Frozen Fenway: An Abridged History

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

This evening, the #7 Boston College Eagles will head outside in the frigid temperatures to play hockey where it was originally meant to be played.

Granted, in the olden days, hockey was played on frozen ponds, and Fenway Park is most definitely not a body of water. Furthermore, those true outdoor rinks did not have 37,000 seats enveloping them. Nevertheless, the same spirit is there.

The Eagles will today welcome that team from South Bend, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, to a new Hockey East rivalry in a rematch of the 2008 national championship game. This is not the first time either team has played a game outdoors, and for Boston College, it is not their first game at Fenway Park.

Enjoy a brief history of the Frozen Fenway series as you prepare for tonight’s game.

2010: Boston College lost to Boston University, 3-2, in the first-ever Frozen Fenway. Brian Gibbons and Cam Atkinson scored the Eagle goals; Gibbons had two points in the game. The NHL’s Winter Classic was hosted by Fenway that year, giving college hockey an opportunity here.

2012: With Chris Venti in goal, the Eagles defeated the Northeastern Huskies, 2-1, in this early January meeting. Boston College’s goals were scored by Pat Mullane and Chris Kreider. Less than a month later, the Eagles would defeat Northeastern again in the Beanpot semifinal up the road.

This was far from the only game played at Fenway in January 2012, as including other college hockey and high school games, 14 contests were held in what was stretched out into a 16-day event spearheaded by the Boston Red Sox and the City of Boston.

In 2014, there was expected to be a 17-day hockey event at Fenway Park, but the very recent blizzard bagged some of the activities. Another Hockey East doubleheader will be held next weekend as well.