Monster On Ice: College Hockey Doubleheader Slated For Fenway Park On Jan. 7

The Red Sox and Hockey East Friday will announce a college ice hockey doubleheader for Fenway Park slated for Sat., Jan. 7. The Univ. of Vermont will play the Univ. of Massachusetts at 4:00pm ET, followed by the Univ. of Maine-Univ. of New Hampshire at 7:00pm. For the Red Sox's sister company, NESN, the two games will also be preceded by a Canucks-Bruins game at 1:00pm at TD Garden, giving the network a hockey tripleheader for the day. The outdoor hockey at Fenway Park, dubbed "Frozen Fenway 2012," follows a successful of run of similar events there in late '09 and early '10 anchored by the '10 NHL Winter Classic. But this time, Fenway Sports Management is pursuing the hockey events without the financial aid and operational assistance of the NHL. As a result, it is taking all the financial risk itself. Costs are estimated in the low seven figures, with the rink construction and subsequent baseball field replacement costs alone extending into the mid-to-high six figures. "It definitely puts more risk and pressure at our end. But we're very excited. This is something that is going to be really great for the region," said FSM co-Managing Dir Billy Hogan. "With the major renovations at the ballpark now done, we were looking at various possible offseason events, and this was something with obviously a ton of positives." The temporary Fenway Park rink is scheduled to open Jan. 1 with a public skate, followed by a second one on Jan. 16 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day that will close the rink. In between, FSM will hold a series of community benefits and private corporate gatherings at the ice, joined by possibly another series of ticketed events of some sort during the weekend of Jan. 14-15.

LOOKING FOR TITLE SPONSOR: FSM is currently seeking to sell several major sponsorships, including a title sponsorship, to Frozen Fenway 2012. Sun Life Financial was the title sponsor of the first Frozen Fenway. It is not yet known whether the return of Frozen Fenway will ultimately lead to outdoor hockey at Fenway becoming an annual event, but future iterations are likely. "I'd like to do it as long it continues to resonate here. Maybe at least every other year," Hogan said.