MOUNT GREENWOOD — Here's one Winter Classic game a Chicago team is sure to win.
The Marist Redhawks (3-18) face off against the Brother Rice Crusaders (9-12-1) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at an the outdoor ice rink in Evergreen Park.
This is the sixth year the high school hockey rivalry has taken over the the suburban rink at Yukich Field at 8904 S. Kedzie Avenue. With the regular season over, the exhibition game serves as a warm-up for both teams ahead of post-season tournaments.
"It's smart to have the outside game, and it's something both student bodies enjoy," Brother Rice Coach Jamie Pembroke said.
The proximity of the two Catholic schools in Mount Greenwood fuels the rivalry. Marist is just two miles from Brother Rice: both schools are located along Pulaski Road on the far Southwest Side.
On the ice, many of the players also know each other from grade school or playing hockey together in developmental leagues, including the St. Jude Knights Hockey Club, Marist Coach Chuck Peters said.
"The first [Winter Classic] was amazing. There was a record crowd there," said Peters, who will have the opportunity to coach the home team this year.
Attendance dipped in 2014 as the polar vortex kept many fans away. Both coaches are hoping for larger crowds this year, as the schools' pep squads - the Crusader Crazies and Redhawk Rowdies - are expected to show up in force.
The hockey game also holds additional significance this year as the two schools won't meet on the football field for the first time in decades in 2015.
Besides playing for bragging rights, the winning team also takes home a traveling trophy. It's modeled after the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, the trophy given to the top men's collegiate hockey player.
"The kids have a blast," Pembroke said.
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