The Women Are Back!

Admittedly, I am not Australian nor would I ever pass for one. And while no one would mistake me for an Australian, I feel like I would fit in quite nicely at an AIHL game. Being that I'm already a Melbourne Mustangs fan, I'm probably not welcome in most arenas across the Australian continent, but I'm a loyal fan. The only problem is that the AIHL is on hiatus until next spring, so it's time to dive back into the other league in Australia! The AWIHL hits the ice next week, and the Australian women's league should be a lot of fun this season with a new team and new talent across the league!

The Melbourne Ice will travel to Adelaide to meet the Rush to open the season at 4:15pm AT (Australian Time) to kick things off on November 8, but all six teams will play on that day including the newest squad in the league, the Melbourne Ducks! The Ducks are going to be interesting to watch as they have sisters who play together on the team, a former Notre Dame Hounds netminder on the roster, a 41 year-old right-winger, and a number of young players who have risen through the ranks in Melbourne's hockey programs.

Here's the first team photo of the Melbourne Ducks from their website as they get set to play their first season in the AWIHL!

There is a player whose progress will be followed closely this season. That's Jordan Kulbida of the Adelaide Rush, and, if her name sounds familiar, it's because she's a former Regina Cougars forward! The 26 year-old Saskatoon native finished second in league scoring last season with 20 goals and 30 points in 16 games, and she's looking for another big season as she tries to guide the Rush to an AWIHL title!

She'll be joined by Nesbitt, Manitoba's Rylee Martin who played four seasons at Midland University in the ACHA where the former Westman Wildcats forward improved her scoring total in each of the four years. The 22 year-old averaged nine goals and ten assists per season over her final three seasons with Midland University, and those were huge improvements from her time at the AAA level in the MFHL where had 13 points in three seasons. Can she score in Australia? We'll find out!

The Melbourne Ice will feature alternate captain Danielle Butler once again as the former University of Windsor Lancers forward returns for her third season. She's been a consistent performer for the Ice, scoring 23, 26, and 23 points in those three seasons. The Ice will be looking for that same rate of production from the 29 year-old this year. Defender Amélie St-Amant of Cornwall, Ontario joins Butler as the other Canadian on the Ice after spending four seasons at NCAA D3 University of Southern Maine. Mississauga's Kayla Best is listed as an Ice goalie, but the 35 year-old has only played 13 games over two seasons, going 5-6-0 with a 3.83 GAA and an .880 save percentage.

The Perth Inferno re-signed Katherine Bailey for this season. Bailey played three seasons at the University of Guelph where the 29 year-old defender had 32 points in 66 games. Kimberly, BC's Aspen Cooper moves to Perth after spending last season alongside former Minot State teammate Jordan Kulbida. Cooper had six goals and 13 assists in 16 games last season, so she and Bailey could be a good one-two punch from the Inferno blue line if they can bring the scoring.

Kamloops, BC's Jaymie MacKenzie also re-signed with Perth for her third season where the 25 year-old forward recorded 16 points in 32 games with the Inferno. And the second Kamloops native, 27 year-old Lilly McLellan, is back for her fourth season with the Inferno where the 27 year-old defender has totalled two goals and five points in 34 games. Neither Mackenzie nor McLellan played university hockey, but they seem to be solid additions to the Perth Inferno roster!

32 year-old Sarah Edney will suit up for the Sydney Sirens this season for her fourth campaign in Australia. The Mississauga native has been dominant since arriving after her time with the NWHL's Buffalo Beauts, scoring 48 goals and 49 points in 36 games including 20 goals and 28 points last season. She'll be joined by Edmonton's Kelsie Lang who returns for her second season with the Sirens after six goals and 20 points last season. The 31 year-old, former University of Calgary Dinos defender turned in some excellent two-way play last season.

As mentioned above, the Ducks have 41 year-old Lucy Paddington on their roster who last played in the AWIHL with the Melbourne Ice back in 2015-16 when she had four goals and 14 points. The sister act includes 31 year-old defender Georgia Carson and 27 year-old netminder Jenelle Carson. Georgia also last played for the Ice in 2018-19 where she had a goal and threee assists while Jenelle was with the Ice in 2023-24 where she went 3-1-0 in four games with a 3.50 GAA and a .903 save percentage. The Ducks boast no Canadians on their roster, but the newest team in the AWIHL looks like fun!

The only team without a roster to be found thus far is the Brisbane Lightning. I imagine this will change over the next week, but we'll see what the league comes up with for opening day on November 8.

The schedule for the AWIHL can be found here, and my hope is that someone is streaming these games. I stayed up and watched a number of AIHL games last season and it was awesome, so I'm hoping the Australian women get the same exposure. With Hockey Australia improving on the world's stage, having more players interested in the domestic league will help the growth of that program.

I'll be watching the Canadians listed above this season, and we'll see if the Melbourne Ice can pull off the three-peat. American sniper Elizabeth Scala is back with the Perth Inferno to try and win her third scoring title to make it four consecutive scoring titles for a Perth Inferno player, and Perth's Sasha King is looking for her third-straight season with nine wins between the pipes. It should be a fun AWIHL season in 2025-26, and it starts next Saturday on November 8!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!