Two weeks ago, I went to my first hockey game in Florida. Yes, you heard that right. I watched the Jacksonville Icemen play the Savannah Ghost Pirates at Jacksonville’s VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. My best friend works for the Icemen, so she got my friend and me some free tickets.

As someone who hates the heat, walking into a cool arena with a coat in hand was a nice change from the typical outdoor sporting events sitting on a hot metal bench and feeling as if your thighs will melt into the seat.

The game itself was rather entertaining, with the Icemen securing a victory by the middle of the third period. I was amused with how the players would fight with one another, causing the crowd to cheer and encourage the fighting. There was one instance where, in an effort to break up the fight between an Icemen player and a Ghost Pirates player, one of the referees fell into the brawl head first. The crowd really loved that bit, and those seated by the glass tapped on it to egg on the players.

After munching on a corn dog, fries and a pumpkin donut, I was quite content. My row even won a free appetizer to a local restaurant, a nice bonus.

— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor