Cubs, Big Ten Partner for Frozen Confines Hockey Doubleheaders

pretty cool deal, literally, if you’re into college hockey. Or any hockey. Or novelty.

See below for the media release…

The Big Ten Conference and the Chicago Cubs announced today plans to host a pair of college hockey doubleheaders at Wrigley Field in January 2025. The event will be known as The Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series.

Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Petitti, Chicago Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney and Chicago Blackhawks President of Business Operations Jaime Faulkner spoke at a news conference Thursday at Wrigley Field and were joined by Colin Faulkner, Chicago Cubs Chief Commercial Officer; Steve Mayer, NHL Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer; and Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks Team Ambassador and University of Wisconsin alum. The event was broadcast live on the Big Ten Network with Rick Pizzo moderating.

The Frozen Confines will feature three Big Ten men’s hockey games, plus a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) women’s game, the weekend of January 3-4, 2025 at Wrigley Field. Big Ten Network will carry all four games live. While the order of games is pending, start times are set for 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. CT on January 3 and for 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. CT on January 4. The game pairings are:

Friday, January 3, 2025:

Penn State vs. Notre Dame, BTN
Ohio State vs. Michigan, BTN

Saturday, January 4, 2025:

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin (WCHA), BTN

Wisconsin vs. Michigan State, BTN

Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin each spent time in the Top 20 national polls last season with four of the teams finishing in the Top 10. Since 2022 all six schools have seen NCAA Tournament action with Michigan advancing to three-straight Frozen Fours.

On the women’s side, Ohio State and Wisconsin have combined to win the last five national championships and have met in the last two NCAA Championship games.

The weekend of college hockey follows the Discover NHL Winter Classic® between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks on December 31, 2024, the second NHL Winter Classic to be held at Wrigley Field.

Tickets for the Frozen Confines go on sale to the general public on Friday, August 30, at 10 a.m. CT and are available at Cubs.com/BigTenHockey.