As I left Mickey’s Dairy Bar at 2:05 p.m., I knew Saturday would be a day I — along with more than 55,000 others — would not soon forget.

It was at that time I heard the siren announcing the day’s first goal, netted by sophomore forward Carolyne Prevost, and the celebration that came along with it.

While every moment of the day would not be quite as exciting as that one, the action during the afternoon and early evening simply acted as a crescendo, building to the excitement that would come Saturday at 7:49 p.m.

Upon arriving at Camp Randall Stadium, I was struck by the strange silence that followed, a stark contrast to the usual boisterous, drunken activity that usually accompanies events at the historic football facility. When I got into the press box, more silence.

As I sat, watching the first outdoor women’s hockey game in WCHA history, I could not help but think of UW men’s hockey head coach Mike Eaves’ quote from earlier in the week.

“The sound the puck makes when it leaves your stick or the sound that your skate makes when it cuts outdoor ice, or the way the puck sounds when it hits the board, these are unique sounds and feelings,” he said.

Ask anyone in attendance Saturday or lucky enough to attend the Badgers’ practice during the week and they no doubt would agree. Unfortunately, however, those sounds do not exactly translate to the soundproof press box at Camp Randall Stadium.

So there I sat for nearly six hours, in the cold — though much warmer than outside — press box watching hockey while the sounds of the 12 goals scored and the big hits into the boards or benches were lost in translation.

Around 6 p.m., I began to realize I should have dressed more appropriately for the weather, and then I also began to wonder: is this what I’ve been waiting nearly a year for, to watch one of the least exciting hockey games I’ve ever seen in less than ideal conditions?

You see, while I was happy not to be freezing in the 21-degree weather, the press box did not exactly allow for the “classic” experience that was promoted so heavily. Instead, I was bored nearly to tears by the lack of competition in the 6-1 UW victory during the women’s game only to be even more disappointed through the first two periods of the men’s game.

Fortunately for me, and all those who remained in the stands through the first five minutes of the third period, the UW stadium crew and both teams kicked things into high gear.

That familiar sound of House of Pain blared through the Camp Randall Stadium speakers and just about everyone in attendance joined in, likely because they were so cold they needed an excuse to jump around and warm up.

Yet, there was still that issue of the soundproof atmosphere in which I was sitting.

Less than four minutes later, Michigan’s Kevin Lynch put the Wolverines up 2-1. It seemed the hated Wolverines would steal one in the Camp Randall Hockey Classic and I could not care less because the game itself was so slow, so long and so boring.

At that point, my plan was to write in this space about just that fact, how the “classic” did not live up to the hype. Little did I know how wrong I would be.

With seven minutes of play remaining, I made my way from the cold, sterile environment of the press box to the freezing, electric atmosphere of the field level. Just after I exited the elevator, my own excitement level got a significant boost.

Just as another media member had suggested would happen, a goal was scored during our trek from the box to the field. I heard the roar of the crowd and with 5:32 remaining in the third period, I was as excited as I’ve ever been at a hockey game.

While I saw that goal on the Big Ten Network broadcast rather than watching it live, my enthusiasm for the game immediately returned.

I was convinced I would witness history on the field that day.

We arrived on the field and as the cold air hit me, I felt like a kid again, though at 22, I’m not exactly old.

So there we were, so close to the action, yet forced to look the other way toward the video board to see what was happening on the ice. You see, the stadium officials would not allow us any closer to the action than the same area that we occupy during football games.

It was frustrating to say the least, but within minutes Smith put another power play goal away and the crowd’s reaction to that goal was exactly what I, along with everyone in attendance — aside from those in maize and blue — had waited so long for.

Senior forward Blake Geoffrion, who assisted Jordy Murray’s goal just three minutes into the game, summed it up best when asked if the game was everything he expected it to be.

“I think everything and more,” he said. “I’ll tell you what, I was really nervous before the game, I felt like a freshman again out there, I had the butterflies going and everything. “When the fans did the ‘Jump Around’ and everything, I got the chills down the back of my neck. It was unbelievable.”

As the clock wound down to zero, Wisconsin defeated Michigan at Camp Randall Stadium for the second time in less than three months.

At the same time, I was envious of those with red cheeks and numb feelings in their ears, fingers and toes as I realized what everyone had been saying all along.

Hockey is meant to be played (and watched) outside.

Jordan is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. Have a story to share from your Camp Randall Hockey Classic experience? E-mail him at [email protected].