2010 FROZEN TUNDRA HOCKEY CLASSIC
What���s the best advice that he can pass along to
his Badger teammates who have never played competitively outdoors? ���Enjoy the atmosphere,������ he
said. ���These games only happen every few years
and some guys don���t get to play in one at all. Just
play the game just like you would any other game.������
Under these circumstances, there will be many
things out of the players��� control, not the least of
which will be the ice conditions. ���If the ice is going
to be bad, you���ve got to play simple hockey,������ Ramage said. ���Make the simple plays. Don���t try to do
too much because the ice is going to be bumpy.������
Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves can attest to that.
���The ice was pretty snowy by the end of the periods
and the end of the games,������ he said. ���That���s what
we���ve experienced in both Green Bay and at Camp
Randall. It becomes a much simpler game ��� it���s
about getting the puck in and out of the zones.������
There���s another factor. ���Managing the cold,������
Eaves said. ���I don���t know what Minnesota knows
about playing outside. What kind of underwear are
they going to wear? Are they going to wear hats
or tuques? Whatever they���re going to wear underneath their equipment becomes a big factor.������
There���s definitely uniqueness to this Soldier
Field showdown beyond the NHL-sized ice surface.
���It���s a league game, the other two have been nonconference,������ Eaves pointed out. ���It brings another
element into it ��� the fact it���s going to count in our
league standings.������
Eaves views the outdoor game as a ���lifetime experience������ for the players who will ���get to talk about
this to their kids and grandkids������ years from now.
Plus, it is another renewal of the Border Battle between Minnesota and Wisconsin. ���It will add another chapter,������ Eaves said.
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