Big Ten, WCHA announce The Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series
A few of the premier programs in college hockey will be taking things outside inside one of sportsβ most historic venues.
On Thursday, the Big Ten Conference, along with the Chicago Cubs, announced the plans to hold The Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series, two days of college hockey with doubleheaders at Wrigley Field. The event will feature three Big Ten menβs hockey game, along with a marquee womenβs matchup from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti was joined at a press conference by Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney and Hockey Hall of Famer, and former Wisconsin Badger, Chris Chelios.
"We want to continue to bring unique and memorable experiences to our student-athletes. That's what this is about."
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The games will take place during the weekend of January 3-4. The games on Jan. 3 will take place at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET, while the puck drop for the following dayβs action will be at 5:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET. The order of the games is yet to be determined.
On Friday, January 3, the Penn State Nittany Lions will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The main event will be a classic rivalry, as the Ohio State Buckeyes menβs team will take on the Michigan Wolverines.
This will be the record ninth time that Michigan will play in an outdoor game, and their third meeting against their rivals to the south. The Wolverines are 4-3-2 in games with no roof, while the Buckeyes are 1-3. That win came in February 2023, when OSU beat Michigan at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Michigan won the first outdoor matchup in 2012 at Progressive Field.
Penn State has never played an outdoor game. The Fighting Irish are 1-2 in these unique games. They last played at Notre Dame Stadium in 2019, where they lost to Michigan.
On the Saturday slate, the Wisconsin Badgers menβs program is going to face the Michigan State Spartans, with the Ohio State and Wisconsin womenβs teams going to clash in a huge contest.
The womenβs rivalry between the Badgers and Buckeyes has gone beyond the conference slate. The two teams have met in the last two NCAA National Championship Games, with Ohio State getting revenge on Wisconsin this past March. The two programs have traded the last five national titles. While this is Ohio Stateβs first outdoor, game, Wisconsin beat Bemidji State in Madison in 2010.
The male Badgers have played in three outdoor games, winning each matchup. The Spartans, the defending Big Ten champions, are 1-3-2 in outdoor contests.
All four games will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
The event will follow up the 2025 NHL Winter Classic, which will see the Chicago Blackhawks take on the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 31, 2024.