CHICAGO (WNDU) – Penn State is now on the minds of a lot of Notre Dame fans after the Fighting Irish football team defeated Georgia last night in the Sugar Bowl.
But before the storied football programs meet next Thursday in the Orange Bowl down in Miami, the two schools will duke it out tonight on the ice at the Friendly Confines in Chicago.
You read that right…. Notre Dame and Penn State will be playing hockey at Wrigley Field. It’s part of a four-game event between Big Ten hockey programs called the “2025 Frozen Confines.”
The iconic baseball stadium, which just hosted the NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Eve, will host back-to-back doubleheaders of Big Ten hockey this weekend (see schedule below).
Friday, Jan. 3
Saturday, Jan. 4
The trip to Wrigley Field marks the fourth outdoor game for Notre Dame hockey in the modern era. The Irish icers have previously played at Soldier Field, Fenway Park, and Notre Dame Stadium.
While a national championship berth is on the line for the Notre Dame and Penn State football programs, the stakes will be much lower for their hockey teams. The Fighting Irish (6-12-0, 1-9-0 Big Ten) and the Nittany Lions (7-9-0, 0-8-0 Big Ten) are at the very bottom of the conference standings, with Notre Dame in sixth and Penn State at seventh (reminder: Big Ten men’s hockey only has seven teams).
On the bright side, tickets are cheap. You can buy tickets for Friday’s doubleheader for as low as $15 on the Chicago Cubs’ website (that’s two games for the price of one, folks). You will want to bundle up, though. According to the Weather Channel, temperatures for Notre Dame’s game will be in the low 20s/high teens, but it will feel more like single digits.
If you’d rather watch the game at home it will air on the Big Ten Network. The other three “Frozen Confines” games will air on BTN as well.
After the Irish and the Nittany Lions meet at Wrigley, the two teams will come to South Bend to wrap their two-game series on Sunday evening at the Compton Family Ice Arena. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m. EST. For tickets, click here.
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