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The Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) is Australia’s top-tier women’s
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
league. Established in 2005 as Australia’s first women’s national league, the AWIHL has amateur status and is sanctioned by
Ice Hockey Australia The Australian Ice Hockey Federation, currently trading as Ice Hockey Australia (IHA), is the official national governing body of ice hockey in Australia and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was first established in 190 ...
(a member of the
International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
). The AWIHL is currently contested by five teams from five
Australian states The states and territories are federated administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing pol ...
, including
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
,
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
,
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
and
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
. The league champion is awarded the
Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy The Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy is the annually awarded championship trophy, of the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL), to the winner of the AWIHL finals. Originally donated in 1995, the trophy is named after Joan McKowen who died Septe ...
and the premier is awarded the Stephanie Boxall Trophy. The most successful team in AWIHL history is
Melbourne Ice The Melbourne Ice is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Melbourne, Victoria, based at the Icehouse in the Docklands precinct of central Melbourne. Founded in 2000, the Ice have been a member of the Australian Ice Hockey Leag ...
, who have claimed seven championship titles. The current champion, from 2019-20, is the
Sydney Sirens The Sydney Sirens (commonly referred to as the Sirens) are an ice hockey team based in Sydney, Australia. The Sirens compete in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL). The AWIHL is the top tier national league in the country for wo ...
, who claimed their second title.


History


Beginning


Showcase Series

In 2005, the probability of establishing a national women's ice hockey league was discussed by the National Women's Council. Due to large costs to players to participate in such a league, an alternative proposal for a much shorter Showcase Series was passed around for consideration to begin in the 2006 season. The Series would see four teams competing in mini-tournaments during February to June. Each round robin style tournament would occur over a weekend and throughout the Showcase Series period between February to June, each team would travel twice and host the tournament once. The first Showcase series was planned in February 2006 for
Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...
. The second series would be in March 2006 in
Bendigo, Victoria Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban populat ...
, the third would occur in April 2006 in
Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, Australian Capital Territory. In May, the series would be held in
Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...
, and in June the fifth series would take place in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
, Queensland. At this time, a full season would follow in November 2006 and stretch over into summer 2007. The first Showcase Series proved to be successful where, in each mini-series, three teams would play each other twice in a round robin style tournament. Five clubs ended up being involved in the Showcase Series which consisted of five mini-tournaments held on a weekend each month in a different city. The Showcase Series returned for a second season in October 2006, and ran until February 2007. A national women's league did not start in November 2006, as previously hoped. In this second season four mini-series were held, one weekend mini tournament was played each month between only four teams representing
Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, Australian Capital Territory,
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
, Queensland,
Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...
and Sydney. The purpose of the Showcase Series continued to be as a precursor to a national women's league that was being actively planned.


Forming the AWIHL

The official formation of the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) was in 2007, following the two seasons of "Showcase Series" that were held in 2006 and 2007. The Australian Women's Ice Hockey League is recognised by
Ice Hockey Australia The Australian Ice Hockey Federation, currently trading as Ice Hockey Australia (IHA), is the official national governing body of ice hockey in Australia and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was first established in 190 ...
(IHA) as the premier senior women's national ice hockey competition. The league conducted its inaugural season with four teams:
Adelaide Assassins The Adelaide Rush is a women's ice hockey team in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League, which is the highest level national competition in Australia. The team is based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. History Before the AWIHL The Ad ...
,
Brisbane Goannas The Brisbane Goannas are in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League. The team is based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Goannas Women’s Ice Hockey Club (GWIHC) is a non-profit incorporated association, governed by a volunteer manag ...
, Melbourne Dragons, and
Sydney Sirens The Sydney Sirens (commonly referred to as the Sirens) are an ice hockey team based in Sydney, Australia. The Sirens compete in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL). The AWIHL is the top tier national league in the country for wo ...
. The team that won the finals series at the end of each season became the AWIHL champions and were presented a perpetual trophy that was donated by Westlakes Trophies and Framing and was called the West Lakes Trophy.


