Melbourne Ice (women)

Melbourne Ice
Melbourne Ice
City	Melbourne, Victoria
League	Australian Women's Ice Hockey League
Founded	2005 (19 years ago)
Operated	2005–present
Home arena	O'Brien Icehouse
Colours	(2005-2010) ; ; (2010–present) ;
Head coach	Curtis Klooster
Captain	Georgia Moore
Affiliates	Melbourne Ice ; (AIHL)
Website	Melbourneice.com.au
Franchise history
2005–2010	Melbourne Dragons
2010–present	Melbourne Ice
Championships
Regular season titles	6 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023)
Joan McKowen trophy	8 (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2024)
	Current season

The Melbourne Ice is an Australian amateur ice hockey team from Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 2005, the Ice have been a member of the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) since inception in 2007. The Ice are based at the O'Brien Icehouse, located in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne. The team has won eight Joan McKowen trophies and are five time league premiers, making them the most successful national ice hockey team in Australia.

History

Founded in 2005 as the Melbourne Fire, the Melbourne Dragons were one of four founding teams of the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL). The Dragons participated in the National Women's Program Showcase Series in 2006 and 2006/07 before the formal national league, the AWIHL, started in 2007/08. The Dragons joined the new league along with the Adelaide Assassins, Brisbane Goannas and Sydney Sirens.^[1]

In 2010, the Dragons entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Melbourne Ice Hockey Club, who operate the Australian Ice Hockey League men's team. The agreement saw the Ice buy into the club as a minority partner, with the Dragons retaining majority share. The Dragons re-branded to the Melbourne Ice Women and started trading under the name Melbourne Ice.^[2] The team also moved into the Olympic sized Henke Rink at the Melbourne Icehouse within the Docklands precinct of Melbourne.^[3]

In 2011, the team won its first national championship and trophy. The Ice defeated the Sydney Sirens in the final to clinch the title and their maiden Joan McKowen Trophy. The Melbourne Ice placed second in the league standings at the end of the regular season with eight wins from twelve matches.^[4] In the finals, the Ice came up against the Sydney Sirens in a two match series for the Joan McKowen Trophy. In game one, the Ice shutout the Sirens and secured a 1-0 victory. In game two, the Ice maintained the goal difference to win 2-1 in a shootout and claim the national championship and the Joan McKowen Trophy.^[5]^[6]

The Ice became an AWIHL powerhouse in the 2010s.^[7] After their first title in 2011 the team went on to win another six championships and five premierships in the following eight years, including four straight premiership-championship doubles between 2013 and 2016.^[8] The last four Joan McKowen Trophy finals the Ice have contested, they have versed rivals Sydney Sirens. They have defeated the Sirens in every final match the two teams have faced each other. In 2019, the two teams met for the grand prize at the Adelaide IceArenA. The match was a tight affair with both teams locked at three-all with one minute left in regulation time. The Ice won the match and the trophy through a Bettina Meyers goal with 36.7 seconds left on the clock.^[9]

In 2019, the Melbourne Ice women were ranked 23rd in the Australasia Best Sporting Team (ABST) top twenty-five list.^[10] Produced by Platinum Asset Management and GAIN LINE Analytics, the list represents an analytical approach to measuring success in team sports in Australia and New Zealand within a rolling five-year period.^[11]

Season by season results

Championships

Joan McKowen Trophy

Champions (7): 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019

Runners-up (2): 2012, 2023

West Lakes Trophy (repurposed as league premiership trophy in 2010)

Premiers (5): 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019

Runners-up (3): 2011, 2012, 2018

Roster

Team roster for the 2023-24 AWIHL season.^[12]^[13]

Leaders

Captains

Coaching staff

Management

Identity

Name and colours

Since 2010, the team have identified with the Melbourne Ice branding including the colours navy blue, crimson red and white. The colours are used in all aspects of the club including: uniforms, supporter merchandise, official media and digital design. Prior to 2010, when the team operated in the AWIHL as the Melbourne Dragons, the team identified with the colours indigo blue and white. The team has changed names once, in 2010 after the signing of the MoU between the Dragons and Ice. Since 2010 the team has identified as the Melbourne Ice.

