A breakthrough might not be the best word to use to describe something when you’re talking about ice, but for an agreement that will now see the first ever International Ice Hockey Test matches played in Queenstown, during this year’s Audi quattro Winter Games NZ it seems pretty fitting.

New
Zealand’s Ice Blacks will host Australia in a 3 Test series on Thursday September 7, Friday September 8 and Saturday September 9 at Queenstown Ice Arena.

“It’s
something we had in our initial planning, but it has taken until now to make it
come to fruition,” said a delighted Arthur Klapp, Audi quattro Winter Games NZ
CEO.

“This is
all due to the efforts of both the Australian and New Zealand Ice Hockey
Federations.”

With the
series scheduled just a week after National League Finals, New Zealand Ice
Hockey President Günther Birgel is hopeful of having the country’s best talent
available. “Ice Hockey is such a heavy impact and fast sport, and we are very
pleased in being able to show off the excitement and skills of the sport. Being
an official part of the Audi quattro Winter Games will give us a large exposure
and hopefully a lot more people will realise that ice hockey is being played in
NZ.”

Both Klapp and Birgel seem
optimistic that this announcement is just the tip of the iceberg between the
two nations and that it will become an integral part of the games in years to
come. “We all hope this is something we can grow over the years,” Klapp stated.
“We are excited to be part of the Winter Games organisation and also to
implement a regular series with our Trans-Tasman neighbours,” Birgel added,
“both of our goals (NZ and Australian Federations) is to work a lot more
closely together on all levels. Being so far away from everywhere else it makes
sense. We both look forward to the Queenstown series and being part of the
winter sport culture of the area. Our further goal is to have a series on an
annual basis alternating between NZ and Australia.”