Attendance numbers looking up for Macon Mayhem
If the Macon Mayhem are going to catch on in a town that has seen multiple minor-league sports franchises come and go, team President Mark Richards knows it will be about entertainment more than hockey.
He said as much as the team prepared for Sunday's game against the Peoria (Illinois) Rivermen at the Macon Coliseum.
"We don't sell hockey; we sell fun," he said. "We're not naive enough to think that we're selling hockey in Macon, Georgia."
That concept has seemingly caught on, as the Mayhem are in the midst of their best run of home attendance since beginning their inaugural season in October. Friday's game, with an attendance of 2,708, marked a four-game stretch with at least 2,300 fans, the longest such stretch this season.
That was also the best attendance at a Mayhem home game since the season opener Oct. 23, when a crowd of just more than 3,000 people came to watch a 5-4 shootout loss to the Knoxville Ice Bears. Sunday's 3-1 loss for the Mayhem broke the recent trend with a reported attendance of 1,789, but Richards was hopeful before the game.
"It's picking up," he said. "We knew it would after Christmas."
If that trend continues, the Mayhem, who have amassed a 10-15-3 record on the ice after play Sunday, will be able to improve an average attendance of 2,217 that ranks near the bottom of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Fan Jason Ellingson, who moved to Macon from Minnesota about seven years ago, said he expects that to be the case.
"I think it's definitely improving as more people are becoming aware of it," he said.
Ellingson and his wife, Lisa -- who attended Sunday's game with 8-year-old son, Joshua, and 3-year-old son, Andrew -- have adopted the Mayhem since the team's inception. The Ellingsons even traveled to Fayetteville, North Carolina, to watch the team play in a recent road game and enjoyed it so much they made the trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, with the team Saturday.
"We've been kind of crazy lately," Jason Ellingson said.
Joshua Ellingson said the prize giveaways were the best part of game day with the Mayhem.
"There's a lot of stuff about hockey," he said. "Sometimes they actually want to give out the pucks."
The Ellingsons were far from the only family drawn to the game Saturday. Within minutes of the doors opening at 3:30 p.m. for Sunday's 4:30 game, fans of all ages showed up in jerseys, horned helmets and even one young fan in full goalie gear.
Dave Burkert, who moved to the Middle Georgia area from Pittsburgh, brought his wife, Alicia, and 5-year-old son, Tristen, to Sunday's game.
He said he grew up a hockey fan and the nature of the game made it entertaining in person.
"It's high speed, and it's a lot of fun to watch," he said.
The Burkerts also pointed to the atmosphere surrounding Mayhem games as a selling point. Players are frequently made available for autographs, and the team's mascot, "Mac" draws a positive reaction from the kids despite his rough barbarian appearance.
"And they go running toward him," Alicia Burkert said.
Another factor working in the Mayhem's favor is ticket price. Tickets range from $10 to $18 for a single-game ticket, but the team often runs price specials, like when a ticket from Friday's game earned a $2 discount for entry to Sunday's game.
"It makes it affordable for the family," Dave Burkert said. "It's cheaper than a movie."
The Mayhem's next home game is scheduled for Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m., also against Peoria.
To contact writer Jeremy Timmerman, call 744-4331 or find him on Twitter@MTJTimm.
This story was originally published January 10, 2016 at 9:09 PM with the headline "Attendance numbers looking up for Macon Mayhem ."