There’s something about outdoor hockey that, regardless of who you ask, brings about one word: special.
It could be the crisp air, it could be the ever-present possibility of snowfall, or it could be the nostalgic feeling of the game’s beginnings. Whatever explanation your heart desires, Sunday will channel them all, as Frozen Fenway is back.
This go around, the No. 5 Boston University men’s hockey team will play Sunday’s opener against the University of Massachusetts Amherst, marking the Terriers’ third game at Fenway Park since 2010. While BU’s players and coaches are yearning for a win, they couldn’t help but reflect on what it’ll be like to play in a makeshift outdoor rink in Fenway’s outfield.
“It’s really special,” said Doyle Somerby, BU’s senior captain. “It’s extremely unique to be able to play on Fenway in the first place, but to be from Marblehead, we’d come up and go to Fenway a lot. It’s a really special thing.”
As Somerby alluded to, there’s plenty of local flavor on the Terriers (11-5-2, 4-2-2 Hockey East), as he’s one of 11 players with New England roots, many who grew up going to Boston Red Sox games. But for David Quinn the game might be even more special for those whose roots lie elsewhere.
“It’s always special when you can play in a venue like this, especially for the local guys,” BU’s fourth-year head coach said. “But maybe even more so for the guys who aren’t from around here. A lot of our guys are from different parts of the country and different parts of the world, and they get a chance to come to Fenway quite a bit because it’s on the edge of campus.”
Quinn’s assertion certainly rang true for junior assistant captain Nikolas Olsson, who grew up in the San Diego, California area. Following Friday’s practice skate, he joked that his ears got cold real quick and he’d only played outside before once when he was 11 or 12.
Mindful of that, Frozen Fenway will resonate with Olsson for quite some time.
“It’s kind of surreal,” the 22-year-old winger said. “When you’re on the ice skating around, you don’t really think of it as Fenway Park, but then you take a look up and you see the sign and the press box and all the seats and you kind of realize where you are and how historical this place is. It’s really, really cool.”
Speaking of history, BU won its Frozen Fenway opener, 3-2, over Boston College in 2010, only to fall, 7-3, to the University of Maine in 2014. And while the Terriers will certainly look to edge a struggling Minutemen (5-14-2, 2-7-1 Hockey East) side on Sunday, there was time to step back and consider what the occasion represents.
“I think it brings everyone back to the roots of hockey,” Quinn said. “Hockey started obviously on ponds, and it gives everyone a little bit of a nostalgic feeling of where hockey started and the ground roots of what hockey is all about.”
As Quinn alluded to, hockey fans have received a healthy dose of nostalgia in recent years, especially as the buzz surrounding outdoor games has swelled. Chiefly, the 2017 NHL Winter Classic brought nearly 50,000 fans to Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, while the NHL Centennial Classic in early January was played before 40,000-plus at BMO Field in Toronto.
It remains to be seen if BU will be treated to Fenway Park’s capacity crowd of 37,949 fans, but it’ll definitely be a special affair.
For the time being, the Terriers are simply loving their temporary home.
“[The ice] was actually really good,” Olsson said. “It felt great, probably some of the best ice I’ve skated on this year.”
Editor’s Note: The BU vs. UMass game was originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 7. With an impending snowstorm, Hockey East rescheduled the game to Sunday, Jan. 8. The story reflects this change.
Jonathan's a New Englander who writes about sports, features and politics. He currently covers men's hockey at BU, worked as Sports Editor during the spring 2016 semester and is on the FreeP's Board of Directors. Toss him a follow on Twitter at @jonathansigal.
