Playoff tickets draw long lines

At 8:45 Monday morning, seniors Andrew Lochonic and Douglas Shapiro were the only ones in line at Trabant University Center, waiting, textbooks in hand, for tickets to the Hens' second round playoff game against Lehigh.

But by 9:35, the line extended past the first set of doors and past the bathrooms near the box office windows, and 10 minutes later, the line extended to the side entrance of Trabant and wrapped back around.

Student tickets for the noontime Saturday game went on sale at 10 a.m. Monday at Trabant and the Bob Carpenter Center. Tickets cost $5 and will be on sale until supplies run out. The general public can also purchase tickets at the Carpenter Center.

As of Monday afternoon, university officials could not say how many tickets had already been sold.

The two seniors, who arrived at the Trabant Box Office at 8 a.m., said that although they were the only ones in line so far, they would rather get there early than miss out on his chance to go to the game.

"I think it's because of the ticket policy where you have to pick up the ticket instead of getting at the game," Lochonic said. "People get the tickets, and they don't show up, and then they're sold out and kids can't go to the game."

Shapiro said he arrived early because of a prior experience waiting in line to get tickets for the October Senate debate between Chris Coons and Christine O'Donnell. The debate sold out within approximately 10 minutes, and Shapiro arrived too late to get his ticket and did not want to suffer the same fate Monday.

"So I thought, ‘I'm just going to skip my classes today,'" Shapiro said. "It's my last game, potentially."

Students in line Monday had to wait an extra 15 minutes after the scheduled box office opening because of technical difficulties. Many students let out groans of annoyance, as they had skipped their 9:05 a.m. classes and already planned on being late to their 10:10 a.m. courses.

At approximately 2:15 p.m., the lines had diminished significantly but still extended past the doors to the bathrooms.

Lochonic, who said he has noticed attendance at football games decline over the past four years, said he hopes there is a bigger buzz surrounding the team now the Hens are in the playoffs.

"There should be, but it changes every year," he said.