About 50 students new to the English Language Improvement Program and the Master of Management got a taste of Canadian culture Thursday, watching the Windsor Spitfires defeat the Brampton Battalion 3-0 at the WFCU Centre.

The students hailed from many countries unfamiliar with ice hockey, says Jennie Atkins, director of the Centre for English Language Development.

“We had students there from China, Brazil, Libya, India,” she says. “Most of them had never stepped on an ice rink before, so we were a little nervous to have them walking on the arena’s playing surface.”

The group posed for a photo at centre ice before the game between the two major junior teams.

“They had a great time,” Atkins says. “This was part of our weeklong series of orientation activities before they begin classes on Monday, January 14.”

Students also enjoyed social and academic sessions at the Centre for English Language Development, as well as tours of the campus and the city.

“We really want to support the community and give these students a proper introduction to Windsor,” says Atkins.