Draft:Frozen Confines
Outdoor hockey game in Chicago
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frozen Confines was a series of outdoor college hockey games played at Wrigley Field in Chicago January 3–4, 2025. The event was held in conjunction with the 2025 NHL Winter Classic that had been played at the same stadium days earlier. Three men's games were played between programs of the Big Ten Conference (Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Nittany Lions, and Wisconsin). One women's game was played between the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women's programs from two of the participating universities (the Ohio State and Wisconsin women's teams).
25,709 (Jan. 3)
24,788 (Jan. 4)
| File:Frozen Confines logo.jpg | |
| Venue | Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Date | January 3–4, 2025 |
| Attendance | 50,497 (cumulative) 25,709 (Jan. 3) 24,788 (Jan. 4) |
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Each day of the event was ticketed as a double-header, with ticket holders having admission to both games on a given day. The two days of the Frozen Confines amassed a cumulative attendance of 50,497, with each day being attended by approximately 25,000 spectators.
Background
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On February 7, 2024, it was announced Wrigley Field (a Major League Baseball stadium that is the home venue of the Chicago Cubs) would host the NHL Winter Classic (an annual outdoor NHL game) the following season. Wrigley Field had previously been the site of the 2009 NHL Winter Classic.[1] In August 2024, it was announced that the Big Ten Conference would organize an ice hockey event on the same ice as the Winter Classic, featuring most of its men's ice hockey teams as well as two women's programs from Big Ten schools.[2]
The matches were the first college hockey matches to be held at Wrigley Field.[3][4] The event's name was a derivative of Wrigley Field's nickname, "The Friendly Confines".[5]
Since the Big Ten Conference has an odd-number of men's ice hockey teams (seven), one of the conference's teams (Minnesota) did not participate in the Frozen Confines.
While 67 collegiate outdoor ice hockey games had been played in the United States between 2001 and 2023,[6] prior to the Frozen Confines it had been two years since any college hockey team had played an outdoor game.[7]
Previous outdoor games featuring the participating teams
The event was:
- Michigan men's ninth appearance in an outdoor game[8]
- Michigan State men's fifth appearance in an outdoor game[9]
- Ohio State men's fifth appearance in an outdoor game[9]
- Notre Dame men's fourth appearance in an outdoor game[9]
- Wisconsin men's fourth appearance in an outdoor game[6]
- Wisconsin women's second appearance in an outdoor game[6]
- Ohio State women's first appearance in an outdoor game[9]
- Penn State men's first appearance in an outdoor game[9]
| Event | Team | Opponent played | Venue | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event name | Photo | Name | Location | Description | |||
| October 6, 2001 | Cold War |  | Michigan men vs. Michigan State | Spartan Stadium | East Lansing, Michigan | College football stadium | First outdoor game appearances of both Michigan and Michigan State | |
| February 11, 2006 | Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic |  | Ohio State men's vs Wisconsin men's | Lambeau Field | Green Bay, Wisconsin | NFL professional football stadium | First outdoor game appearances of both Ohio State men's and Wisconsin men's | |
| February 6, 2010 | Camp Randall Hockey Classic | .jpg) | Michigan vs. Wisconsin men’s | Camp Randall Stadium | Madison, Wisconsin | College football stadium | Second outdoor game appearances of both Michigan and Wisconsin men's, first outdoor game appearance of Wisconsin women's | |
| Wisconsin women’s | Bemidji State | |||||||
| December 11, 2010 | The Big Chill at the Big House |  | Michigan vs. Michigan State | Michigan Stadium | Ann Arbor, Michigan | College football stadium | Third outdoor game appearance of Michigan, second outdoor game appearance of Michigan State; set the all-time record for ice hockey attendance | |
| January 15, 2012 | The Frozen Diamond Faceoff |  | Michigan vs. Ohio State men's | Progressive Field | Cleveland, Ohio | MLB professional baseball stadium | Michigan's fourth outdoor game appearance, Ohio State men's second outdoor game appearance | |
| February 17, 2013 | OfficeMax Hockey City Classic | .jpg) | Notre Dame | Miami of Ohio | Soldier Field | Chicago, Illinois | NFL professional football stadium | Double-header; first outdoor game appearance of Notre Dame, third outdoor game appearance of Wisconsin men's |
| Wisconsin men's | Minnesota | |||||||
