Coon Rapids saw an 8-0 start to the season snuffed by an upset loss to Blaine.

Whether or not the Cardinals dish up revenge in Saturday's rematch, the game itself will be served cold. The teams will step outside and play at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Phalen Recreation Center in St. Paul.

"It's a big game, but we're treating it as an event, too," Coon Rapids coach Jessica Christopherson said. "We know we're a part of something special."

Most players on both teams grew up playing hockey indoors and have not warmed to the idea of playing outside. Christopherson and her eighth-ranked Cardinals (15-5) practiced outside last week and half-joked that many players "were being babies."

"Some of them were dressed in so many layers they could hardly move," Christopherson said.

Blaine (9-9-1) coach Steve Guider, who will get his team outside for practice this week, said his assistant coaches have requested heavy coats. And one Bengals player, he said, already wears long underwear to indoor games.

"Everyone is getting soft," Guider said.

Playing outside, Guider said, "is cool, but it's a novelty that will wear off once the game gets going."

"It's just like going to state at the Xcel Center," he said. "Players might think about it going in, but your focus quickly turns to the game."