of years BC and BU generally drew good crowds. UML and Northeastern did, as well. You're right about other college sports but the falloff in hockey is recent and IMHO is not due to the appeal of pro sports.

I have heard good things about games at BU, though I have never gone. One of my neighbors played hockey at Merrimack and I couldn’t tell you the last time he has been to a game.

All the conversations I have had recently about going to a hockey game has been about the Bruins. No one seems to care about going to a college hockey game. It is odd given the youth interest in the sport and the affordability of a college game.

this year, given the season it's having. Of course, it plays its home games 90 miles away, so that isn't a Boston attendance issue. NESN still covers a fair number of HE games, as well. Merrimack is probably not a good example, in part because it's never had a consistently good program and because its rink is tiny. I just don't think that your correct generalization about pro vs. college fits the hockey niche. In other words, the recent falloff is likely due to something else.

For instance, there have been NU games on the channel this season that looked very much like they were basically produced by NU.