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Definitely the best hockey tournament I have ever been too! Great to have so many different fans from all the schools! Only complaint would be maybe to separate the schools from each other instead of letting different schools sit in the same section.
Easy download to my Wallet on my phone. Much appreciated.
Love college hockey. Van Andel Arena did a great job with the GLI. Parking was a little harder than a rather events I’ve attended because rather than being an evening or weekend event, the first game started at 3:30 (gates opened@2:30) while most parking spaces were still being filled by people who worked downtown. Nothing they had anything to do with. Good job to Van Andel and I look forward to the next college hockey event there.
It was a treat to have the annul Great Lakes Invitational Hockey Tournament in Grand Rapids this year. We saw some great hockey. We had a bit of sticker shock at the prices of food. When you're at a venue for 6+ hours, youre gonna want something to eat. You are not allowed to leave the venue & return, so you are a captive audience. I don't know how families with kids did it. $8.50 for a hot dog! And a tip was requested! Otherwise, a great experience.
Easy purchase that downloaded to my wallet on the phone just fine. Thx.
The GLI is just a great event that showcases college hockey. The event is usually well-done, Teams bring their bands. Fans show up to represent their team, etc. It’s just a great atmosphere and great hockey. Van Andel Arena, the venue for this year’s event, was the worst part about it. It is cramped in the concourse area. There are not enough food vendors. There was a line for every single bathroom at every intermission and between games. Van Andel just doesn’t seem to be prepared to accommodate the large crowd for 2 games in a single day. And that was weird because the arena was not even full during the games. There are several seats—especially in corners—where you can’t even see the opposite end’s goal. So you have to watch the screen to see what’s going on, which is a big bummer because you paid good money for the seats. The intermission entertainment was lame. Quite honestly, the Zambonis were more engaging. It’s almost like this place has never hosted a hockey game before. And all this is not to mention that this venue is 2 1/2 hours away from loyal fans who have been attending the GLI for 40+ years in Detroit. There’s a reason this thing has been going on for 40+ years in Detroit, and it’s because of the fans. I think this is a very poor decision to host this event anywhere but downtown Detroit. And I hope the people running the GLI will come to their senses and bring the GLI home where we’ve attended for over 30 of those years.
Nothing like a good 'ole hockey tournament. This year didn't disappoint. The new venue (Van Andel Arena) was perfectly sized for the crowds and the games were very fun and entertaining. Only drawback was the concession prices which have completely gotten out of hand. Worse yet, in the hour and a half between tournament games you can't leave the arena without forfeiting your tickets for the second game. Otherwise, I will definitely be planning on attending next year, but will make sure to take the proper measures to avoid the concessions. I mean, c'mon, $16 for a draft pint of Michelob Ultra!? Bottled water was $5.50. The food was edible, but also too expensive. In conclusion, go for the hockey but plan to eat before the games and try to pre-hydrate.
Venue was the perfect size for GLI. Building felt full, crowd was noisy, didn't look like there were any bad seats. The bands were a lot of fun. Looking forward to more GLI at the Van Andel in years to come!
Van Andel is a great venue and I really enjoyed all four games. I have been to several GLIs at the Joe and an NCAA playoff many years ago at the Van Andel. My only complaint is that there was no re-entry which forced me to stay in the venue and eat mediocre food and drink over-priced beer. There is no reason that ticketing could not be set up to allow re-entry so I could have enjoyed dinner at one of the local restaurants between games.
It was great fun and an awesome time attending the GLI in Grand Rapids! It was well done and had fun extras. Bring it back to GR next year! I will be there.
$18 for water, coffee, and popcorn! With over an hour between games, allowing reentry would benefit fans and area restaurants. Pickeled eggs were a nice addition to the menu.
The hockey was great, the venue definitely needs some work.
Loved having access to both games! Was a great atmosphere would love to see this at van andel next year! Wish there was an option to buy seats for both days, like a 2day pass! Amazing experience had a great time!
This is a great annual family event. The tickets are affordable and the college games are tons of fun!!
This is a great tournament hosted by Michigan Technological University! I would give it 5 stars, but it needs to be moved off of the 12-31 date. Having the tournament on the same day as the Red Wings play creates many problems. Getting booted out of the arena so they can clean and clear the arena before the Red Wing game is terrible customer service! Find another day(s) for this tournament!
My son And I last minute said Heck Yeah, let’s do the GLI. We had a blast! He is a Tech student and loved it, I’m a lifelong hockey fan and loved it. Great father and son afternoon
There was some great hockey being played this week
Love the experience buying, wished it was more attached to parking, restaurants meals.
A great event for families or hockey fans in general. Fairly priced (except for concessions) and good quality hockey.
We have been attending day 1 of the GLI for well over 15 years (except for 2017 because of the late date). It is always great hockey to watch even when my team doesn't win. The new arena is very nice and the seats we chose were amazing. I loved every part of the day except the start time. We travel over from the west side of Michigan in the morning, watch two games of hockey, stay the night, and head home the next day. Most of the hotels in the area have check in times in the middle of the afternoon. Start times were typically around 4:00PM when it was at JLA. The 1:00PM start time this year was a challenge for us as our hotel had a check in time of 3:00PM. Other than that, it was a great event.
