BUFFALO, N.Y.— The National Women’s Hockey League is taking its game outdoors with the Buffalo Beauts scheduled to host the Metropolitan Riveters on Dec. 28 in what’s being called the “Buffalo Believes Classic.”

The game will be played at RiverWorks, a year-round bar/entertainment complex located on the banks of the Buffalo River and features a rink exposed to the elements while covered by a roof. The rink’s capacity is about 1,000.

The five-team NWHL is preparing to open its fifth season, though without many of its most high-profile players. A majority of U.S. and Canadian Olympians are among more than 200 players who have pledged to not compete in North America this season in a bid to establish one professional league with a long-term sustainable financial model.

The boycott came after the Canadian Women’s Hockey League ceased operation last spring, leaving the NWHL as North America’s only pro women’s league.

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