| December 27, 2013 | 2013 Hockeytown Winter Festival/ Great Lakes Invitational | Michigan | Western Michigan | Comerica Park | Detroit, Michigan | MLB professional baseball stadium | Double header; fifth outdoor game appearance of Michigan, third outdoor game appearance of Michigan State; the 2013 Hockeytown Winter Festival was held in conjunction with the 2014 NHL Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium. On other days at Comerica Park, it featured other college games, an AHL professional hockey game, and a OHL major junior game. | |
| Michigan State | Michigan Tech | |||||||
| January 17, 2014 | 2014 OfficeMax Hockey City Classic | Ohio State men's | Minnesota | Huntington Bank Stadium | Minneapolis, Minnesota | College football stadium | Ohio State men's third outdoor game appearance; part of a double-header | |
| January 4, 2014 | Frozen Fenway 2014 | .jpg) | Notre Dame | Boston College | Fenway Park | Boston, Massachusetts | MLB professional baseball stadium | Notre Dame's second outdoor game appearance; part of a double-header. Frozen Fenway 2014 featured further matches on other days as well. |
| February 7, 2015 | 2015 OfficeMax Hockey City Classic | Michigan vs. Michigan State | Soldier Field | Chicago, Illinois | NFL professional football stadium | Michigan's sixth outdoor game appearance, Michigan State's fourth outdoor game appearance; part of a double-header | ||
| January 5, 2019 | Let's Take This Outside | Michigan vs. Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium | Notre Dame, Indiana | College football stadium | Michigan's seventh outdoor game appearance, Notre Dame's third outdoor game appearance; held in conjunction with the 2019 Winter Classic at the same venue | ||
| February 18, 2023 | Faceoff on the Lake |  | Michigan vs. Ohio State men's | Huntington Bank Field | Cleveland, Ohio | NFL professional football stadium | Michigan's eighth outdoor game appearance; Ohio State men's fourth outdoor game appearance | |
Alternate jerseys worn
Most teams wore special alternate jersey which took design cues from baseball jerseys.[10] The exception was Michigan State, which opted to instead wear their usual white "home" jerseys for the games.[11]
Michigan uniforms
Michigan players wore uniforms which took design cues from Chicago Cubs baseball uniforms of the 1980s.[3] The jerseys took inspiration from road jerseys which the Chicago Cubs wore in the 1980s. The hockey jerseys were primarily yellow ("maize")[11][10] and featured a navy blue version of the University of Michigan's "Block M" emblem on its left chest,[11] placed similarly to where Cubs jerseys typically local a "C" logo.[12] The jerseys featured a white collar with a navy blue trim. The right sleeves featured player numbers in navy blue (with white outlines) using the Chicago Cubs jersey font. This same font and color scheme was also used for the jersey numbers on the back of the jersey. Player names on the backs of the jerseys were also in navy blue with white outlines, and featured text which arched over the player number.[11][10] The left sleeve featured a patch with the likeness of Biff, the Michigan Wolverine. The hockey socks worn by the school's players were primarily yellow, but featured navy blue panels on the front and the back meant to mimic the shape of Baseball stirrups.[11][12] The right sleeve featured the player number (which was also included on the back of each jersey).[10] The collars of the jerseys were typical of hockey jerseys.[10] Michigan players also wore helmets with blue-and-yellow "winged" patterns. The hockey pants and gloves worn by their players were navy blue.[11] The pants featured a yellow ("maize") "Block M" logo on the right leg.[10] The jersey design was regarded to be unconventional for the sport of ice hockey.[11]
Notre Dame uniforms
Notre Dame wore white jerseys that featured a depiction the school's leprechaun mascot inset inside of a C that resembles the Chicago Cubs logo.[13] The sleeves took design cues from the flag of Chicago, while also featuring iconography associated with its university. The sleeves featured light two blue blue stripes and one white stripe, which that resembled the layout of the flag. Four golden shamrocks were located within the white stripe, resembling the placement of the four red stars that are featured on the flag of Chicago.[3][13] The shoulers of the jerseys also featured gold-colored "ND" insignias. Player numbers were also included on the sleeves (for easier television-viewer identification of players), colored in light blue and outlined with a black and navy border.[13]
Ohio State men's uniforms
Ohio State men’s look for their Wrigley Field matchup against fierce rivals Michigan borrows heavily from the school’s baseball team, with a script “Ohio State” logo across the chest and a player number underneath on the front of the jersey.
