Do512 Family contributor Jamie Jett took her family to see the Texas Stars take on the Cleveland Monsters at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. This was her family’s first time attending a Texas Stars game, and her son’s first hockey game ever. Read on to see why they’ll definitely be going back!

My family isn’t too big on sports. We’ve never gone to a football game, and we’ve only been to a couple of Round Rock Express games (and that was mostly for the KidZone). But I remember being in middle school and really loving my first hockey game. I mean, they’re ICE SKATING, and they’re hitting a tiny puck around with a stick, trying to get said puck into a goal that is only a few feet wide that’s blocked by a goalie decked out in pads. I figured my son would be into it so we jumped the gun and made it out to a game.

Saturday’s game was my 11-year-old son’s first hockey game, my second, and only my husband’s third or fourth. We were definitely newbies. But it didn’t take us long to get totally wrapped up in the action. Hockey moves so quickly, there really isn’t any lag time and you have to be actively paying attention or you’ll lose sight of the puck. This kept my son cheering and at the edge of his seat for most of the game. To top it off, the game we attended went into overtime. As an added bonus, if no one wins in overtime in hockey – THEY HAVE A SHOOTOUT. How exciting is that? The Stars ended up losing 2-1 after a few shootout rounds, but we left with the excited energy of the arena in our minds as opposed to the loss. Stars fans love their team!

I’m happy to report that we were all very involved in the game and there was not a time where I felt like my son was bored or ready to go. Outside of the general excitement and fast pace of a hockey game, the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park has some tricks up their sleeves when it comes to keeping fans engaged. There were giveaways from sponsors throughout the game with lucky fans winning pizza meals, coupons from local restaurants, and even Girl Scout cookies. We really enjoyed the interactive aspect of music and requests to “Get Loud!” from the jumbotron – at any given point you could look around and see kids dancing and smiling. Every kid wants to be on the jumbotron, and they’ll do just about anything see their face on the big screen!

–> Good to Know:

• Parking is free for hockey games
• There are plenty of concessions available where you can get food such as chicken tenders, pizza, deli sandwiches, bbq & more.
• There is beer!
• DRESS WARM. I wore a few layers with a hat and gloves. Many people bring blankets. It isn’t uncomfortably cold but you definitely want to be prepared.
• All in all, we were there about three hours.

–> Game Schedule & Tickets: You can see this season’s full schedule here, and you can get your tickets in advance online here. For much more info, visit www.texasstars.com.

Photos by Roger Ho, see them all here.