The first games of the day at an international hockey tournament can often feel like a late-night beer league game where only a few friends and family members are in attendance. 

With work, school and other commitments, it can be challenging to draw more than the most rabid fans into the arena to watch some of the lesser-known teams face off in what is typically considered the tournament undercard. The prime-time slots are usually reserved for powerhouse teams such as the United States and Canada.

Thanks to the generosity of the Adirondack Sports Council, early games at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championships have taken on an atmosphere and energy normally associated with a Taylor Swift concert as hundreds of local school kids packed into the Adirondack Bank Center to cheer for teams such as Sweden, Denmark, China and Japan. 

Banging their inflatable noisemakers and unleashing ear-piercing screams at the slightest provocation from the stadium jumbotron, these budding superfans let the players know their on-ice efforts were appreciated.

“It’s so much fun when you have a lot of fans out there screaming and cheering for you. It gives you more energy. It’s really a fun atmosphere to play in,” said Swedish forward Sophie Lundin, who played college hockey at The Ohio State University. 

The opening game of the tournament brought in 2,700 students from 12 schools. Another 2,500 were scheduled to attend the game between Japan and China but snow forced a delay at several schools. 

One school that was able to brave the slushy roads was the Bellamy Bulldogs in nearby Rome, which bussed in 240 fourth, fifth and sixth graders. Under the watchful eye of teachers and chaperones, they enjoyed a day away from the classroom while learning about the game and the countries that play it.

“The first thing is that I hope they have fun. The second thing is experiencing the different cultures that are playing here,” said Rob Mahardy, a fourth grade teacher at Bellamy.

And who knows, sitting among them may be the next Hilary Knight or Kendall Coyne Schofield.

“I don’t know if any of my students play hockey,” Mahardy said, “but I would think that after watching these women play it would inspire some of these girls and boys to give hockey a try.” 

In addition to giving away free tickets, tournament organizers distributed 13,000 activity books to students in 55 schools throughout the surrounding counties.

The 12-page activity book features coloring sections, mazes and word searches designed to create excitement for the tournament by helping students learn the rules of the game and interesting facts about the 10 teams that competed in the tournament.

More than 400 of the activity books were hand-delivered by members of the Utica University women’s hockey team to students at Westmoreland Upper Elementary School.

“We are so fortunate to have an event like this happening in our region. It gives our students the chance to learn more about women in sports, the challenges they face and what it’s like to be a woman who plays a sport,” said Rocco Migliori, superintendent of the Westmoreland Central School District. 

“This activity book will not only help prepare our kids for the championship game, but it will also teach them about countries, where they’re located and the rules of hockey. We are so grateful our students have the opportunity to be a part of such an incredible event.”