For Alberta native Saige Pacholok, outdoor hockey is nothing new. Growing up in Canada, Pacholok has plenty of experience playing on frozen ponds, meaning there are sure to be flashbacks to her childhood when she takes to the ice for the Camp Randall Hockey Classic.
However, Camp Randall Stadium might be a slightly larger venue than the fresh air rinks she was raised playing on, and Pacholok said she and her teammates can't wait to take on Bemidji State outdoors Saturday.
""Back home it was just a homemade rink in the backyard, but this is like a huge backyard,"" the freshman defender said. ""It's a moment of history for us.""
Head coach Tracey DeKeyser shares her players' enthusiasm, saying the game—just the second outdoor NCAA women's hockey contest—will be a once in a lifetime experience.
""It will be a return to childhood memories for many of them,"" she said. ""How often do you get to do something like this?""
DeKeyser, who skated on the temporary rink Monday, said being out on the ice in the middle of Camp Randall was a strange experience, but one she enjoyed.
""It's such a different sound, different smell, different light,"" she said. ""To be in a familiar setting, yet completely unfamiliar at the same time, that was pretty cool.""
According to men's hockey senior forward Ben Street, however, players on both teams will not spend all of their time taking in the outdoor atmosphere. Street is the only current Badger who took part in the Frozen Tundra Classic at Lambeau Field in 2006, and said he and his teammates will have to balance the experience with the game itself.
""You try not to get too caught up in it,"" he said. ""After the first couple of shifts you kind of settle in and it is a hockey game. ... You take it all in, but you don't get overwhelmed.""
DeKeyser said her team must keep their minds on the game and not just focus on its novelty, especially as the Classic will be the first half of a crucial two-game series against WCHA rival Bemidji State.
""You want to embrace it and enjoy it while it's here because it is a unique and special opportunity,"" she said. ""But at the same time we need to focus on the task at hand, because every point that we can gain in the march toward the playoffs is crucial for our program.""
Pacholok echoed that sentiment, saying, ""I'm going to focus as much as possible and getting a win on top of playing in our home stadium would be phenomenal.""
The Badgers will have an advantage over their opponents since they will spend the next few days practicing at the outdoor rink and getting used to the differences between their home at the Kohl Center and their temporary one a few blocks up Dayton Street.
""It's going to be really nice that we get to skate for a few days on the ice before,"" Street said. ""You know that there is going to be a difference—you just [have to be] prepared for that.""
