An outdoor game between the Ohio State and Michigan hockey programs was imminent in May, nearly a done deal in June, and dead in July.

But now it’s official.

The Cleveland Indians held a press conference Thursday to announce the finalized plans to host their first outdoor hockey game, dubbed The Frozen Diamond Faceoff, at Progressive Field on Jan. 15, 2012.

It will be the Buckeyes’ second appearance in an outdoor game, but the Wolverines’ fourth — and their third outdoor match in the past three seasons. Ohio State is 0-1 in outdoor tilts, while Michigan is 1-1-1.

Michigan was a part of the first-ever NCAA outdoor game, the Cold War against Michigan State, in Oct. 2001.
But most fans will recall The Big Chill at the Big House between the Spartans and Wolverines last December at Michigan Stadium. The event drew a world-record crowd of 113,411.

By measurement, The Frozen Diamond Faceoff aims to be the Big Chill’s infant brother. Progressive Field has a seating capacity of roughly 45,200 during the baseball season. Although additional seating may well be installed for a hockey game, it won’t be setting any records.

The game will be a part of Cleveland’s Snow Days, which will also feature a week-long youth tournament. For youth hockey players, this is a chance to show off their hockey skills, while wearing equipment that they purchased at hockeymonkey.com.

In 2010, the first Snow Days was highlighted by ice skating, sledding hills and snow tubing chutes. According to Crain’s, the event drew 50,000 visitors downtown from Nov. 26 to Jan. 2 last year.

The location of Cleveland is relatively ideal, since it lies equidistant — about 150 miles — from both Columbus and Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines hold an all-time 65-30-11 edge in head-to-head matches against the Buckeyes. Michigan completed the 2010-11 season first in the CCHA, while Ohio State crawled to a ninth-place finish.