| Melbourne Ice | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Melbourne, Victoria |
| League | Australian Women's Ice Hockey League |
| Founded | 2005 (20 years ago) (2005) |
| 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 | |
TheMelbourne Ice is an Australian amateurice hockey team fromMelbourne, Victoria. Founded in 2005, the Ice have been a member of theAustralian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) since inception in 2007. The Ice are based at theO'Brien Icehouse, located in theDocklands precinct of Melbourne. The team has won eightJoan McKowen trophies and are five time league premiers, making them the most successful national ice hockey team inAustralia.
Founded in 2005 as the Melbourne Fire, the Melbourne Dragons were one of four founding teams of theAustralian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL). The Dragons participated in the National Women's Program Showcase Series in2006 and2006/07 before the formal national league, the AWIHL, started in 2007/08. The Dragons joined the new league along with theAdelaide Assassins,Brisbane Goannas andSydney Sirens.[1]
In 2010, the Dragons entered into amemorandum of understanding (MoU) with theMelbourne Ice Hockey Club, who operate theAustralian 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 theMelbourne Icehouse within theDocklands precinct ofMelbourne.[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 maidenJoan 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 AdelaideIceArenA. 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 byPlatinum Asset Management and GAIN LINE Analytics, the list represents an analytical approach to measuring success in team sports inAustralia andNew Zealand within a rolling five-year period.[11]
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place |
| Melbourne Dragons all-time record | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Regular season | Finals weekend | |||||||||||||||
| P | W | T | L | OW | OL | Pts | Finish | P | W | L | Result | Semi-final | Preliminary final | 3rd place match | WL Trophy final | ||
| 2007-08 | Information not available | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008-09 | 12 | – | 3 | 9 | – | – | 3 | 4th | 2 | – | 2 | Fourth | Lost 1-5 (Sirens) | – | Lost 0-3 (Goannas) | – | |
| 2009-10 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | – | – | 12 | 3rd | 1 | – | 1 | Semi-finalist | Lost 4-3 (Sirens) | – | |||
| Melbourne Ice all-time record | |||||||||||||||||
| Season | Regular season | Finals weekend | |||||||||||||||
| P | W | T | L | OW | OL | Pts | Finish | P | W | L | Result | Semi-final | Preliminary final | 3rd place match | JMK Trophy final | ||
| 2010-11 | 12 | 8 | – | 4 | – | – | 24 | 2nd | 2 | 2 | – | Champion | Won 1-0 (Sirens) | – | Won 2-1 (Sirens) | ||
| 2011-12 | 12 | 7 | – | 5 | – | – | 20 | 2nd | 2 | 1 | 1 | Runner-up | Won 7-3 (Adrenaline) | – | Lost 5-7 (Adrenaline) | ||
| 2012-13 | 14 | 12 | – | 2 | – | – | 36 | 1st | 2 | 2 | – | Champion | Won 3-2 (Adrenaline) | – | Won 3-2 (Adrenaline) | ||
| 2013-14 | 12 | 10 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 32 | 1st | 2 | 2 | – | Champion | Won 2-0 (Adrenaline) | – | Won 2-0 (Adrenaline) | ||
| 2014-15 | 12 | 10 | – | – | 1 | 1 | 33 | 1st | 2 | 2 | – | Champion | Won 2-8 (Adrenaline) | – | Won 6-0 (Sirens) | ||
| 2015-16 | 12 | 8 | – | 2 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 1st | 3 | 2 | 1 | Champion | Lost 2-8 (Sirens) | Won 7-4 (Goannas) | – | Won 7-6 (SO) (Sirens) | |
| 2016-17 | 12 | 5 | – | 5 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 3rd | 2 | 1 | 1 | Third | Lost 0-3 (Goannas) | – | Won 14-1 (Rush) | – | |
| 2017-18 | 12 | 8 | – | 4 | – | – | 24 | 2nd | 2 | 2 | – | Champion | Won 5-1 (Goannas) | – | Won 4-2 (Sirens) | ||
| 2018-19 | 12 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 31 | 1st | 2 | 2 | – | Champion | Won 9-2 (Goannas) | – | Won 4-3 (Sirens) | ||
| 2019-20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 3 | – | 1 | 23 | 3rd | 2 | 1 | 1 | Third | Lost 2-4 (Rush) | – | Won 4-3 (Inferno) | – | |
| 2020-21 | Two seasons cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022-23 | 12 | 8 | – | 2 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 1st | 2 | 1 | 1 | Runner-up | Won 5-2 (Inferno) | – | Lost 2-5 (Sirens) | ||
