Book boyfriends brought me here: my first ice hockey game

I have been an ice hockey fan for a few years now. Recently, hockey took over the world.

Ice hockey romance books have been popular for a while, and rightly so. They are usually spicy, with all the action and drama of ice hockey.

I was a fan before the rise in popularity. And I read a few books along the way. They captivated me in a way I hadn’t expected and only cemented my love of ice hockey even more.

I watched games regularly on Disney+ but had sadly resigned myself to the fact that I would never actually see an ice hockey game.

One, I hate the cold, so I didn’t want to leave the warmth of Australia during the hockey season to go watch a game in the USA or Canada; two, I also couldn’t afford to go overseas, let alone just for a hockey game.

Then I discovered the AIHL, the Australian Ice Hockey League. I was so excited. I started looking up our teams, players and stats. Unfortunately, the AIHL isn’t really that popular here, and fans are mostly made up of people like me who have caught the ice hockey bug, most of them recently, so there’s not a lot of information on the teams and the players. We also have an insane markup on jerseys and merch. So unless you’re rolling in it, it’s not really feasible.

I wanted to share with you my experience of attending my very first ice hockey game. Sydney Bears versus Melbourne Ice, competing for the Canada Day Cup.

The rabbit warren that is Macquarie Centre, left me more than a little confused. Thankfully, I had an Instagram post from The Bears’ social media team to guide me. But when you actually arrive at the rink, there are no directions.

The sizeable queue that had already formed, snaked along the shop fronts. I joined the end, adding to the formation. I should have filled the half-hour wait, talking to some of the people in the queue. They were a mismatched group of fans. I am very much an introvert, and the thought of talking to people I don’t know, makes my insides curdle.

One guy in line produced a book from his back pocket, as if he were wearing a pair of jeans given to him by Mary Poppins. He then stood there, oblivious, reading his book. I was more than impressed. Eventually, someone came along and scanned my ticket, and stamped my hand. It was a rather blase affair. Once I entered the ‘barn’ (we call them arenas or rinks here), the crowd parted like the Red Sea. They knew exactly where to go, and it was clear that the majority of the other patrons were well-established fans.

It wasn’t hard to identify the people who were like me and caught the hockey bug, as they wore character name jerseys or book-themed jumpers. If I hadn’t purchased the ticket myself, I could have sworn I was at a Briar U Hawks game. I have never seen so many ‘Graham’ and ‘DiLaurentis’ jerseys. The fans, whether established or new, had spent a lot of time either collecting team merchandise, or making it themselves. Team spirit was visible.

I had front-row seats behind the ‘Bears' Den’, elevated so I could look down and see the players. I’ll admit I was a little starstruck and giddy when I saw them just milling around before the game. I imagined the schoolgirl inside me kicking her feet. To be honest, these guys were pretty chill. Just ordinary guys, most with day jobs outside of hockey. They were just chatting with people, either family, friends or established fans.

Warm-ups started, and I was excited to see the hockey stretches. I was at the boy aquarium, now! When they were all stretched, the lights dimmed, and the pre-show began. The lights in the rink dimmed, then a couple of coloured laser lights came on, and some advertisements from their sponsors played on the screens. It was underwhelming, if I’m honest, but the crowd ate it up, cheering as they knew what was coming. The lights came back up, and the emcee for the night introduced the team. I thought they introduced the players individually, but they didn’t. The other team didn’t get much of an introduction; however, that was to be expected since it was home ice for the Bears.

Everyone stood and faced the flag for the Australian national anthem. We are a proud nation, but maybe not as patriotic as some. The players began to move into position before the anthem was over. I found it slightly rude, but then again, I wasn’t even singing the anthem, so I really can’t talk.

The players were in position, music began, and I could feel the anticipation in the air. The game was about to begin, and I was on the edge of my seat. As soon as the puck dropped, the music cut out, and the rink fell silent. The only sounds were the players' skates carving across the ice and their sticks striking the puck. Around me, the crowd seemed to hold its collective breath. I never really understood the phrase ‘the silence was deafening’ until then.

The Bears had the puck within a few seconds and were down in Melbourne Ice’s end. The crowd began to cheer as soon as the puck was near the goal. They didn’t score, and Melbourne Ice had control of the puck. Within seconds, they were up the Bear’s end trying for their own goal. The goalie blocked the shot, and with the noise that erupted in the rink, I could have sworn that the Bears had scored a goal, nope, the other team just didn’t score. The Bears already had a penalty for high-sticking, so the fact that they were already a player down, and a goal wasn’t scored, was pretty impressive, apparently.

This continued for a while, and I was invested in what was happening in front of me. The line changes were smooth, the players were quick, and everything moved so fast. Within the first ten minutes of the game (ten minutes and twenty-eight seconds remaining on the clock, in fact), the Bears had scored a goal. If I thought the fans were loud before, I was wrong. The emcee screamed goal through the microphone, the siren went off, the screen flashed ‘GOAL’, and the crowd were on their feet. Air horns have apparently made a comeback, and they are loud.

