(ABC 6 News) – You might as well call it a holiday in Austin on Saturday, as the community gathered at Riverside Arena for a day full of fun on the ice.

“Any time I can be at the arena watching the kids play hockey, I’m happy,” said Brandon Schaefer, the Austin Youth Hockey president.

The Austin Hockey Association wanted to give the community and their kids a full day to play the game they love.

“The state does Hockey Day Minnesota in January and we just kind of wanted to do something locally in town, to help celebrate hockey as well,” Schaefer said.

But it wasn’t all about the game, for many it was a chance to raise money for a good cause.

“We are doing a couple of fundraisers. We’re doing a 50-50 raffle to support Austin Youth hockey and we’re doing penny wars to support Paint the Town Pink, so there will be some funds that go towards Paint the town pink as well,” said Michelle Bumgardner, an Austin Youth hockey parent.

The day starts out with the mites in the morning, ages 4 to 9 years, then squirts, ages 9 to 11, followed by pewees and banum’s.

But no matter their age, whether kids were about to jump on the ice, or just finished scoring, the most important part was getting to play.

The president of the hockey association says the day has been a big hit by the Austin community and expects it to continue next year.