Like many of the other jersey designs, the Ohio State men's jerseys also were influenced by the school's baseball team's kit. The jersey featured an "Ohio State" script wordmark across its chest, with player numbers beneath. The main color of the jersey was a dark grey. The script and numbers on the front were white with red outlines. The numbers on the back were done in the same manner, but the player names were solid white without any outline. Each shoulder had a patch with a buckeye leaf inside of a circle. The same circular insignia was also located at the front of the collar. The collars also featured a thin red trim. Red, white, and black stripes (similar to those featured on the school's football team jerseys) were included near waist-level on the torso and on the sleeves of the jersey.[14]
Players wore grey hockey pants with a team logo on the right leg. Players also wore red gloves. They also wore predominantly grey stockings that featured a red, white, and grey striping matching those on the jersey sleeves and waist. The team wore their standard helmets, which resembled the school's football helmets (predominantly silver, featuring a red, white, and grey stripe down its center. Player numbers were included on the front of the helmets.[14]
https://uni-watch.com/2024/12/28/osus-frozen-confines-uni-more-football-fields/
Ohio State women's uniforms
The Ohio State women's team wore its own special alternate jersey, with a design unique from that worn by the men's team.[15]
Penn State uniforms
Penn State https://onwardstate.com/2024/12/27/penn-state-mens-hockey-unveils-frozen-confines-series-jerseys/
Wisconsin men's uniforms
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Wisconsin's men's team wore jerseys which featured "baseball-inspired font".[16] The jersey sweater was red with the word "Badgers" adorning the chest in white script with a black outline. The jerseys did not feature a front-facing number. Instead, numbers were listed on the sleeves and the back, indicated in white block font outlined in black and accentuated by drop shadows. Player names were listed on the back of the sweaters in white serif block font. Four white stripes and three black stripes of equal width adorned each sleeve as well as the waist of the sweaters. The middlemost (black) stripe was bisected by an overlapping red pinstripe.[17]
The jerseys were worn with black hockey pants, a difference from the red pants of the team's regular kit. The addition of black pants allowed the Badgers' kits to somewhat resemble the regular kit of the Chicago Blackhawks, which features black pants.[16] The pants featured the same "Badgers" script as the jersey written on the red leg. Wisconsin men's players also wore red helmets, with the same "Badgers" script featured as a raised sticker. The players also wore red socks (which also featured the same striping pattern as the sleeves and waist of the jerseys. Completing the kit were red gloves.[17]
Wisconsin women's uniforms
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The Wisconsin women wore jerseys which featured "Wisconsin" written across their chest, which the program described as "a vintage look and a nod to historic Wisconsin jerseys." This also resembled the jerseys that had been previously worn by the university's baseball program prior to its discontinuance.[16] The jerseys were white, with the "Wisconsin" written across the chest in a solid-red colored script. Below the script, on the front-facing side of the jersey, player numbers were listed in the same solid red color. The jerseys did not have sleeve numbers, instead having a sleeve patch in the shape of Wisconsin. The inclusion of the patch was described as allowing the team "to represent [its] home state [while playing] away from home". Player numbers were also listed on the back of the jerseys in the same font as on the front, and in a similar solid red. While same solid red were used for player names on the back of the jerseys, the font for the names was instead a serif block font. The two fonts used were each described to be themed to the games site at Wrigley Field. The jerseys featured to red stripes around its sleeves and along its waist. The jersey collar was white with a red trim, and also feature a red Under Armour logo on the front of it.[17]
The kit featured white socks with the same pair of red stripes that were featured on parts of the jersey. The kit also featured red pants and red gloves.[17]
Logistics
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All of the games were aired on the Big Ten Network.[11]
Concession stands at the game offered the sale of beer in hockey stick-shaped souvenir glasses.[18]
Ticketing and attendance numbers
Each day of the event was ticketed as a double-header, with ticket holders having admission to both games on a given day.