By the end of the first period, the Bears were up two-nil. The fans and the team were on a high. The atmosphere was electric.

If the first period introduced me to hockey, the second showed me what the sport was really about. Every few minutes, another player was slammed into the boards, the impact echoing around the rink. Gloves hit the ice as tempers flared, and before long, Melbourne Ice was penalised for high-sticking after a Bears player took the end of a stick to the chin. Blood was drawn, and from that moment on, the game seemed to shift. It was then that I realised hockey wasn't just fast, it was relentless. Every hit felt harder, every challenge more personal, and the intensity inside the arena climbed another level.

A fight halfway through the second period caused a Bears player to fall backwards onto the ice. Melbourne Ice were about to score, and the Bears’ defence was strong. It all happened so quickly, but gloves were dropped, and a player not even involved in the fight was knocked backwards. There was an audible thud. A Melbourne Ice player, involved in the scuffle, was hit, causing him to lose his balance. The Bears player was still flat on his back. The Ice player tried to jump over him, to avoid landing on him. I clenched as I watched the boot of his skate clip the side of the Bears player’s helmet. This all happened within the space of five seconds.

The player was down and not moving. The Bears had all stopped and were waiting for the medical team to arrive. It reminded me of the scene in Heated Rivalry, yes, I know it’s a TV show, when Shane was knocked unconscious and was lying on the ice, whilst Ilya watched over him until he was taken off the ice.

The Melbourne Ice player who had accidentally caused the injury was standing with the player, and the rest of the Bears, waiting for the medical team. Which I was surprised to find was one woman with a bumbag labelled ‘medical’. No offence to her, but what was she going to do if this player couldn’t get up? Was gameplay going to stop until an ambulance arrived?

After a few minutes of her talking to the player on the ice, he rolled over, then eventually stood up. The crowd cheered for him as he skated off the ice and went back to what I assumed was a medical room. That player didn’t return to the game, and rightly so.

I hadn’t even realised when the other team had scored. It wasn’t announced. The crowd made a hushed ‘ooh’, but that was it. The scoreboard changed, and it took me a while to realise Melbourne had a goal on the board. The second goal was the same. No fanfare.

Shortly after the second goal, a Bears player skated off holding his elbow and wincing in pain. I hadn’t even seen what had happened; it was so quick. The second period ended with the Bears up four to two.

With two players injured at the start of the third period, the Bears were even more ruthless on the ice. Within two minutes, two players were in the penalty box. A fight had broken out and lasted a few minutes. Gameplay then stopped while the refs discussed, and that lasted five minutes. Eventually, they decided to send the player off the ice for the rest of the game. Three players down.

It didn’t take long for the score to even out. At one point, a Melbourne Ice player tried to touch the Bears' goalie, and that’s a big no-no, everyone knows that, even me, who’d never been to a game before. A Bear’s player grabbed the front of the Melbourne player’s helmet and flipped him backwards. The crowd cheered for that one, and they even have a long-established chant for when that particular player is in the penalty box. “Free Tyrelle” rang out through the rink.

I was on the edge of my seat. With two minutes to go, Melbourne scored another goal. They were now leading. The Bears had two minutes to make that back and head into overtime. With one minute to go, Melbourne scored a goal on an empty net. One minute to make up two goals wasn’t going to happen.

Melbourne Ice one six to four. They had won the Canada Day Classic Cup. No big deal was made, except for the three Melbourne Ice fans in the crowd, and they’re players.

The teams then shook hands, and the Bears did their rounds of the ice, tapping their sticks along the plexiglass, as the fans cheered them on. The support for the team, despite their loss, was incredible. They cheered and clapped for the team. These fans bleed red, black and white for their team. I honestly felt a bit like a fraud. I don’t have any Bears regalia. I did, however, wear a red t-shirt and a Vancouver Island University jumper in support of Canada Day.

Somehow, it still didn’t feel like enough. I was a visitor in these people’s world, and for most of them, their whole world. This team was their life. Whether they were just die-hard fans or family and friends of the players, I’m not sure, but this was their world, and I felt like I was intruding. I still enjoyed myself, and will definitely be going back. I am now an official Sydney Bears fan.

After every game, the players have a signing and a meet-and-greet. Lots of young kids get to chat with their heroes. It’s an incredible experience for any young fan. The players all seem very sweet and down-to-earth. They are also more than happy to pose for a photo, or sign something. They’re just everyday blokes. I, however, being an introvert, and new to the hockey world, felt as though I didn’t belong there just yet, so I didn’t stick around. I wish I had now, but there’s always next time.

Overall, I absolutely loved the experience, and I am definitely going back to another game. Might have to buy myself a team jersey first!