Despite the lopsided 6-1 score, players on both the Wisconsin and Bemidji State benches relished the opportunity to play an important WCHA game on outdoor ice surface at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday.<\/p>\n
“We wanted to soak in the fun we were having,” Badgers freshman forward Brianna Decker said. “But we had to keep going hard and not give up because this counts as a real game.”<\/p>\n
Bemidji State freshman forward Jamie Hatheway, who’s from Trenton, Ontario, said the toughest aspect of day was getting acclimated to the ice.<\/p>\n
“For most of us, it was our first time out there so it was a bit of an adjustment,” Hatheway said. “But it was an awesome experience.”<\/p>\n
Growing up in Sarnia, Ontario, Wisconsin sophomore Carolyne Prevost played her fair share of hockey outdoors, but none of those experiences compared to spectacle of playing at Camp Randall.<\/p>\n
“When you grow up back home you play a lot of shinny hockey,” Prevost said. “But to actually play in front of this many fans and for it to be such an important game at a crucial time of the season, it was just great to be a part of that.”<\/p>\n
Despite near perfect conditions in the afternoon of sunshine, light wind, and mid-20 degree temperatures, Dousman, Wis., native Decker said weather played a factor in the game. <\/p>\n
“If could do it again, maybe I could stand to stay a little bit warmer out there,” Decker said. “But it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I cherished every moment of it.”<\/p>\n
Wisconsin senior forward Jasmine Giles, whose hometown is sometimes-frigid Ottawa, Ontario, agreed with Decker, saying she would have preferred a warmer day.<\/p>\n
“It was a little cold; I am not going to lie,” Giles said. “We had heaters on the bench, and a couple of us put our face up to it.”<\/p>\n
But if she had another chance at an outdoor game, Giles would not pass it up. <\/p>\n
“It was fun and I’ll never forget it,” Giles said. “I would love to do it again.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Playing at Camp Randall Stadium was an “awesome experience” for the Wisconsin and Bemidji State players who took part.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n