The first game of each day began in the afternoon, and was followed by a night game.[19]
Each day of the event saw attendance of approximately 25,000.[19] The first day saw attendance of 25,709 and the second day saw attendance of 24,788,[20] amassing a cumulative attendance of 50,497.[21][22] On the first day, likely due in part to cold weather, significantly fewer spectators attended the second game compared to the first. Many left before or soon after the conclusion of the Michigan–Ohio State game.[23]
Security
The games were held several days after the 2025 New Orleans truck attack. According to Alderman Brian K. Hopkins (chair of the Chicago City Council's Public Safety Committee), the attack in New Orleans motivated the City of Chicago government to implement additional security precautions during the games. This included placing a greater number of movable vehicle barriers in the area surrounding Wrigley Field than had been previously planned. The city had months earlier increased its stock of such barriers to accommodate the security logistics of the 2024 Democratic National Convention that was held in the city in August 2024.[24]
Related festivities
In addition to the game, there were various related festivities in the Wrigleyville neighborhood. These included a pop-up exhibition dubbed "Getzky's Basement" in a building near the stadium, featuring various artifacts related to NHL great Wayne Gretzky's playing career. The exhibition was hosted by Greztky's son, Ty Gretzky.[18]
Players absent due to 2025 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
Due to the conflicting dates of the 2025 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, four men's players were absent from men's teams rosters during the Frozen Confines in order to compete for the United States in the World Juniors (Michigan State's Trey Augustine; Notre Dame's Paul Fischer and Danny Nelson; and Wisconsin's Logan Hensler).[25]
Weather
The games took place as Chicago was impacted by a "deep freeze" winter weather pattern.[4] The team benches featured heating,[23] and CBS News Chicago (WBBM-TV) reported that fans in attendance had come dressed for such cold weather.[24]
On January 3, the local temperature was 24 °F (−4 °C; 269 K) during the first game's opening face-off.[22] Cold dry air at the stadium created a low wind chill.[23] Local temperatures on January 4 were below-freezing temperatures,[24] with weather conditions being described by ABC7 Chicago (WLS-TV) as "bitterly cold".[7]
Michigan vs. Ohio State men's (January 3, 2025)
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The game between the Michigan and Ohio State men's teams was scheduled as the first of a two-game series between the teams, with Michigan considered to be the "home" team. The second game of the series was played at Michigan's home rink, Yost Arena on January 5. Heading into the game, Michigan was ranked 9th nationally among NCAA men's programs, [4][26] while Ohio State was ranked #13.[4][27]
Attendance during the game was in excess of 25,000.[28]
Ahead of the game, a ceremonial puck drop was preformed by former Michigan coach Red Berenson.[29]
Game summary
| January 3, 2025[27][30] | Michigan Wolverines | 3–4 | Ohio State Buckeyes (men's) | Wrigley Field | Recap |
| Scoring summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | MICH | Michael Hage | 18:14 | 1–0 MICH | |
| 2nd | MICH | T.J. Hughes | Will Horcoff, Evan Werner | 04:42 (power play) |
2–01 MICH |
| OSU | Sam Deckhut | Noah Powell, Brent Johnson | 12:56 | 2–1 MICH | |
| OSU | Noah Powell | Chris Able | 18:37 | 2–2 TIE | |
