What A Rush!

As you probably are aware, the seasons are opposite in the southern hemisphere when compared to our weather. In knowing that, it's currently summer in Australia which means there are warm days where beaches can be full. Would it surprise you to know there's also hockey being played? The six-team Australia Women's Ice Hockey League - AWIHL - is currently in the middle of their season, and there's a former Canada West standout lighting up the league down under! It's been a while since I've mentioned Jordan Kulbida, but the former Regina Cougars forward is a standout with the Adelaide Rush this season!

The six teams in the AWIHL include the aforementioned Rush, the Brisbane Lightning, the Melbourne Ice, the Melbourne Ducks, the Perth Inferno, and the Sydney Sirens. The Ducks officially aren't part of the regular schedule this season, but they have been granted full admission into the AWIHL for the 2025-26 season. The Rush, Lightning, Ice, and Sirens were part of the 2007 AWIHL formation while the Inferno were added in 2018-19 as an expansion team.

It shoud be noted that AWIHL teams are allowed to sign a maximum of four imports per roster, and teams can dress three import players for each game. Goaltenders are not allowed as import players, and these rules were designed to help develop the Australian national women's team. The only exception is the last-place team from the season before can dress all four imports if they wish. This is where Jordan Kulbida comes into play as she's one of the Adelaide Rush's import players this season after spending last winter in the EWHL.

Kulbida last played for the Regina Cougars in 2021-22 where she logged for seasons of action in Canada West, scoring 19 goals and 21 assists in 99 games. Kulbida transferred to the ACHA's Minot State Beavers for her 2022-23 season where she scored 18 goals and 13 assists in 31 games. Clearly, she proved she could score at the university level, and it led to her signing a deal with Budapest JA in the EWHL where she scored 14 goals and four assists in 22 games.

In September 2024, Kulbida and former Minot State teammate Aspen Cooper signed deals with the Rush for the 2024-25 season, and neither of them have looked back. Kulbida currently leads the AWIHL with 20 goals and is second in league scoring with 30 points while Cooper has six goals and 13 assists to lead the Rush defenders in scoring. Their scoring has helped the Rush climb the standings into first place with a 10-5-1-0 record - a full six points up on the Inferno! For the six-time AWIHL champions, the Rush have themselves two of the more dynamic scorers in the AWIHL playing for them this season and pushing for a seventh title!

It's always good to see a player I respected doing extremely well after leaving the Canadian university ranks, and Jordan Kulbida is certainly having herself a season down in Australia. It will be interesting to see if she chooses to stay in Australia once the season is over this coming weekend, but I don't think the Rush would mind seeing #94 lighting the lamp for them again next season. Whatever happens in the future is still to be decided, but it's hard to disagree that Jordan Kulbida is having a solid season in Adelaide!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!