Asiago is currently shattering all attendance records. © Serena Fantini

Sudden influx of fans in the Alps Hockey League

Records are tumbling these days in the Alps Hockey League, but also in the Italian Hockey League: Spectators are flocking to the arenas like never before. Only South Tyrol is lagging behind the trend.

02 January 2026

From: fop

"Wasn't it just Christmas?" That's likely the reaction of club treasurers in the Alps Hockey League when they see the ticket sales. In many places, fans are flocking to the arenas.

HC Asiago is the undisputed champion when it comes to fan enthusiasm. This evening, more than 2900 spectators will be in attendance at the Odegar Stadium for the third consecutive game against Gröden (puck drop at 8:30 pm). Before the New Year, a league-wide season record of 2944 fans was already set in the Asiago vs. Wipptal game. These are numbers unheard of at this time of year, even in the days of ICE trains on the high plateau. Numerous fans will also be accompanying the Stellati to Merano for tonight's away game.

43 games with more than 1.000 fans

But it's not just in Veneto that fans are keen on hockey. In Sisak and Zell am See, attendances have also regularly exceeded 2.000 recently. This means that twelve games with more than 2.000 spectators have already been recorded in the current AlpsHL season. A remarkable 43 games have seen attendances exceeding 1.000 fans. HC Gherdëina has also been regularly breaking this barrier recently – and this will be the case again in tonight's home game against Zell am See (8:30 pm).

Packed stands in Val Gardena: HCG is currently South Tyrol's spectator stronghold. © Giacomo Rossi

The club from the tourist hotspot is the only one in South Tyrol currently keeping pace with the trend in attendance. While Merano, Wipptal, Ritten, and Unterland have recently recorded marginal increases, they remain far from the top spots in the league-wide attendance rankings. For the bottom-placed team from Unterland, at least a new season high is in sight for their home game against Ritten (20 p.m.).

Alleghe-Kaltern against a record backdrop

A veritable fan frenzy is also expected one division lower, in the Italian Hockey League, at HC Alleghe. Up to 2.000 spectators are expected to create an unforgettable atmosphere for the players at the venerable Alvise De Toni arena on Saturday for the top match against Kaltern. The stands in Alleghe were already packed with more than 1.800 spectators on December 27th against Aosta. The traditional club from the Dolomites has always enjoyed great interest around the New Year, but this many tickets haven't been sold since their Serie A days.

A striking feature in the IHL: Varese and Feltre are approaching an average attendance of 1.000, while Kaltern, Eppan, Toblach, and Brixen currently don't even manage an average of 300 spectators at their home games. The four South Tyrolean league representatives occupy the bottom four spots out of twelve in the fan ranking.

The program in the AlpsHL:

Friday January 2th
HDD Jesenice - KHL Sisak (19 p.m.)
EC Kitzbühel - EC Bregenzerwald (7:30 pm)
Wipptal Broncos - RB Juniors (20 p.m.)
Unterland Cavaliers - Rittner Buam (20 p.m.)
HC Gherdeina - EK Zell am See (8:30 pm)
HC Meran - HC Asiago (20.30 p.m.)

Sunday January 4st
Wipptal Broncos - HDD Jesenice (18 p.m.)
Rittner Buam - HC Meran (18 p.m.)
EK Zell am See - EC Bregenzerwald (7:30 pm)
HC Asiago - HC Gherdeina (20.30 p.m.)
SG Cortina - Unterland Cavaliers (20.30)

Click here for the Alps Hockey League standings.

The program in the IHL:

Friday January 2th
Fassa Falcons - HC Aosta (20.45 p.m.)

Saturday January 3th
Falcons Brixen - HC Eppan (18 p.m.)
HCMV Varese - Hockey Pergine (19 p.m.)
Valdifiemme HC - HC 3 Zinnen (20.30 p.m.)
Valpellice Bulldogs - HC Feltre (20.30 p.m.)
Alleghe Hockey - SV Kaltern (8:30 pm)

Click here for the Italian Hockey League standings