2010's

In October 2010, the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League conducted a competition to replace the original league logo with a new one. The competition closed 1 December 2010, and the original logo was replaced by the current one. In the early 2010’s there was a move to align AWIHL teams with
Australian Ice Hockey League The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) is Australia's top-level ice hockey league. Established in 2000, the AIHL is sanctioned by Ice Hockey Australia (a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation). The league is run by its own board of ...
(AIHL) counterparts. This strategy led to three of the four AWIHL teams to either sign a memorandum of understanding or merge with AIHL teams to create dual program organisations. The Melbourne Dragons became the Melbourne Ice by signing a MOU, that allowed the Dragons management to remain in control of the team.
Adelaide Assassins The Adelaide Rush is a women's ice hockey team in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League, which is the highest level national competition in Australia. The team is based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. History Before the AWIHL The Ad ...
became the Adelaide Adrenaline and
Sydney Sirens The Sydney Sirens (commonly referred to as the Sirens) are an ice hockey team based in Sydney, Australia. The Sirens compete in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL). The AWIHL is the top tier national league in the country for wo ...
became the North Star Sirens. Both Adelaide and Sydney would later return to being independently run organisations, but the Ice remain in the league since 2010. In 2016, IHA announced the formation of the annual Australian Women’s Tier 2 Show Case Series (AW2SCS) to act as a feeder league to the AWIHL and provide a development pathway from state leagues to the AWIHL. Initially the league had four teams based in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne (x2). By 2019 the AW2SCS had five teams and had expanded to Adelaide and Perth. The AWIHL officially expanded in August 2018 for the first time, with the introduction of the
Perth Inferno The Perth Inferno is an ice hockey team in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL). They play in Perth, Western Australia, at the Cockburn Ice Arena. Originally founded by Ice Hockey WA in 2016 as the Western Australian (WA) State Wom ...
to the league. Perth had played two exhibition games against the
Sydney Sirens The Sydney Sirens (commonly referred to as the Sirens) are an ice hockey team based in Sydney, Australia. The Sirens compete in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL). The AWIHL is the top tier national league in the country for wo ...
the season before and had competed in and won the Australian Women’s Tier 2 Show Case Series two years in a row on their road to AWIHL entry. Two AWIHL teams featured in Australasia’s Best Sporting Team list 2019. The list, conducted by Platinum Asset Management and GAIN LINE Analytics, ranked and named the top 25 sporting teams in Australasia. In 2019, AWIHL teams,
Sydney Sirens The Sydney Sirens (commonly referred to as the Sirens) are an ice hockey team based in Sydney, Australia. The Sirens compete in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL). The AWIHL is the top tier national league in the country for wo ...
and
Melbourne Ice The Melbourne Ice is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Melbourne, Victoria, based at the Icehouse in the Docklands precinct of central Melbourne. Founded in 2000, the Ice have been a member of the Australian Ice Hockey Leag ...
were ranked inside the top 25 sporting teams. The Sirens were ranked twenty-first and Melbourne Ice were ranked twenty-third.


COVID-19 period

The AWIHL, like many other Australian sporting leagues, was forced to cancel two consecutive league seasons due to multiple
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
outbreaks and border and health response restrictions between 2020 and 2022. In August 2022, AWIHL Commissioner, Melissa Rulli, officially stepped down from her position after nearly five years in the role. Rulli held the position of Commissioner from December 2017 to August 2022 and oversaw steady viewership and accessibility growth of the AWIHL in that time until the COVID-19 hiatus. Ice Hockey Australia opened an expression of interest process on 26 August 2022 to find Rulli's replacement, with applications closing on 16 September 2022. This provides IHA enough time to appoint a new Commissioner ahead of the 2022–23 season start in November 2022.


2020's

After a two year hiatus, the AWIHL announced it would return to action for the 2022-23 season, scheduled to kick off in November 2022 and run through til March 2023.


Teams

As of 2022, the AWIHL has five active teams, including four founding members and one expansion team. The five teams are from five different Australian states and capital cities, including,
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
and
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
. Future expansion has been mooted, including into New Zealand, which, since 2014, runs a four team national league of its own, NZWIHL, but there are no active bids to join the league. Melbourne Chargers Ice Hockey Club, who compete in the Women’s Tier 2 Show Case Series, have publicly said their goal is to move up divisions to the AWIHL. The club is working towards that goal and have signed a partnership with AIHL team
Melbourne Mustangs The Melbourne Mustangs (formally ''Mustangs IHC'') is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Melbourne, Victoria. Formed in 2010, the Mustangs have been a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) since 2011. The Mustangs a ...
, to help them on their way to achieving this goal. In the 2019–20 Annual Report, IHA, stated its intentions to seek an increase in the number of teams participating in AWIHL to six teams.