Facilities

In 2010, after the Dragons re-branded to the Melbourne Ice, they moved into the newly completed $58m Melbourne Icehouse (Known as the O’Brien Icehouse for sponsorship reasons), located in the Docklands precinct of Melbourne.^[14] The Ice have played all their home matches from the 2010/11 AWIHL season onwards at the Icehouse.^[15] The Icehouse is the only twin ice-sheet facility in Australia.^[16] The hockey rink within the facility is named the Henke Rink, in honour of Geoffrey Henke AO.^[17] The Icehouse has an Olympic sized ice surface, café, bar, specialist winter sports gym, pro shop, corporate boxes and seating for 1,000 spectators as well as room for additional 500 standing attendance on match days.^[18]

Prior to 2010, for five years, the Ice, when they were the Dragons, were based in Oakleigh South, Monash in the wider Melbourne metropolitan area.^[19] Their home venue was the 300 capacity Olympic Ice Skating Centre (OISC), noted at the time for being a small rink, with its width two-thirds that of a regulation Olympic-sized rink.^[19]

Broadcasting

Current:

Sportscast Australia (2023 - present) - On 24 October 2023, the AWIHL signed an agreement with Sportscast Australia to stream the 2023-24 AWIHL season. Launched as AWIHL.TV, every game of the regular and post-season would be available live and on-demand for free, with no region-locks, through the AWIHl.TV website and YouTube.^[20]^[21]

Former:

Clutch.TV (2022-23) - On 22 October 2022, the AWIHL announced a streaming partnership with Australian streaming provider Clutch.TV for worldwide streaming rights for the 2022-23 AWIHL season. Every game of the regular and post-season would be available live and on-demand for free on the Clutch streaming platform. This partnership came to an abrupt end in September 2023, ahead of the new AWIHL season, when Clutch Pty Ltd, who operates Clutch.TV, entered administration and ceased all operations.^[22]^[23]
Kayo Sports (2018-22) – The AWIHL signed a broadcasting deal with Fox Sports in 2018 to stream on their Kayo Sports platform, a weekly 'game of the week' and 20-minutes highlight package with commentary and player interviews each round of the 2018-19 AWIHL season. This agreement was extended in the 2019-20 season, but was put on hold during the COVID-19 Pandemic, when the AWIHL had to cancel two consecutive seasons.^[24]^[25]

References

^ "League History". Brisbane Goannas. 2011. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
^ "We are Melbourne Ice". Ice Hockey Australia. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ Kutsche, Frank (2012). "Australian Women's Ice Hockey League - 2010/2011 AWIHL Season". Sticks & Stones Photography. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
^ "AWIHL Standings 2010-11". Pointstreak. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ "2011 AWIHL Finals Schedule". Pointstreak. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ "2011 AWIHL Finals Standings". Pointstreak. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ "Melbourne Ice Womens Team". Melbourne Ice. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ "AWIHL Finals Wrap Up: Melbourne Ice claim 2016 Finals". Ice Hockey Australia. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ Basso, Tom (29 March 2019). "Melbourne win record-breaking seventh AWIHL title". Ice Hockey Australia. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ Collins, Lee (28 November 2019). "AIHL and AWIHL clubs feature in Australasia's Best Sporting Team 2019". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ "Australasia's Best Sporting Team 2019". Platinum Asset Management & GAIN LINE Analytics. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ Collins, Lee (27 September 2023). "Melbourne Ice Women 2023–24 roster". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
^ "Melbourne Ice Women - PLAYER STATISTICS". Ice Hockey Australia. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
^ Boulton, Martin (27 June 2010). "Crushed Ice, anyone?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
^ "AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE (AWIHL): Melbourne Ice team profile". O'Brien Icehouse. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
^ "National Ice Sports Centre". Department of Planning and Community Development, Government of Victoria. 17 October 2009. Archived from the original on 17 October 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
^ "Official naming of the Henke Rink". National Ice Sports Centre. 9 December 2009. Archived from the original on 18 April 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
^ "Facilities". O'Brien Icehouse. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
^ a b Brodie, Will (4 September 2011). "Ice hockey shoots, and scores". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
^ Collins, Lee (24 October 2023). "AWIHL signs streaming deal with Sportscast Australia". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
^ Collins, Lee (27 October 2023). "AWIHL.TV launched ahead of 2023–24 season". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
^ Collins, Lee (28 October 2022). "AWIHL signs streaming deal with Cluch". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
^ Poletti, Steve (28 September 2023). "Cluch TV enters administration, sporting organisations left scrambling". theinnersanctum.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
^ Collins, Lee (23 December 2018). "AWIHL to be aired on Kayo Sports in 2019". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
^ Collins, Lee (22 November 2019). "Kayo to stream AWIHL Game of the Wee". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2020.

