Taking advantage of some lucky league scheduling, Okanagan Hockey Academy Europe made the trip this past weekend to Klagenfurt, to see Austrian hockey-history in the making. It was a truly unique experience for the young L. A. Stars hockey club Saturday afternoon, joining 30,500 other spectators at Austria’s first ever open-air hockey game, which was played at the Wörthersee Football Stadium in Klagenfurt. It was the 277^th meeting of the archrivals from Villacher Sport Verein (VSV) and Klagenfurt Athletic Club (KAC), and although the game was good, the atmosphere was spectacular on the snow-dusted afternoon, as temperatures hovered around four degrees below zero. While Villach managed to win the game 3 – 1, the Stars’ players were treated to an experience of a lifetime which they will remember forever as fans for both sides chanted, drummed, and cheered in typical European hockey fashion throughout the afternoon.

The event was the third largest spectator-gathering in European hockey history with only games in Sweden 2009 and Switzerland 2007 managing to attract more fans.