Team history


Adelaide Rush

Adelaide was one of the four founding teams of the AWIHL in 2007 and also competed in the showcase series in 2006. Originally established as the
Adelaide Assassins The Adelaide Rush is a women's ice hockey team in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League, which is the highest level national competition in Australia. The team is based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. History Before the AWIHL The Ad ...
, the South Australian outfit began life as the dominant force in women's hockey in Australia, winning the first five straight AWIHL championship titles. In 2011-12, the team merged and became part of the
Adelaide Adrenaline The Adelaide Adrenaline is a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Adelaide, South Australia. The team is a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The team was founded in 2008 as the Adelaide A's to replace the defunct Adelaide ...
organisation. Between 2011-12 and 2015-16 the Adrenaline ran both the women's and men's programs in the AWIHL and
AIHL The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) is Australia's top-level ice hockey league. Established in 2000, the AIHL is sanctioned by Ice Hockey Australia (a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation). The league is run by its own board of ...
. Ahead of the 2016-17 season, the AWIHL team parted ways with the Adrenaline and the new organisation was established to run the AWIHL licence in Adelaide, the
Adelaide Rush The Adelaide Rush is a women's ice hockey team in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League, which is the highest level national competition in Australia. The team is based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. History Before the AWIHL The ...
.


Brisbane Lightning

Brisbane was the first team to join the AWIHL in 2006. They participated in the showcase series in 2006 and was one of the four founding teams in the AWIHL in 2007. Setup as a not-for-profit incorporated sporting organisation, the Brisbane, Queensland based club was known as the
Brisbane Goannas The Brisbane Goannas are in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League. The team is based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Goannas Women’s Ice Hockey Club (GWIHC) is a non-profit incorporated association, governed by a volunteer manag ...
from establishment until 2022. The team has run a successful junior to senior development program known as the Gecko’s to Goannas Program. On 3 October 2022, the Goannas announced they had partnered with the
Brisbane Lightning The Brisbane Lightning is a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Brisbane, Queensland. The team is a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The team was founded in 2022 as an expansion AIHL team and are the first team based in ...
organisation, who had their men’s program accepted into the AIHL for 2023, and officially changed their name to match, becoming the Brisbane Lightning.


Melbourne Ice

Melbourne was one of the four founding teams of the AWIHL in 2007. Established in 2005 as Melbourne Dragons, in 2010, the team entered into a memorandum of understanding with the
Melbourne Ice The Melbourne Ice is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Melbourne, Victoria, based at the Icehouse in the Docklands precinct of central Melbourne. Founded in 2000, the Ice have been a member of the Australian Ice Hockey Leag ...
organisation that runs a men’s program in the
Australian Ice Hockey League The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) is Australia's top-level ice hockey league. Established in 2000, the AIHL is sanctioned by Ice Hockey Australia (a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation). The league is run by its own board of ...
. The agreement saw the Dragons change their name and branding to match the Melbourne Ice and a sharing of off-ice resources and guidance. However, the Dragons organisation retained a lot of self-control and is run as a separate club with their own committee. The team are seven-time AWIHL champions and five-time AWIHL premiers.


