Manuela Heidenberger, 18, who plays for HPK, experienced the star moment of her career so far in Milan.
Italy’s victory over France was great for the home crowd. PDO
The Italian women’s national ice hockey team got off to a dream start in the Milan–Cortina Games on Thursday, when they beat France 4–1.
The match was watched by 9,356 spectators in the Santa Giulia arena, which was made suitable at the last moment.
The smell of the construction site and the rumbling details did not hinder the start of the hockey tournament.
– I have never played in front of so many people, the Italian striker Manuela Heidenberger glowed.
– I don’t even know how to describe the experience. It was incredible.
The excitement was gone
The Italian women’s national team is now playing in the Olympics for the second time. The last time the team participated was in 2006, when the five-ring race was also organized in Italy.
20 years ago, Italy lost all their matches with a goal difference of 3–48. Now there were more goals already in the first match.
Manuela Heidenberger got to play in the Olympics in front of her home crowd. PDO
– In the first set we were nervous, but we kept the game simple and I think we played well in the end, Heidenberger said.
In the current tournament format, all five teams from the upper division qualify for the quarterfinals. Italy plays in the lower group, from which three teams advance.
Italy will face Sweden, Japan and Germany in the first group.
– Our goal is to continue playing simple and play as we have practiced. Then we’ll see how far we get.
He praised Finland
18-year-old Heidenberger represents HPK from Hämeenlinna in his second season at the club team level.
Heidenberger comes from near Bolzano. Finnish Olavi Kalliomäki helped a young man who wanted to improve to get to Finland to play.
There was a good atmosphere in the auditorium. PDO
– When I came to Finland and trained in Hämeenlinna a year ago, I improved a lot off the ice as well. Playing in Finland has helped me develop both as a player and as a person, Heidenberger praised.
– I really like being in Finland.
The Italian national team prepared carefully for the Olympics. Heidenberger said that he left HPK two to three months ago to go with the national team to a preparatory camp in Canada.
Therefore, the Italian has only played in 16/30 of HPK’s matches in the Finnish premier league this season.
Inspiration for younger people
Ice hockey is a marginal sport in Italy.
On Thursday, however, the thousand-strong home crowd cheered their own, and the country’s biggest newspapers reported on the match.
It is still pointless to expect great success from Italy, but the Olympics will perhaps help ice hockey in Italy to take a small step forward.
– The Italians don’t expect much from us, but we want to show them what Italian hockey can give. Hopefully we can show it now at these Olympics, Heidenberger said.
– We want young boys and girls to start practicing the sport. Hopefully we can encourage that.
According to Heidenberger, the ice in the shaken Santa Giulia arena was good. PDO
