News Photo by James Andersen Alpena’s Reid Meinhardt (8) chases the puck along with a Traverse City West player during the first period of a hockey game on Friday at Northern Lights Arena. Alpena’s success this season has had a positive impact on the arena’s finances, according to officials.

ALPENA — The success of the Alpena High School varsity hockey team is having a trickle-down effect on Northern Lights Arena’s finances.

According to Arena Manager Jeremy Winterstein, the winning ways of the Wildcat skaters have boosted attendance, increased the sale of concessions and helped to sell more ice time to younger hockey teams and players.

Winterstein said as the Wildcats’ record climbed and they climbed the state rankings, fans noticed and the grandstands at the arena began to fill for home games. He said that increases revenue and brings an overall sense of excitement at the rink.

Currently the Wildcats are 19-3 and still ranked in the top 10 in the state’s Division 2 and Super 10 standings.

The increased ticket sales help to bolster the arena’s surcharge fund, which is held by Alpena County which owns the area, and used for major repairs and large unexpected expenditures at the arena.

“The high school team doing well has provided us a boost in several ways,” he said. “When you’re up over 1,000 people it helps the surcharge, but that helps the arena indirectly.”

The more people who show up to watch games, the more they pull out their wallets to purchase snacks and beverages, Winterstein said. But the winning ways of the Wildcats have inspired other, younger teams to purchase more ice time to work hard to get better.

“The winning is trickling down to the younger kids and more ice is being sold as a result,” he said. “It has helped the youth hockey players to become more interested.”

Other events have also seen an increase in attendance, Winterstein said. He said the glow-skate events have been more popular than last year, and they are one the arena’s biggest revenue generators.

Even though it is the peak season at the arena, there are several large events that should bring lots of people to Alpena and to the rink.

Winterstein said the Wildcats have a pair of home games remaining before they take part in regional playoffs at NLA on February 24-25, with the finals being played on March 1 in Alpena.

There is also an eight-team PeeWee hockey tournament and also a junior varsity tournament on the horizon.

“These are big, not just for the arena,” he said. “It benefits the hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and stores because people come from all over the state for them. It is good for our local economy.”