Hockey Fans Decry Long Lines, Increased Security

In the wake of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, safety is on everyone’s minds. But isn’t there a balance between security and inconvenience?

That’s the question Minnesota State University hockey fans are asking after dealing with extremely long lines at the team’s season opener on Monday.

Fans attending the MSU game versus St. Cloud State at Mankato’s Verizon Wireless Center were apparently extremely frustrated with the length of the lines.

Kevin Buisman, MSU athletics director, told the Clinton Herald the problem was bad enough that he didn’t know how fans kept it together. "It was almost a paradox," Buisman told the Herald. "We're just lucky it didn't result in any mob mentality where people get frustrated to the point that they storm the doors or something." 

Arena management apologized for the delay, saying the facility wasn’t ready for a capacity crowd and that security workers weren’t thoroughly trained to use metal-detecting wands.

The Verizon Wireless Center tried to get the word out that fans should expect longer lines, asking them to arrive earlier. Officials from MSU, the City of Mankato and the Verizon Wireless Center were set to meet Monday to discuss the problem. 

Burt Lyman, Verizon Wireless Center director, told the Mankato, Minnesota Free Press that the shooting in Las Vegas was a game-changer. "Since the shooting in Las Vegas, we've had our three largest promoters — and actually the largest promoter in the country — say 'You'll have to have metal detectors and wands and possibly bomb-sniffing dogs or we won't be playing your building.' ”