Ice ice baby
Nov. 8th, 2015 11:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustAlthough I've drifted out of hockey fandom, my time there did lead me to discover something interesting:
Australia actually does have an ice hockey league.
More specifically, there's a men's tournament during winter, and a women's tournament during summer. Which is how I ended up yesterday evening at Canterbury Olympic Ice Rink, watching the game between the Sydney Sirens and the Adelaide Adrenaline.
Even though I'd grown up with an ice skating rink in the local area, I'd just thought of it as the place kids went to hang out in the school holidays. It had never occurred to me that ice hockey was a thing in this country. It was in the Winter Olympics, sure, but as alien as curling. Something you'd have to fly to frozen realms like Canada or Russia to see.
I never imagined I could just catch a train there.
It was so easy! I bought a ticket at the door, walked in, and found a seat in the bleachers. There were about a hundred people, from the sound of it mostly family and friends, shouting out warm encouragement to the players by name.
It was so good! Fast and exciting, the players just flowing across the ice. It wasn't too hard to follow the main action of the game, though I'm sure there's still lots of detail I missed. The announcements weren't too helpful, being sporadic and muffled, and the scoreboard was hard to read. The score went to 4-4, and ended with a shootout, which the Sirens won.
I went back this morning for the second game of the weekend. This time though, it was mostly stalemate - though still tense and dramatic to watch - until a rash of scoring late in the game. (And for some reason I couldn't figure, the Adrenaline's goalie was absent from the ice for a couple of minutes, during which time the Sirens scored a goal in the empty net.) The final score was 4-1 for the Sirens.
The games are rotating over the various state capitals, but the Sirens will be back in Sydney next month. I am still bubbling with delight that I can just go watch a game. And also delighted at the idea of having a hometown team.
Miscellaneous musings:
* The first day, I brought a parka, but by the end of the game I was sneezing. The next day, I brought a heavier coat, and wore a jumper and beanie. They helped stave off the cold, but not completely. I'll have to seriously layer up next time.
* The first day, I picked a seat in the centre, close to the barrier. Being low to the ground, however, meant not as good an overview of the ice. The next day, I sat higher up and the view was much better, even though it was off to one side.
* The black netting that hung between the ice and the seats was kind of annoying at first, but I guess no one wants a puck to the head.
* There was a bit more grabbiness and shoviness than I expected - I thought the women's game wasn't a contact sport? - and there were a couple of penalties, as well as a few worrying moments when a player had to be helped off the ice after a fall.
* They did the handshake line at the end!
Australia actually does have an ice hockey league.
More specifically, there's a men's tournament during winter, and a women's tournament during summer. Which is how I ended up yesterday evening at Canterbury Olympic Ice Rink, watching the game between the Sydney Sirens and the Adelaide Adrenaline.
Even though I'd grown up with an ice skating rink in the local area, I'd just thought of it as the place kids went to hang out in the school holidays. It had never occurred to me that ice hockey was a thing in this country. It was in the Winter Olympics, sure, but as alien as curling. Something you'd have to fly to frozen realms like Canada or Russia to see.
I never imagined I could just catch a train there.
It was so easy! I bought a ticket at the door, walked in, and found a seat in the bleachers. There were about a hundred people, from the sound of it mostly family and friends, shouting out warm encouragement to the players by name.
It was so good! Fast and exciting, the players just flowing across the ice. It wasn't too hard to follow the main action of the game, though I'm sure there's still lots of detail I missed. The announcements weren't too helpful, being sporadic and muffled, and the scoreboard was hard to read. The score went to 4-4, and ended with a shootout, which the Sirens won.
I went back this morning for the second game of the weekend. This time though, it was mostly stalemate - though still tense and dramatic to watch - until a rash of scoring late in the game. (And for some reason I couldn't figure, the Adrenaline's goalie was absent from the ice for a couple of minutes, during which time the Sirens scored a goal in the empty net.) The final score was 4-1 for the Sirens.
The games are rotating over the various state capitals, but the Sirens will be back in Sydney next month. I am still bubbling with delight that I can just go watch a game. And also delighted at the idea of having a hometown team.
Miscellaneous musings:
* The first day, I brought a parka, but by the end of the game I was sneezing. The next day, I brought a heavier coat, and wore a jumper and beanie. They helped stave off the cold, but not completely. I'll have to seriously layer up next time.
* The first day, I picked a seat in the centre, close to the barrier. Being low to the ground, however, meant not as good an overview of the ice. The next day, I sat higher up and the view was much better, even though it was off to one side.
* The black netting that hung between the ice and the seats was kind of annoying at first, but I guess no one wants a puck to the head.
* There was a bit more grabbiness and shoviness than I expected - I thought the women's game wasn't a contact sport? - and there were a couple of penalties, as well as a few worrying moments when a player had to be helped off the ice after a fall.
* They did the handshake line at the end!
