Hockey Talk

HDD Olimpija Ljubljana vs. EC Red Bull Salzburg: Final score 2-3

Tonight I had the distinct pleasure of some real Canadian style entertainment as one of the students here kindly arranged for some hockey tickets for me! And it would seem Canada's national sport is alive and screaming in Slovenia as well! I'm a little hoarse now from doing my own screaming, and although my fellow fans were all Slovene, we shared a common language of cheering for the home team and yelling at the Ref, and booing the competition! "SHOOT THE PUCK" is obvious in any language!
Couple of first for me....
1.It was the first time I have ever been frisked going into a sporting event. Every single person that entered the gates had to submit to a thorough patting down before they were even allowed to present their tickets!
2. The hockey games here have home team cheerleaders that dance in the stands at every break!
3. No drink or food allowed in the stands. I had to inhale a 0.5 liter of water, or throw it away, as I was not allowed to bring into the stands with me, even though I purchased it from the concession stand.

Games are a standard 60 min, with 3 20 min periods and 2-15 min breaks. One Ref and 2 linesmen monitored this game, and I have to say that the refereeing was very biased on the side of the opponents. After making some inquiries it turns out they were also Austrian.
I think the rules are basically the same as NHL, but the play seemed gentler and more polite. Many times I saw players deliberately avoid on ice collisions, or boarding, when in an NHL game it seems like anything goes.
However, fans are the same where ever you go, and to see the home team come back from a 3-0 deficit in the third period to score 2 goals within 2.5 minutes had most of us on our feet for the last 5 minutes of the game. Sadly Olimpija Ljubljana couldn't score the tying goal, but it was very exciting none the less. And very good to hear the crack of the puck on a stick, the swish of skates, and the smack of the puck against the goalie pads once again!
PS... GO CANUCKS!!!!!