ÖEHV referee Julia Kain­berger becomes the first woman to offi­ciate two Cham­pions Hockey League games

Kainberger made her debut as a head referee in the Champions Hockey League in the clash between the ZSC Lions Zürich and the Straubing Tigers, which the Swiss side narrowly won 3:2 after an equaliser by ÖEHV forward Vinzenz Rohrer made it 2:2. She was therefore the first woman to officiate a Champions Hockey League game.

The Salzburg native was back in action in the Champions Hockey League on Saturday, officiating the game between Genève-Servette and Ilves Tampere alongside Finland's Mikko Kaukokari. Genève narrowly prevailed 4:3 against the Finnish club.

win2day ICE Hockey League debut last year

Kainberger made her win2day ICE Hockey League debut on 30 December 2023. Last season, the ÖEHV and IIHF referee became the first female head referee to officiate a game in the country's top ice hockey league, between HK SZ Olimpija Ljubljana and Migross Supermercati Asiago Hockey. Among other games, she also officiated the highly emotional regular-season clash between EC-KAC and HC Innsbruck on 26 January 2024.

Prior to that, she had already officiated numerous Alps Hockey League games as head referee.

The AHS teacher, who represented Austria at four World Championships as a national team player, is a sought-after referee internationally. She has officiated as head referee at five IIHF Women's World Championships, including one final, and at two IIHF U18 Women's World Championships, including two finals. She also worked as a lineswoman at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.

Kainberger's Champions Hockey League appearances came through the cooperation with the "IIHF Referee Exchange Program".