EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The Evansville Thunderbolts this season earned their first-ever playoff berth and the first in six years for an Evansville hockey team.
But at the gate, the Thunderbolts’ shots sailed far from the net, negatively impacting city finances.
Going into Sunday’s final regular season home game at 3:30 p.m. (it was rescheduled from Friday night due to visiting team travel issues), the Thunderbolts’ average at the Ford Center is 2,279, last in the 10-team SPHL. The ninth-place Mississippi RiverKings, located near Memphis, Tennessee, averaged 2,284.
The leaguewide average is 3,212.
Tickets to Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. game vs. the Fayetteville Marksmen start at $5. The game will be followed by a free open house (doors open for that at 5:30), which includes a skate with players and announcement of the Thunderbolts’ playoff opponent and schedule. The first home playoff game will have free admission.
Thunderbolts Hockey@evvthunderboltsSHOUT OUT & THANK YOU to @eisforeveryoneevv!!! Thunderbolts Home Playoff Game will be FREE for Everyone! No ticket needed, gen admission. Announcing info on date, time & opponent Sun evening/ Mon morning! #feelthethunder #feeltheplayoffs #eisforeveryone #hockeyisforeveryone
As of March 2017, the Thunderbolts are owned by VW Sports LLC, an offshoot of VenuWorks, which has a city government contract to manage the Ford Center. Scott Schoenike, executive director of the arena, said having a hockey team brings many benefits, not the least of which is an entertainment option for families and sports fans.
Home hockey games (28 in an SPHL regular season) fill the arena’s calendar while also boosting its sales of suites, sponsorships and concessions.
Attendance woes, though, are making it harder for the taxpayer-owned Ford Center to break even.
VenuWorks returns all of its profits to the city. For the extremely busy first two months of 2018, that profit came to $439,000.
But when combined with the City-County Building Authority’s expenses at the Ford Center – six Teamster employees as well as part-time labor to prepare the arena for different events – that $439,000 profit flips to a $125,000 city loss.
Struggling hockey attendance is one factor behind that figure. And having a playoff-caliber team this season did not provide a boost.
“I’ve been a little disappointed in the crowds,†Schoenike said. “But I think we’ve built a good foundation. I think we had a good year, we did things right. That’s the hardest thing about minor league sports. But next year we’ll have a full year of our salesmen getting out. A lot of those ticket prices were set before we picked up the team.â€
Evansville businessman Mike Hall was part-owner of the Thunderbolts when the club was introduced as an SPHL expansion team. The Thunderbolts replaced the IceMen, an ECHL team that bolted amid a bitter dispute between owner Ron Geary and city government over rent and revenue disbursement.
Hall sold his interest in March 2017, as the Thunderbolts struggled to win and draw fans in the club’s first season. Hall’s ownership came with an agreement he would run the club on VenuWorks’ behalf. With Hall no longer involved, much of that role has fallen to Schoenike.
Evansville residents’ Interest in hockey has waned since the bitter public dispute between city officials and Geary. The IceMen moved to Jacksonville, Florida, after Geary’s plan to play in Owensboro, Kentucky, fell apart.
The IceMen averaged 4,043 during their lame-duck 2015-16 season at the Ford Center. They drew 5,415 per game in 2012-13 and filled the arena for promotions such as Star Wars Night and New Year’s Eve games.
Schoenike said he’d love to get back to those attendance levels, but he wants to set realistic goals. He does not buy the argument that Evansville’s drop in hockey classification from the ECHL, which has an affiliation with the National Hockey League, to the unaffiliated SPHL is a reason for the attendance drop.
The IceMen played in another unaffiliated league before moving up in class to the ECHL, Schoenike said.
Heading into the Thunderbolts’ third season, VenuWorks wants to see an attendance boost, as well as continued winning hockey.
The club will target more corporate and group business next season, in addition to walk-up and season ticket business, hoping to bump the average to 2,500 or so.
“I can live off 2,500 paid,†Schoenike said. “Financially, that works. I’d like to get back to 3,600, but 2,500 works financially, and that’s really what we need to hit. Right now, we’re lower than that, but not by a crazy amount that’s unattainable. We need some more fans to make it work, but it’s not like we have to double our crowds.â€
And, the current season isn’t over yet.
Playoffs coming up
The Thunderbolts are assured of having at least one home playoff game – more if the club advances.
The top eight SPHL teams qualify for playoffs, and the top four teams choose first-round opponents from the bottom four. Schoenike said it’s possible the top-seeded Peoria Rivermen will pick Evansville, in part for travel reasons.
Free admission to the first home playoff game is sponsored by E is for Everyone. All playoff series in the SPHL are best-of-three.
Schoenike wants local residents to come enjoy themselves.
“That’s one thing the SPHL does nice; they don’t stretch it,†Schoenike said. “There’s three rounds for a championship, and it will happen over three weeks.â€