| 3rd | MICH | Will Horcoff | Michael Hage, T.J. Hughes | 9:15 (power play) |
3–2 MICH |
| OSU | Riley Thompson | Aiden Hansen-Bukata, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine | 12:05 (power play) |
3–3 TIE | |
| OSU | Riley Thompson | Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Davis Burnside | 19:21.6 (power play) |
4–3 OSU | |
| Penalty summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
| 2nd | OSU | Davis Burnside | Cross checking (minor) | 3:19 | 2:00 |
| 2nd | MICH | Jacob Truscott | Cross checking (minor) | 11:08 | 2:00 |
| 2nd | MICH | Hunter Hady | Elbowing (minor) | 12:05 | 2:00 |
| 2nd | MICH | Mark Estapa | Cross checking (minor) | 15:35 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | MICH | Will Horcoff | Slashing (minor) | 2:50 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | OSU | Max Montes | Hooking (minor) | 7:55 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | MICH | Mark Estapa | Face-off violation (minor) | 11:48 | 2:00 |
| 3rd | MICH | Josh Ernisse | Hooking (minor) | 18:52 | 2:00 |
|
|
|
Game synopsis
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Michigan freshman Will Horcoff made his collegiate hockey debut in the game, and recorded a goal and an assist.[4]
In the third period, Michigan freshman Horcoff scored his first collegiate hockey goal during a power play for his team, giving his team a 3–2 lead.[26] However, Ohio State took advantage of a power play in their favor (courtesy of an two minute penalty for an unusual faceoff violation call on Michigan's Mark Estapa for a hand pass directly off a face-off)[29] to tie the game with a goal by Riley Thompson.[26][31] Thompson then scored again, making what proved to be a game-winning goal with only 38 seconds remaining in regulation play.[26][31]
https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-men-hockey-beats-114242376.html
Ohio State's Riley Thompson scored the game-winning-goal with only 38 seconds remaining in regulation play.[22]
Notre Dame vs. Penn State men's (January 3, 2025)
Game summary
| January 3, 2025[27][30] | Penn State Nittany Lions (men's) | 3–3 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish (men's) | Wrigley Field | Recap |
| Scoring summary[32] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | N DAME | Grant Silianoff | Jack Larrigan, Zach Lucinski | 7:29 | 1–0 N DAME |
| PENNST | Tyler Paquette | Keaton Peters | 8:25 | 1–1 TIE | |
| N DAME | Justin Janicke | Blake Biondi, Cole Knuble | 19:19 | 2–1 N DAME | |
| 2nd | PENNST | Matt Dimarsico | Charlie Cerrato, Aiden Fink | 19:28 | 2–2 TIE |
| 3rd | PENNST | Aiden Fink | Dane Dowiak | 00:10 | 3–2 PENNST |
| N DAME | Carter Slaggert | Grant Silianoff, Jack Larrigan | 11:02 | 3–3 TIE | |
| OT | N/a | 3–3 TIE | |||
| 2OT | N/a | 3–3 TIE | |||
| SO | N DAME | Ryan Helliwell | N/a | [a] | |
| Penalty summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
|
|
- Goals by period
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | 2OT | Total (NCAA) | SO* | Total (Big Ten) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 (tie) | 0 | 3 |
| Notre Dame | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Game synopsis
Before the game, Penn State players warmed up by tossing a football on the field, and Notre Dame players warmed up by playing catch with a baseball and baseball mitts (while Michigan and Ohio State were still playing).[3]
A shootout was held for the purposes of awarding one team an additional point in conference rankings.[33] Notre Dame won the shootout after eight rounds,[22] with Ryan Helliwell scoring the winning shootout goal.[33]