| 2023-24 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 6 | – | 1 | 26 | 4th | 2 | 2 | – | Champion | Won 5-2 (Rush) | – | Won 4-1 (Inferno) | ||
| 2024-25 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
Team roster for the2023-24 AWIHL season.[12][13]
| Melbourne Ice roster - 2023-24 AWIHL season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Roster | Inactive Roster | Coaching staff | ||||
Goaltenders
Defencemen
| Forwards
|
| Head Coach
Coaches
Legend Statistics | |||
| Last updated on: 2 December 2023 | ||||||
| IHAIHNA | ||||||
| Season | Captains | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain | Alternative | Alternative | |
| 2005–07 | Information not available | ||
| 2008–09 |  Shona Green | Lucy Parrington | |
| 2009–10 | Shona Green | Lucy Parrington | |
| 2010–11 | Shona Green | Lucy Parrington | |
| 2011-12 | Shona Green | Lucy Parrington |  Nicole Tritter |
| 2012-13 | Shona Green | Lucy Parrington | Nicole Tritter |
| 2013-14 | Shona Green | Lucy Parrington | Christine Cockerell |
| 2014-15 | Shona Green | Lucy Parrington | Christine Cockerell |
| 2015-16 | Shona Green | Lucy Parrington | Georgia Carson |
| 2016-17 | Shona Green | Georgia Carson | Rylie Padjen |
| 2017-18 | Rylie Padjen | Shona Green | Georgia Moore |
| 2018-19 | Rylie Padjen | Shona Green | Georgia Moore |
| 2019-20 | Christina Julien | Rylie Padjen | Georgia Moore |
| 2020-21 | Two seasons cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2022-23 | Sarah Dash | Rylie Ellis | Georgia Moore |
| 2023-24 | Georgia Moore | Stephenie Cochrane | Danielle Butler |
| Season | Head coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| One | Two | Three | |
| 2005-08 | Information not available | ||
| 2009-10 | Simon Holmes | Travis Alabaster | |
| 2010-11 | Lee Brown | Tommy Powell | Nicholas Trusewicz |
| 2011-12 | Lee Brown | Tommy Powell | Bruce Poling |
| 2012-13 | Tommy Powell | Matt Armstrong | Bruce Poling |
| 2013-14 | Tommy Powell | Matt Armstrong | Gina Carroll |
| 2015-16 | Jeremy Muir | Marcus Wong | Chris Wong |
| 2016-17 | Jeremy Muir | Marcus Wong | Chris Wong |
| 2017-18 | Marcus Wong | Mark Smith | Brent Laver |
| 2018-19 | Marcus Wong | Mark Smith | Laurie Piggot |
| 2019-20 | Marcus Wong | Mark Smith | Laurie Piggot |
| 2020-21 | Two seasons cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2022-23 | Rod Johns | Andrew Masters | |
| 2023-24 | Curtis Klooster | Spenser Robbins | Bryan Mackenzie |
| Season | Team Manager | Assistant | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-07 | Information not available | ||
| 2007-08 | Shirley Geraghty | Travis Alabaster | |
| 2008-09 | Kylie Taylor | Travis Alabaster | |
| 2009-10 | Kylie Taylor | Travis Alabaster | |
| 2010-11 | Kylie Taylor | Travis Alabaster | |
| 2011-12 | Kylie Taylor | Michelle Zintschenko | Tanya Chalmers |
| 2012-13 | Kylie Taylor | Michelle Zintschenko | Tanya Chalmers |
| 2013-14 | Michelle Zintschenko | Jack Hammet | |
| 2014-15 | Michelle Zintschenko | James Meredith | |
| 2015-16 | Kylie Taylor | Michelle Zintschenko | James McConnell |
| 2016-17 | Michelle Zintschenko | Valerie Webster | James McConnell |
| 2017-18 | Valerie Webster | James McConnell | Cam Charter |
| 2018-19 | Valerie Webster | Cam Charter | |
| 2019-20 | Valerie Webster | Cam Charter | |
| 2020-21 | Two seasons cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2022-23 | Valerie Webster | Keira Dunwood | |
| 2023-24 | Valerie Webster | ||
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.
| Team name changes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| # | Colours | Name | Period |
| 1 | Melbourne Dragons | 2005–09 | |
| 2 | Melbourne Ice | 2010–present | |
In 2010, after the Dragons re-branded to the Melbourne Ice, they moved into the newly completed $58mMelbourne Icehouse (Known as the O’Brien Icehouse for sponsorship reasons), located in theDocklands precinct ofMelbourne.[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 ofGeoffrey HenkeAO.[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 inOakleigh South,Monash in the widerMelbourne 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]
| Stadium history | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rink | Location | Period |
| Olympic Ice Skating Centre | Oakleigh South | 2005–09 |
| Melbourne Icehouse | Docklands | 2010–present |
Current:
Former:
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| Notable Figures and Organizations | |