Sydney Sirens

Sydney was one of the four founding teams of the AWIHL in 2007. The
Sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisco ...
began in Sydney, New South Wales at the
Sydney Ice Arena Sydney Ice Arena was an ice sports and public ice skating centre, located in Norwest, New South Wales. It hosted a number of major events, including Australian Ice Hockey League games. A development application was submitted by property owner H ...
but over the years the team has moved around, playing at Canterbury Olympic Ice Rink,
Penrith Ice Palace The Penrith Ice Palace (also known as Penrith Ice Rink.) was an ice sports and public skate centre, located west of Sydney in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. It permanently closed on Wednesday 29 June 2022 It served as the home ice rink ...
,
Liverpool Catholic Club Ice Rink The Liverpool Catholic Club Ice Rink (also known as LCC Sports Complex Liverpool) is an ice sports and public skate centre, built in 1979 and located at the Hoxton Park precinct of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home of the LCC S ...
and
Macquarie Ice Rink The Macquarie Ice Rink is an ice sports and public skate centre, opened in 1981 and located within the Macquarie Shopping Centre in the northern Sydney suburb of Macquarie Park, New South Wales, Australia. It is the current home of the Sydney B ...
. Between 2011 and 2013 the team became a part of the
Newcastle Northstars The Newcastle Northstars (formally ''Newcastle North Stars'') is an Australian semi-professional ice hockey team from Newcastle, New South Wales. The Northstars are a member of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL), joining as an expansion tea ...
organisation and relocated to
Hunter Ice Skating Stadium The Hunter Ice Skating Stadium is an ice sports and public skate centre, opened in 2000 and located in Warners Bay, a suburb of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium serves as the home ice rink of the Newcastle Northstars who co ...
and was renamed North Star Sirens. When the team returned to Sydney, they reverted to their old name, Sydney Sirens. The Sirens are twice AWIHL champions and three-time AWIHL premiers.


Perth Inferno

Perth are the first ever expansion team in the AWIHL history. The
Perth Inferno The Perth Inferno is an ice hockey team in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL). They play in Perth, Western Australia, at the Cockburn Ice Arena. Originally founded by Ice Hockey WA in 2016 as the Western Australian (WA) State Wom ...
officially joined the league in July 2018, becoming the fifth AWIHL team. Donning purple and orange, the Inferno began as the
Western Australian Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
representative team, they went on to play two
exhibition games An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
during the 2017-18 season against the Sydney Sirens before joining the AWIHL regular season in 2018-19.


Season structure and rules


Regular season

The AWIHL regular season is played between October and March each year. The regular season consists of 30 games in total, with each team playing twelve games. Each team will play two games every scheduled weekend during the regular season. There is no overtime period played in the AWIHL regular season. In the event of a tied score at the end of regulation time, a
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
will determine the winner of a game. If there is no time for a shootout to occur, a draw will be declared.


Game length

The AWIHL has adopted the international standard three 20-minute stop-time periods length for all regular season and finals regulation time periods. The AWIHL was the first national competition under
Ice Hockey Australia The Australian Ice Hockey Federation, currently trading as Ice Hockey Australia (IHA), is the official national governing body of ice hockey in Australia and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was first established in 190 ...
to implement these international standards in 2018-19. Prior to 2018-19, the AWIHL played 54 minute games, with 17 minutes played in each of the first two periods, followed by a full 20 minute third period. Teams are allowed a minimum of 5 minutes warm-up before each game and are allowed one 30 second timeout during regulation game time.


Game rules and points system

The AWIHL has adopted the current
International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
Official Rule Book for playing rules. The AWIHL points system, follows similar systems widely used in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. 3 points is awarded for a regulation time win, 2 points for a shootout win, 1 point for a shootout loss and 0 points for a regulation time loss. In the unlikely event of a draw, both teams will be awarded 1 point each.


Import rules

AWIHL teams are allowed to sign a maximum of four imports for their team’s roster for any given season. Teams are allowed to dress a maximum of three imports for any given AWIHL game with one exception, the team who finished last in the league standings the season before is allowed to dress all four imports for any given AWIHL game. Import goaltenders is prohibited in the AWIHL. This regulation was implemented to support the Australian national women’s teams. An import is defined as someone without
Australian citizenship Australian nationality law details the conditions in which a person holds Australian legal nationality. The primary law governing nationality regulations is the Australian Citizenship Act 2007, which came into force on 1 July 2007 and is applic ...
or
permanent residency Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with suc ...
.
New Zealand residents The New Zealand Residents (also previously known as New Zealand 'A', New Zealand XIII, the Lion Red Cup XIII and currently known as the Bartercard Premiership Selection) are a New Zealand rugby league football representative side that is selected f ...
who move to Australia under the
Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement The Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement (TTTA) is an arrangement between Australia and the Realm of New Zealand which allows for the free movement of citizens of one of these countries to the other. The arrangement came into effect in 1973, and allow ...
are counted as imports for the first two consecutive seasons, after that they are exempted from the import rules and count as a ‘local’ player. If they cease to live permanently in Australia, they lose their exemption status and must start the process over.


