Despite loss, outdoor atmosphere appeals to both players and fans

Ordinarily on any given January 7, the term "Frozen Fenway" would have related well to the events taking place at Fenway Park in Boston. However, on January 7, 2012, the only shreds of anything frozen were ice chips swept by zambonis off the ice rink spreading the width of the Red Sox infield.

The 50-degree weather that engulfed Fenway Park made for the perfect fan atmosphere as the UNH men's hockey team took on the University of Maine as part of Frozen Fenway 2012. The game between the two rivals was the second of the day at Fenway Park in Boston; the earlier matchup featured the Minutemen of UMass and the Vermont Catamounts.

And what a day it was for outdoor hockey. Only slight overcast and a recorded 58-degree temperature helped commence the 4 p.m. game between UMass and UVM, which saw the Minutemen prevail in a 3-2 overtime thriller. The puck dropped for the Wildcats around 8:10 p.m.

The Wildcats, who had lost six of their previous seven games, dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to continue the skid. Head coach Dick Umile's squad falls to 6-11-2 overall on the season. But despite the outcome, Umile said after the game, sitting in the press conference spot that former Red Sox manager Terry Francona had occupied for so many years, that there were several positives to take away. But most of all, the atmosphere of Fenway was special.

"It was great; the whole thing was absolutely fabulous," Umile said. "Congratulate Hockey East and the Red Sox. We had two overtime games here tonight at Fenway – 40,000 people. It doesn't get any better than that, and we were just excited to be a part of it and thankful we had the opportunity."

To be exact: 38,456 were on hand to witness the UNH men's first game at Fenway Park – the most in program history. However UNH athletics is no stranger to outdoor games, and even the ice surface at Fenway. The UNH women's team won a 4-3 game on Jan. 10, 2010 against Northeastern in the first-ever Frozen Fenway event. Several former UNH players have also taken the ice on outdoor stages in their careers.

The most frequent outdoor rink visitor was former UNH goalie Ty Conklin, who played in the first three NHL Winter Classic games for three different teams. He started in net for the Edmonton Oilers in a 4-3 loss to Montreal, but has since posted notable victories with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings on the Winter Classic stage.

In 2009, James van Riemsdyk stepped onto the Fenway rink with the Philadelphia Flyers against the Boston Bruins, and again in Philly earlier this month against the New York Rangers.

But the Frozen Fenway game wasn't just a treat for participating players and coaches; it also gave some fans – both current and former UNH and Maine students, and even those unrelated to either university – a chance to show their school pride on a larger stage.

"[Our experience] has been great. We just started on the other side of the stadium and we walked all around. We've seen so many different people. It's been great," said Matt Quirk, a Massachusetts resident and graduate of Plymouth State University who was watching the game with some UNH alumni.

"Fenway is awesome; the experience is wonderful," said 2010 UNH graduate Nick Lowitt. He and Quirk both said that by including UNH, UVM, UMass, and Maine, the experience could appeal to everyone in New England.

Plenty of current students from all schools were treated to an atmosphere not always native to the campus arenas. UNH sophomore Kaitlyn Morris said that the excitement and the energy contributed to the experience.

"It's pretty awesome; the weather's pretty nice. I'm not freezing my butt off, so that's always good," Morris said. "I think there's a lot more energy here, and a lot of people are excited. That's always good."

UNH forwards Kevin Goumas and John Henrion combined for the four Wildcat goals in the game with two apiece. Although they know that things need to turn around for the Wildcats if they want to salvage a winning season and a playoff push, for the time being they enjoyed the atmosphere of nearly 40,000 fans and calm, cool January night.

"As a kid you just dream about playing college hockey, but never guess being in a whole park with 30,000 fans and playing against a rival like Maine," Goumas said. "We always play them a close game … unfortunately it didn't work out. But other than that, the atmosphere was unbelievable."