Photo: AP/Elise Amendola

Alright, let’s get the superlatives out of the way. The ice rink at Fenway park is what the hype has made it out to be. It’s a stunning setting, combining strong histories of hockey and baseball in one of America’s iconic sporting venues. As a member of the media covering this event, it was fun today just to walk the grounds and look out at the grandstands, knowing that they will be filled to capacity on Friday.

The ice surface looked just as good as it would indoors, but it wasn’t that way when the rink was first constructed in mid-December. I talked with a few of the maintenance people and they said that the ice got very choppy in the first week of use, but an additive was put into the water mixture used to freeze the ice, and they cleared up those problems without any further issues. One strange feature walking along the rink is that, more than at any rink I’ve been to, you can feel the thunder of the skaters in your feet, even when you’re not on the ice yourself. The surface is elevated to leave room for the compressors underneath (got to keep that Fenway sod in working order!), and the rumble of a hockey team on the ice vibrates through the bench and floor of the structure.

I did take in the press conferences for BU and BC, but merely as an interested observer. Jack Parker made some candid on-the-record remarks about how planning for the event developed. One original plan was to have a triple-header, perhaps held on one day or across multiple days, which would include men’s teams from BU, UNH, Vermont, Providence, NU, and UMass. Ultimately the discussion fell apart at Parker’s behest - he wanted a BU/BC matchup, or he didn’t want to be a part of it at all. Given the clout that Parker has around the college hockey world, Hockey East listened to his demand and as a result, we have our final product. The match-ups would have likely been like this under the original scenario: BU/UNH, PC/BC, and NU/UMass.

As it stands, Northeastern women’s hockey is scheduled to make history tomorrow afternoon, playing in the first outdoor women’s hockey game in NCAA history, and shattering attendance records for the sport in the process. The forecast calls for light snow and temperatures below freezing - exactly the way it should be for a bit of pond hockey.

– Alex Faust

Alex Faust Hockey Fenway, women's hockey