Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton says the absence of local television coverage for Sunday’s women’s hockey National Championship game between the Gophers and Clarkson was “disgraceful.” Minnesota lost the game in thrilling fashion, 5-4.
Dayton made the comment on his Facebook page.
According to the Star Tribune, no local cable or satellite provider carried the game. The only way to watch the game was at NCAA.com or in person at the game, all the way in Hamden, Connecticut.
The same thing happened last year when the Gophers capped a perfect 41-0 season with a second consecutive championship. No local TV outlets carried the title game, even though it was played at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.
But as the Star Tribune reported, location wasn’t the problem – it was all about money.
Big Ten Network wanted to broadcast last year’s game but couldn’t come to an agreement with Turner, which owns the rights to all NCAA championships. Purchasing the broadcast rights would have cost “tens of thousands of dollars.”
Amy Moritz of The Buffalo News called the lack of coverage “demeaning” to women, while pointing to high levels of interest in women’s hockey at the Sochi Olympics, where Canada rallied for a stunning victory over the United States in the gold-medal game.
Minnesota is slated to host next year’s NCAA Frozen Four at Ridder Arena, and Frost is hopeful the games will be on TV by then.
The Gophers have compiled a dominating 79-2-1 record over the past two seasons. The stretch included a historic 62-game winning streak.
Here are highlights of the 5-4 loss to Clarkson.
