After a six-year hiatus, one of the city’s warmest sports traditions has been revived in Liepāja – the “Lido lāči” charity event of the hockey game. In it, the Ukrainian team “Kyiv Capitals” met with the Liepaja hockey club to provide Christmas gifts for Ukrainian children.
The ice hall in Liepāja was full of spectators – about 2,000 fans had come to the game.
Edgars, a visitor to the charity game, said: “It’s a pleasure that hockey is back in Liepāja and that you can enjoy such an event, it’s cool. We need it more often.”
On the other hand, Ange, who attended the game, expressed: “We also talked with my daughter before that we are glad that we can also help a child who may not be so lucky in life.”
At the beginning of the game, everything happened like in a real hockey match, but then the rain of soft toys quickly started. Toys were thrown onto the ice, and hockey players celebrated their goals.
Photo: TV Kurzeme
Photo: TV Kurzeme
The moment the first goal was scored, approximately 1,300 bears and other belongings landed on the ice.
The goal scorer, forward of the Liepāja hockey team Kevins Strādnieks admitted after the game that these moments are phenomenal: “It’s nice to score in every game, but this was something special, I’ll really remember it, I think, for the rest of my life.”
The interest in renewing the campaign was so great that doubts about its need disappeared instantly.
Liepaja hockey team manager Linards Mazur Mago said: “We will deliver half to the children in Liepaja for Christmas, and we will also donate the other half to the children of Ukraine to the Kyiv team, which they will further sell and deliver to the children as well.”
The guests from Ukraine also emphasized that hockey served as a unifying bridge. Although Liepāja won in extra time with a score of 3:2 in the tense battle, the result in the table was in the background this time.
Kyiv Capitals hockey club forward Andriy Krivonozhkin said: “We tried to unite all fans from both cities, because hockey is more than a game. The most important thing is to bring joy to our fans, especially children.”
The organizers of “Lido Läči” admitted that such a charity game will be held next year as well.
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