beginning of the hockey season.
“It is part of our ‘Think Ice’ Campaign and so we’re just trying to bring awareness to the start of hockey season,” Elias said. “It’s a good exciting event to go out to with some friends. We are the only professional sport in the Triangle.”
Elias also commented on how social media is the promotion’s main lifeline.
“All of this is supported by our social media,” Elias said. “‘Canes College Night Facebook page, Twitter account, posting different giveaways all throughout the season. Just to let people know that if they follow us, there’s always a chance they could win a prize.”
And taking advantage of those prizes isn’t just about saving money, it’s also about growing the game of hockey throughout the community.
“I’m from Fayetteville and never really was into hockey, but then came here,” Matthew Davis, a senior in Criminology, said. “I just went to a game and got hooked, and I’ve been liking it ever since.”
For seniors like Davis, taking advantage of the College Night promotion is an opportunity about to come to an end in the near future.
“I’ve only been to two or three college night games,” Davis said. “But since I am a senior, I’m trying to take advantage of my last year of eligibility to go to Canes games for really cheap and try to make it to every College Night game.”
Alex Price, sophomore in public relations, helped facilitate the promotion by helping people register. A self-described Hurricanes fan, Price is one of eight volunteers that worked the booth on Tuesday night.
“What we are trying to get to is the college kids, especially the kids on N.C. State’s campus,” Price said. “Carolina has a pretty decent fan base, but this is the inaugural season that we are doing this ambassador program so we are just trying to reach out to college students. Next college night is bobble-head night, so I’m sure we will be giving out those.”
The Hurricanes also run a deal to drop prices of concessions during the College Night games. Two dollar sodas can be purchased in addition to the half-price parking offered before the game starts.
For the next college night game, Price said the plans for the ambassador program will be very similar.
“We may change the location [of the booth],” Price said. “We’re going to try to get a banner depending on the price, but it will be the same sort of set up.”
Price was just one of the students who watched an exciting comeback for the Hurricanes. Down 2-0 late in the game, goals by Tuomo Ruutu and Jeff Skinner sent the contest to overtime where it would eventually have to be decided in a shootout. Jason Spezza of Ottawa scored the lone shootout goal to send the ‘Canes packing.
The next College Night game will be against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. As always, the promotion is available until 5:30 p.m. the day of the game online at CarolinaHurricanes.com.
