There’s nothing quite like hockey outdoors. Even though the blue and white didn’t emerge victorious, the trip to Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday for the first-ever College Winter Classic was well worth the trip.

• Tickets for the contest were just $10, a fraction of what the NHL Winter Classic tickets for the January 2 Rangers/Flyers game went for. The ice was also in much better condition than on Monday thanks to the favorable weather conditions, and only one stoppage because of ice was needed.
• Penn State’s top line of Tommy Olczyk, Justin Kirchhevel, and Taylor Holmstrom continued to impress, together for the first time since Holmstrom missed went out early in the season with an injury. The Penn State line is capable of doing its fair share of damage, but got no help last night, an unusual happening for the squad.
• The crowd seemed pretty much spilt down the middle, with perhaps a slightly higher attendance from the Neumann fan base, which is closer to Philadelphia. Regardless, it didn’t stop numerous We Are Penn State chants from breaking out, the loudest after Penn State pulled within a goal a minute in to the second period.
• All seating was in the club level, or the second deck of seats at Citizens Bank Park, but the view was surprisingly pretty good from a distance and sightline standpoint. That being said, the seats set up in dead center field for the NHL game would have been the ideal viewing spot.
• Believe it or not, zambonies are still used to resurface the ice, driven out from the same field entrance as the Philly Phanatic.
• The Icers were certainly rusty with just two days to prepare for the game after three weeks and change off, and it showed as they trailed at the end of the first period 2-0.

That’s our round-up of observations from Philadelphia. Stay tuned for more Icers coverage as the second half of the season gets underway and Penn State pursues one final ACHA championship.