External links

Australian Women's Hockey League official site
Melbourne Ice official Site

[FOUNDING-1] "League History". Brisbane Goannas. 2011. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2023.

[REBRAND-2] "We are Melbourne Ice". Ice Hockey Australia. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

[MOVE-3] Kutsche, Frank (2012). "Australian Women's Ice Hockey League - 2010/2011 AWIHL Season". Sticks & Stones Photography. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2023.

[1011STANDINGS-4] "AWIHL Standings 2010-11". Pointstreak. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

[11FINALSSCHEDULE-5] "2011 AWIHL Finals Schedule". Pointstreak. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

[11FINALSSTANDINGS-6] "2011 AWIHL Finals Standings". Pointstreak. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

[POWERHOUSE-7] "Melbourne Ice Womens Team". Melbourne Ice. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

[WINNINGCULTURE-8] "AWIHL Finals Wrap Up: Melbourne Ice claim 2016 Finals". Ice Hockey Australia. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

[2019FINAL-9] Basso, Tom (29 March 2019). "Melbourne win record-breaking seventh AWIHL title". Ice Hockey Australia. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

[2019BEST-10] Collins, Lee (28 November 2019). "AIHL and AWIHL clubs feature in Australasia's Best Sporting Team 2019". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

[ABST2019-11] "Australasia's Best Sporting Team 2019". Platinum Asset Management & GAIN LINE Analytics. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

[ROSTER2324-12] Collins, Lee (27 September 2023). "Melbourne Ice Women 2023–24 roster". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.

[ESD-13] "Melbourne Ice Women - PLAYER STATISTICS". Ice Hockey Australia. Retrieved 3 December 2023.

[14] Boulton, Martin (27 June 2010). "Crushed Ice, anyone?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 September 2018.

[15] "AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE (AWIHL): Melbourne Ice team profile". O'Brien Icehouse. Retrieved 16 March 2020.

[16] "National Ice Sports Centre". Department of Planning and Community Development, Government of Victoria. 17 October 2009. Archived from the original on 17 October 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2010.

[17] "Official naming of the Henke Rink". National Ice Sports Centre. 9 December 2009. Archived from the original on 18 April 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2010.

[18] "Facilities". O'Brien Icehouse. Retrieved 1 March 2020.

[MELNEWOLD-19] Brodie, Will (4 September 2011). "Ice hockey shoots, and scores". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 September 2018.

[SPORTSCASTAU-20] Collins, Lee (24 October 2023). "AWIHL signs streaming deal with Sportscast Australia". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.

[AWIHLTV-21] Collins, Lee (27 October 2023). "AWIHL.TV launched ahead of 2023–24 season". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.

[CLUTCH-22] Collins, Lee (28 October 2022). "AWIHL signs streaming deal with Cluch". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2023.

[CLUTCHADMIN-23] Poletti, Steve (28 September 2023). "Cluch TV enters administration, sporting organisations left scrambling". theinnersanctum.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.

[KAYO19-24] Collins, Lee (23 December 2018). "AWIHL to be aired on Kayo Sports in 2019". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2020.

[KAYO20-25] Collins, Lee (22 November 2019). "Kayo to stream AWIHL Game of the Wee". icehockeynewsaustralia.com. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2020.