Michigan head hockey coach Mel Pearson was on the bench when the Wolverines played in the first modern day collegiate outdoor game at Michigan State in 2001.
The game at Spartan Stadium set a world attendance record at the time for the largest hockey crowd with 74,544, launching an increasingly popular trend for hockey games to be played at large outdoor venues.
The Wolverines then hosted MSU at Michigan Stadium in 2010, drawing a record crowd of 104,173. Michigan played in its eighth outdoor game on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium, and although the event drew 23,422, Pearson said the novelty of playing in the natural elements has not worn off, especially when the team skated to a 4-2 victory over the sixth-ranked Irish.