Could Lambeau Field Outdoor Hockey Doubleheader Feature Pair of No. 1 vs. No. 2 Games? Puck Drop

College Hockey will return to the land of Bart Starr and Vince Lombardi as organizers for the Frozen Tundra Faceoff announced that Wisconsin will host a unique men’s and women’s doubleheader on Feb. 20, 2027, at Lambeau Field.

Game 1 will feature what could be yet another No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup between Ohio State and the Badgers, as they’ve met in the last four women’s national championship games.

But the men’s side, Michigan vs. Wisconsin, could have a comparable showdown as both teams reached the Frozen Four in 2056-26. The Wolverines, who spent a good part of last season at No. 1, lost to Denver in the semifinals 4-3, and the Badgers subsequently took a 2-1 defeat in the title game.

This will the third straight year that the Big Ten regular season will include a high-profile outdoor game as Penn State hosted Michigan State on January 31, 2026, a wild 5-4 overtime win for the Spartans (the Nittany Lions women, who play in the AHA, defeated Robert Morris 3-0). In 2025, it had teams playing in the “Frozen Confines” at Wrigley Stadium.

Michigan will also play Western Michigan at Waldo Stadium on Jan. 30, 2027. It’ll be the first outdoor game the Broncos will host.

Dating back to the “Cold War” against Michigan State in 2001, this will be the Wolverines’ 11th and 12th outdoor games, the most of any program in college hockey. Michigan is 4-5-1.

Lambeau Field last hosted a college hockey game on Feb. 11, 2006, with Wisconsin defeating Ohio State 4-2. The “Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic” attracted 40,890 fans, and the temperature when the game started was 28 degrees (with 7-mph winds) — which is one degree off the average high temperature in Green Bay in February.

The traditional home of the Green Bay Packers normally seats 81,441, and it’s estimated that the game will have a local economic impact between $15-$20 million depending on attendance. It almost needs a full house to become the second-biggest draw in college hockey history.

Top Attendance College Hockey Games

1] 104,173 certified (113,411 announced): Michigan 5, Michigan State 0; Dec. 11, 2010, at Michigan Stadium
2] 74,575: Michigan State 5, Penn State 4; Jan. 31, 2026, at Beaver Stadium
3] 74,544: Michigan 3, Michigan State 3; Oct. 6, 2001, at Spartan Stadium
4] 55,031: Wisconsin 3, Michigan 2; Feb. 6, 2010, at Camp Randall Stadium
5] 52,051: Notre Dame 2, Miami (Ohio) 1; Wisconsin 3, Minnesota 2; Feb. 17, 2013, at Soldier Field

Four storied hockey programs at Lambeau Field on February 20th, 2027.

Get ready for the Frozen Tundra Faceoff, featuring @OhioStateWHKY vs @BadgerWHockey, and @umichhockey vs @BadgerMHockey.

Ticket presale begins Wednesday, Sept. 9! Score early access here:… pic.twitter.com/Qvd4oubC1N
— Lambeau Field (@LambeauField) September 2, 2026

Puck Drop: Thursday, September 3, 2026

Update on the collapse and hospitalization of Arizona State hockey player Matthew Mayich: attorney Rob Carey told ESPN "This injury is from exertional heat stroke that caused a lack of oxygen to the brain. There were no other contributing conditions, only exertion-related heat. This is not an induced coma. We need a miracle." Also, the Athletic reported that the Arizona State University Police Department is now investigating, although a school spokesman called it normal procedure for an incident involving a serious injury.

Amazon Prime Video’s hockey footprint grew significantly when it and the NHL announced a multi-year agreement for the platform to include local broadcasts for six teams, the Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Stars, Wild and Blues. Prime Video also acquired the rights to certain Stanley Cup playoff series in Canada, streaming two first-round playoff series and one second-round series per year.

