Ciara Parizek/MDN The Minot Minotauros are still planning to play their next game against Aberdeen on Friday, Nov. 20, but impending crowd restrictions brought on by a rise in active COVID-19 cases may put those plans on hold.

As of Thursday, the Minot Minotauros were operating their home games at the Maysa Arena without restrictions. That all changed on Friday.

Effective as of Friday afternoon, Governor Doug Burgum announced stricter measures to be put in place with the goal of slowing the spread of COVID-19 within the state of North Dakota. Among the new policies, all banquet, ballroom, and event venues are limited to 25 percent of their maximum occupancy, not to exceed new capacity limits that have been established. Furthermore, physical distancing and masks will be required for the safety of all venue personnel and patrons.

As Ken Oda, director of operations for the Minot Minotauros explains, the Maysa Arena puts the hockey team in a unique situation because of its seating arrangement. The venue currently seats up to 1,967 fans. However, a party room area which seats an additional 36 fans, brings the arena’s actual full capacity total to 2,003. Oda reveals that if the Maysa’s official capacity breaks the 2,000 seat barrier, it may allow the club to host as many as 600 fans for a game under restriction guidelines. If full capacity is officially listed at 1,967, the club may only be allowed to host up to 300 fans.

The Minotauros director of operations says an extra 300 fans hanging in the balance would be a major factor in determining the economic viability of hosting games during restrictions brought on by the pandemic. So far this season, Oda says the Minotauros have averaged around 700 to 800 fans per home game. Meanwhile, the hockey administrator is still in the process of gathering information about where the Maysa’s official seating capacity stands.

“About 70 percent of our attendance comes from walk-up ticket sales that are generated on the day of a game, so if our ability to sell tickets on gameday is limited, it would severely cut into our bottom line,” Oda tells the Minot Daily News via telephone. “We rely heavily on the revenue that is generated at games, about 50 percent of our revenue comes from game day events. Right now, I don’t know if we’ll be able to host 600 fans, 300 fans or 50 fans, it is all up in the air.”

Other financial concerns include possible restrictions on concession sales such as food, alcohol and other beverages. If the sale of these items is restricted, particularly alcohol, Oda states it would serve as a major blow to the team’s game day revenue stream. “If our attendance is severely limited, and we cannot utilize our liquor license to sell beer and wine at games, it may not make financial sense to play games at this time,” he adds.

Despite the uncertainty regarding the restrictions of hosting large public gatherings, Oda says as of Monday afternoon the Minotauros still plan to play the Aberdeen Wings at the Maysa for their next scheduled game this Friday. With over 20 Minot players testing positive for COVID-19 at various points during the pandemic, the Minotauros administrator says all but one player will be out of quarantine and available for the next scheduled game.

Regardless of what game day restrictions are eventually put in place, Oda insists the Minot hockey club will comply with the new rules. “Let me be clear, we fully intend to obey whatever laws are handed down because we don’t want to do anything illegal. It’s just a question of getting clarification on what will be permitted, and what will not be permitted. Once we have that information, we will proceed accordingly,” Oda continues.