College Hockey Outdoor Games
Boston College and University Among Growing Group of Participants
Aug 21, 2009
For many kids across Canada and the United States, playing a little shinny outdoors with cold winds and falling flakes is all part of growing up. And when they do, some even get the chance to do so with more than just the trees as their audience.
The NHL has found success with its four outdoor games – three Winter Classics and the Heritage Classic – but it was the NCAA that first transformed a childhood tradition into a big stage event. On October 6, 2001, state rivals University of Michigan and Michigan State squared off at Spartan Stadium in the first-ever outdoor game held in North America.
A record crowd of 74,554 spectators took in the contest held in Michigan State’s home field; the tilt ended in a 3-3 draw.
Several future NHL players participated in the historical matchup, including defenseman Mike Komisarek and forward Mike Cammalleri with the Wolverines, and forward Jim Slater and goaltender Ryan Miller for the Spartans.
More Outdoor Hockey for University of Michigan and Wisconsin
Five years later, college hockey would head outdoors again, this time taking over the home of the Green Bay Packers, Lambeau Field. On February 11, 2006, Wisconsin native and future Chicago Blackhawks winger Adam Burish represented his home state Badgers as they battled the Ohio State Buckeyes. While nowhere near the record crowd in Michigan, nearly 41,000 fans watched the Badgers escape with a 4-2 win.
The success of that tilt prompted another future fresh-air outing for the University of Wisconsin’s men’s hockey team, and their opponent will be just as familiar to the brisk temperatures and large crowd. Exactly four years to the day of the Badgers’ outdoor debut, they’ll host the University of Michigan Wolverines at Camp Randall Stadium. The game is earmarked as the US Hockey Hall of Fame Game.
Boston College and Boston University at Fenway Park
Before the Badgers and Wolverines drop the puck on their outdoor matchup, Fenway Park will serve as the backdrop for hockey for a second straight week. The Boston University Terriers and Boston College Eagles, consecutive NCAA National champions in 2008 and 2009 respectively, are set as the first universities from the Hockey East Association to skate in open air on January 8, 2010.
Women’s Hockey Outdoor Games
While the outdoor experience has been awarded to the men in the past, the ladies are finally getting their chance. Prior to the contest featuring the Boston rivals, the women of the University of New Hampshire and Northeastern University will make history as the first-ever women’s college hockey teams to appear in an outdoor game.
They won’t be alone. College hockey has taken from the old adage that “you can never have too much of a good thing” and planned a second women’s outdoor game in 2010. The University of Wisconsin’s female Badgers will host the Bemidji State Beavers just ahead of their male counterparts in February.
A Return to the Roots
Sometimes, players can get caught up in the dream of the big stage as they try and skate to a full-time career in the sport. University hockey players are at an age when NHL or professional hockey aspirations can dwindle or reach over-the-top proportions. In taking some of its games outdoors, the NCAA is bringing its players back to the fun-filled wintry days of their backyard rink... only with a few less trees and a few more fans.
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