February 12, 2006 6:46 AM

Now here's something that won't be happening on the lake in my backyard anytime soon

Wisconsin Drops Ohio State at Lambeau, 4-2

On top of the ol’ Tundra, a great day for hockey

Frozen Tundra hockey game is ‘a blast’: Players, 40,890 fans enjoy a perfect day outside

Mystery, Alaska

GREEN BAY, Wis. - With a goal and an assist, Robbie Earl led the No. 4 Wisconsin men’s hockey team to a 4-2 victory over Ohio State in front of 40,890 fans Saturday afternoon in the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic at historic Lambeau Field. The contest, which also served as the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, drew the fourth-largest crowd ever for a hockey game and the second-largest crowd for a college hockey game.

Man, this would have been a great game to be at, eh? For any kid who grew up playing shinny on frozen ponds, a game like this would be a dream come true. Most of us forget that hockey is a game that was originally played outdoors. This was an opportunity for the game to revisit it’s heritage. That it took place at Lambeau Field, the home of the evil, blood-sucking Green Bay Packers, may not have been ideal, but if you were looking for a place cold enough to play hockey outdoors, well, you couldn’t have done much better.

Of course, this was hardly pond hockey. No, this wasn’t nearly as simple as grabbing a shovel and clearing a rink on a frozen lake, but it’s not like you’re going to get 40,000 people to come out to Lambeau in the middle of February (the Packers are done playing by then). Still, for kids like these, some of whom grew up playing on frozen ponds, this had to be an incredible experience.

Game on, eh??

Fans bundled up in hunter orange clothing, winter hats and, of course, their UW apparel. The temperature at the start of the game was 28 with a 7 mph wind and partly sunny skies. By the start of the third period, it was 27 and calm.

It was perfect weather for playing hockey outside.

“I wore what I normally would wear at a regular game,” UW defenseman Davis Drewiske said. “It wasn’t too bad. I thought the weather was perfect. It couldn’t have been any better.”

The playing conditions also weren’t too bad, but they did cause some havoc at times. The puck took some funny bounces on the ice, which got chippy in the third period, and it took odd bounces off the boards.

The sun was a factor in the first period, causing glare in the Ohio State end, but once the sun went down, the players battled only the ice conditions.

Man, this would have been a great game to watch, eh?

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on February 12, 2006 6:46 AM.

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