Penn State goaltender Arsenii Sergeev would be named one the Big Ten first star of the week.[34]
Ohio State vs. Wisconsin women's (January 4, 2025)
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Wisconsin entered the game ranked #1 among NCAA Division I women's programs,[22] while Ohio State entered the game ranked #2.[4] The two teams had faced each-other in the two most recent national championship games (2023 and 2024).[16] The game began at approximately 4:30pm central time.[16] The game was the second of a series between Wisconsin and Ohio State's women's team, considered a "home" series for Wisconsin's team. The first game had been played January 1 at Wisconsin's LaBahn Arena.[35]
The game began at approximately 4:30 pm local time.[6] Attendance for the game was nearly 25,000;[36] with the crowd being described as having a larger share of Wisconsin fans than Ohio fans.[20]
Game summary
| January 4, 2025 | Ohio State Buckeyes (women's) | 3–3 | Wisconsin Badgers (women's) | Wrigley Field | Recap |
| Scoring summary[37] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Goal | Assist(s) | Time | Score |
| 1st | OHIOST | Jordyn Petrie | Joy Dunne, Emma Peschel | 0:49 | 1–0 OHIOST |
| WISC | Caroline Harvey | Kirsten Simms, Casey O'Brien | 5:52 | 1–1 WISC | |
| WISC | Kirsten Simms | unassisted | 10:01 | 2–1 WISC | |
| 2nd | OHIOST | Makenna Webster | Jocelyn Amos | 18:20 | 2–2 TIE |
| 3rd | OHIOST | Joy Dunne | Jenna Buglioni, Joryn Petrie | 02:38 | 3–2 OHIOST |
| WISC | Kelly Gorbatenko | Laney Potter, Ava Murphy | 14:17 | 3–3 TIE | |
| OT | N/a | 3–3 TIE | |||
| SO | OHIOST | Jenna Buglioni | shootout | N/a | 3–3 TIE (NCAA rankings) 4–3 OHIOST (conference rankings)
|
| Penalty summary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Team | Player | Penalty | Time | PIM |
|
|
Three stars
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Named as the three stars were:[38]
- 1st: Jenna Buglioni (Ohio State)
- 2nd: Amanda Theile (Ohio State)
- 3rd: Ava McNaughton (goaltender, Wisconsin)
Game synopsis
A shootout was held for the purposes of awarding one team an additional point in conference rankings.
Ohio State won the shootout after seven rounds.[22]
Michigan State vs. Wisconsin men's (January 4, 2025)
Michigan State entered the game as the #1 ranked team in the NCAA, while Wisconsin was unranked. Michigan State was regarded to be the "home" team.
The game was the second of a two-game series, the first game of which had been played January 2 at Munn Ice Arena in Lansing, Michigan.[39]
The game began at approximately 8pm central time.[16] Since Michigan State's starting goaltender, Trey Augustine, was competing for the United States in the World Junior Championships, Luca Di Pasquo played goaltender for the team.[36]
Game summary
Game synopsis
https://sports.yahoo.com/recapping-frozen-confines-wrigley-field-190000352.html
While both teams had previously played outdoor games, this marked the first such game which Wisconsin had played in a baseball venue. Since Wisconsin men had won their previous outdoor game appearances, https://uwbadgers.com/news/2024/8/15/hockey-Frozen-Confines-Big-Ten-Hockey-Series.aspx this marked their first outdoor loss
Michigan's Daniel Russell scored the game-winning goal with only a single second remaining in overtime.[22]
Michigan State players Daniel Russell and Isaac Howard were named the Big Ten second and third stars of the week.[34]
Notes
- for NCAA's official record, the game ended as a 3–3 tie. For Big Ten tournament seeding purposes, the game was won by Notre Dame 4–3