CHICAGO — The weather was picturesque for hockey at Soldier Field on Friday. Snow fell on a clear and cold winter night on the shore of Lake Michigan. The rest of the scene was less conventional. Two teams made up of adult recreational league players, some who only recently learned the sport, skated before more than 60,000 empty seats.

With ice laid over the Soldier Field turf for the first time in at least 60 years, in preparation for a college hockey doubleheader on Feb. 17, the Chicago Outdoor Hockey League helped to begin more than two weeks of hockey festivities. Friday night’s hockey game was thought to have been the first played at Soldier Field, according to the organizers of the event.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” said Tom Walsh, 30, who took up the sport two years ago and skated Friday. “I think I’m a little embarrassed that some of us are playing this special game, given our skill. We’re lucky to be here.”