“It’s an awesome event, I think reflecting back on it, I’m thankful we get to play in the Big Ten,” head coach Adam Nightingale said. “Normally when there are outdoor events, all of that falls on the institution hosting it, there's a ton of work that goes into it, and to piggyback on the Winter Classic.”

Continue to make history has been exactly what the Spartans have done this season, excelling on all ends of the ice to take a challenging 4-3 overtime thriller with a game winning goal from junior forward Daniel Russell. MSU now moves to 17-2-1 on the season.

Along with the overtime winner, Russell reclaimed his national lead of six game winning goals in the 2024-2025 season thus far. With his two-goal, three-point performance of the night, Russell said postgame that the overtime goal was like a dream to him.

“That was like a dream, that’s one you’re never ever going to forget," Russell said. "It was amazing, unforgettable." 

For Russell, he is able to excel in the must-win moments. With the team’s mentality of knowing they can make a comeback if they fall behind, Russell said that the overtime was no panic, even as the seconds began to quickly wind down. 

“He’s got a chip on his shoulder. I think he’s out there trying to prove every day that he brings value and he certainly does,” Nightingale said. “I look at our two and a half years we’ve been here, I’d say if you ranked our forwards, I’d have a hard time believing he wouldn’t be ranked in the top three for pretty much every game we’ve played.”

Along with the unforgettable moments on the ice, the fireworks that lit up the Chicago skyline during the National Anthem was a memory that the players will never forget when looking back on the Frozen Confines.

“The National Anthem was pretty surreal, I wasn’t expecting the fireworks or anything, so that was unforgettable,” Russell said.

For Luca Di Pasquo making his fourth consecutive start and his sixth on the season, the backup sophomore netminder was the backbone of the Spartan win outdoors, making a career high 31 saves with a .912 save percentage. And though Di Pasquo said that the wind picked up and he got a little chilly out on the ice at some points, it was a week of playing and a game that he will never forget.

Getting to experience outdoor hockey is a dream for hockey players, and though players such as Russell and even Nightingale had the experience of playing pond hockey with their Northern Michigan roots, having the opportunity to skate out under the Saturday night lights at Wrigley Field and coach the No. 1 team in the country is a memory that will never be forgotten.

“We’re proud of our guys and the start we’ve had to the season, our midway point,” Nightingale said. “But, it’s always about trying to get better. One of the nice things of being ranked, as far as our guys' development, you see everyone’s best. You’ve got a target on your back so if we want to have success in a game we’ve got to make sure we play our best.”