After watching the Chicago Blackhawks play outdoors at Wrigley Field in the Winter Classic, I returned a couple days later for even more outdoor hockey. The Frozen Confines featured four NCAA hockey games over two days at Wrigley.

With temperatures in the teens, 25,000 fans braved the cold each day to witness exciting college hockey. Three of the four games went into overtime.

Men’s Hockey:
Ohio State 4–Michigan 3
Notre Dame 3–Penn State 3 (ND got a point via overtime shootout)
Michigan State 4–Wisconsin 3 (OT)

Women’s Hockey:
Ohio State 3–Wisconsin 3 (Ohio State got a point via OT shootout)

When I attended the announcement press conference in August, there was the expected excitement, but Frozen Confines surpassed expectations. Each day featured an afternoon game followed by a night game, allowing fans to get two unique experiences in one. Although it was colder at night, I thought the imagery was more magical. There were a couple brief periods of snow flurries to add to the fun.

I found the level of interest in the women’s game especially noteworthy. As an ardent supporter of women’s sports, it was great seeing so many young girls at the women’s game, wisely scheduled as Saturday’s afternoon game. The players seemed to enjoy the exposure, too, as they signed autographs and posed for selfies.

Frozen Confines was billed as a showcase of college hockey. These four games could not have done more to promote the sport.

— John Wroblewski, online writer