• Recruiting update. The following players all committed for 2027-28:

Army: Sam Scheetz, LW, Aberdeen (NAHL); Ryan Wachtel, RW, Prince Goerge Spruce (BCHL)

Boston University: Rian Chudzinski, RW (Moncton, QMJHL); Zachary Morin, LW, Saint John (QMJHL); Luke Schairer, D, Petersborough (OHL); Aidan Souligny, D, Summerside Western (MJAHL)

Canisius: Luke Mackenzie, RW, Melfort (SJHL)

Lake Superior: Carter Richardson, G, Dalhousie (Canada); Cameron Kuzma, C, Red Deer (WHL); Marcus Lougheed, LW, Guelph (Canada); Peter Morris, LW, Johnstown (NAHL); Candon O’Neill, D, Saginaw (OHL); Jacob Smith, C, Milano (Italy); Evan Statsny, D, Blackfalds (BCHL); Daniel Vasic, C, Burlington (OJHL); Jesse Venturo, C, Newmarket (OJHL)

Lindenwood: Brooke Kapeller, D, Minnetonka (Minn. HS)

Lowell: Stephen Grumley, D, Portland (OHL); Easton Jacobs, C, Surrey (BCHL); Charlie Kresl, C, Bismark (NAHL)

Niagara: Quinlan Clair, D, Milton (OHL); Nicholas Dipaolo, LW, Blackfalds (BCHL); Ethan Facchina, C, Collingwood (OJHL); Maximus McGuire, C, Elmira (NAHL); Lucas Moore, D, Oshawa (OHL)

North Dakota: Cooper Williams, C, Saskatoon (WHL)

RIT: Alexander Hebblethwaite, LW, Toronto (OJHL); Spencer Rheaume, C, Ontario Tech (Canada)

Union: Bowen Burke, D, Vernon (BCHL); Kimani Eccleston, LW, Charlottetown (QMJHL)

Yale: Henryk Lasky, D, Omaha (USHL)

Centers Alex Assadourian and Eli Friedman, and defenseman Matthew Virgilio, all 2026 commitments to Yale, have apparently delayed their enrollment. None are on the 2026-27 team roster and all are now listed as being 2027 commitments.

Wisconsin River Falls left wing Anthony Cappello announced he’ll transfer to Niagara for the 2027-28 season.

Trivia Question

If former Michigan center Dylan Larkin is no longer the team captain of the Detroit Wings as expected (he’s still listed as such despite his trade request), who is the only former college player who is an NHL team captain?

See answer below.

Countdown to the 2026-27 Season

Men … 29 days. Women … 15 days.

This Date in Hockey History

September 3, 1916: Hall of Fame left wing Doug Bentley was born in Delisle, Saskatchewan.

September 3, 1948: Boston College right wind Tim Sheehy was born in Fort Frances, Ontario.

September 3, 1968: Alaska Anchorage winder Rob Conn was born in Calgary.

September 3, 1969: St. Cloud State center Fred Knipscheer was born in Fort Wayne, Ind.

September 3, 1978: Michigan center Jed Ortmeyer was born in Omaha, Neb.

September 3, 1979: The Miracle on Ice Team played the first of 61 games in preparation for the 1980 Olympics, defeating the Holland National Team 8-1. It went 41-17-3 in those exhibitions.

September 3, 2000: Michigan goaltender Erik Portillo was born in Gothenburg, Sweden.

September 3, 2020: In the covid-delayed hub-based Stanley Cup Playoffs, former Boston College goaltender Thatcher Demko made 48 saves for Vancouver to lead a 4-0 victory over Las Vegas to force a Game 7 in their second-round series in Edmonton.

September 3, 2025: Joe Pavelski, Zach Parise, Tara Mounsey, Scott Gomez and photographer Bruce Bennet were named to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Trivia Answer

Clayton Keller of the Utah Mammoth. He played at Boston University from 2016-17. Note that Auston Matthews is the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he’s a product of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program

Robert Thomas has joined the list of current NHL captains! 🎵 pic.twitter.com/5QIBwRHYtu
— NHL (@NHL) September 2, 2026

Hockey Quote of the Day

"That's what the media in Toronto should be talking about. Auston [Matthews] led us to a championship"
Quinn Hughes (Michigan)

We'll Leave You With This ...

It's not hockey, but this one's for all of you still dealing with a 100-degree heat index:

Another Morning in Barrow Alaska with the middle school team . We have 85% falling snow . Mindset attitude perspective. Grind til ya shine . pic.twitter.com/aCiD87t6re
— Chris Battle (@CoachCBattle) September 2, 2026

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