The 1st International PondHockey Tournament at Lake Weissensee could hardly have got off to a more impressive start.
Perfect ice conditions, a fantastic atmosphere, nostalgia brought to life and around 1,000 highly motivated hockey players from eight nations made it clear right at the premiere that this tournament has established itself as a true highlight of the international PondHockey calendar in its very first year.
Right from the start on Friday, the participants beamed as brightly as the sun and opened the weekend with the first exciting qualification games on the natural ice.
Saturday afternoon - alongside the teams' further qualification games - was also all about sporting highlights.
It kicked off with the traditional and always eagerly awaited city duel on ice: Villach vs Klagenfurt.
Team Villach featured, among others, Mayor Günther Albel, VSV sporting director Herbert Hohenberger, former VSV players such as Martin Hohenberger, Thomas Pfeffer, Lukas Herzog, Roland Schurian as well as the VSV Ladyhawks' Sabrina DiCasmirro , the reigning Villach carnival prince Andreas Ferlan and several more.
The Klagenfurt team was made up of Mayor Christian Scheider, former national team footballer Matthias Dollinger, Sportpark Klagenfurt director Daniel Greiner, ex-cycling pro Paco Wrolich, former KAC players Dieter Kalt and Johannes Reichel and several more.
In the end, the Villach cracks clearly prevailed 8:4. Mayor Günther Albel proudly accepted the trophy, a miniature replica of the Pyramidenkogel, which today clearly glows blue.
Additional variety and top entertainment came from the celebrity match featuring numerous well-known personalities, including former national team footballer Martin Hinteregger, meteorologist and ORF weather expert Marcus Wadsak, former figure skater Claudia Kristofics-Binder, ex-cycling pro Paco Wrolich, head coach of the Austrian national ice hockey team Roger Bader as well as Weissensee's mayor Karoline Turnschek, ÖEHV president Klaus Hartmann, Carinthian ice hockey magazine presenter Hannes Orasche, top chef Hannes Müller, Europlast managing director Georg Schnaubelt and the organisers Christian Kresse and Gerhard Brüggler. High sporting ambition and a palpable joy of the game went hand in hand.
Just as much enthusiasm was generated by the Kärntnermilch U10 youth tournament. Loudly cheered on by fans and families, the youngest participants showed great commitment, fair games and above all one thing: pure joy of ice hockey.
Finally, on Sunday the big final games are on the programme. These can also be followed via livestream and form the atmospheric conclusion of a weekend that once again showcases Lake Weissensee as a stage for unique natural-ice hockey. It remains to be seen who will take the winners' trophy home.