Playoffs

Playoffs are known in the AWIHL as the Finals. They are played over a single weekend in a chosen location. The AWIHL Commission chooses the finals location. The Finals Weekend involves four games in total, two semi-finals played on the Saturday followed by a third-place playoff and grand final on the Sunday. The top four tams from the regular season qualify for the finals weekend. The top seed plays the fourth seed in the first semi final followed by two verses three in the second semi. Unlike in the regular season, overtime can be played in finals games. The AWIHL implements a 4v4 stop time overtime period of 10 minutes in accordance with the IIHF Rule Book. The winner of the grand final is named AWIHL champion and lifts the Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy and has their name inscribed on the original trophy, retained in the IHA Office. Gold, silver and bronze medals are given to rostered players and team officials on the teams who finish first, second and third in finals.


League champions


AWIHL champions by seasons (2006-present)

References:


AWIHL champions all-time record


Trophies


Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy

Since 2010–11, the Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy has been the highest title honour in the AWIHL. The trophy is awarded to the AWIHL champions, the team that wins the grand final of the finals weekend (playoffs) at the end of each season. The trophy is named after Joan McKowen, who was a prominent figure in Australian Ice Hockey before her death in 1992. Her husband, Maxwell McKowen donated the trophy for its first use as the prize for the annual national women’s ice hockey tournament in 1995.


Stephanie Boxall Trophy

Taking over from the West Lakes Trophy in 2020, is the Stephanie Boxall Trophy. The trophy is awarded to the winner of the minor premiership in the AWIHL, the team that finishes top of the league standings at the conclusion of the regular season. The trophy is named after Stephanie Boxall, who was a pioneer of the women’s game in Australia. Originally playing boys before the women’s game was established, Steph took on the sport’s ruling body in the 1980’s and won the right for women to continue to participate in men’s ice hockey after the national body tried to ban women due to fears of being sued if a woman got hurt. This helped paved the way for the establishment of the women’s game in Australia. Steph was an inaugural member of the Australian national team and National Women's Championship when it started in 1995. She went on to captain Australia and has been called the “best female ice hockey player Australia has ever had”. Steph is the first Australian, and is one of only six women, to be named in the
Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...
in
Toronto, Canada Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...
.


Former trophies


West Lakes Trophy

For the first three seasons of the AWIHL, between 2007–08 and 2009–10, the West Lakes Trophy was the championship trophy for the league. However, in 2010–11, the AWIHL secured and introduced the Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy for the championship. The West Lakes Trophy was subsequently re-purposed to become the minor premiership trophy for AWIHL teams who finish top of the regular season standings at the end of each season. But this was later replaced by the Stephanie Boxall Trophy.


Individual Awards

Each season, ahead of, or at, the beginning of the AWIHL Finals, the league announces the winners of the individual player awards that recognises excellence across a number of different categories. References:


See also

*
Ice Hockey Australia The Australian Ice Hockey Federation, currently trading as Ice Hockey Australia (IHA), is the official national governing body of ice hockey in Australia and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. It was first established in 190 ...
*
Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy The Joan McKowen Memorial Trophy is the annually awarded championship trophy, of the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League (AWIHL), to the winner of the AWIHL finals. Originally donated in 1995, the trophy is named after Joan McKowen who died Septe ...
*
Australian Ice Hockey League The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) is Australia's top-level ice hockey league. Established in 2000, the AIHL is sanctioned by Ice Hockey Australia (a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation). The league is run by its own board of ...
*
Australian Junior Ice Hockey League The Australian Junior Ice Hockey League (AJIHL) is an elite amateur national ice hockey league in Australia, open to players 20 years of age or younger. History The Australian Junior Ice Hockey League was first announced on 18 September 2012 by ...
*
Jim Brown Trophy The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More ...
*
Goodall Cup The Goodall Cup is a perpetual trophy that is, currently, annually awarded to the playoff champions of the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL). The trophy is named after Australian born player John Edwin Goodall who originally donated the cup. ...


References


External links


Australian Women's Hockey League official siteAdelaide Rush official siteBrisbane Goannas official siteMelbourne Ice official SiteSydney Sirens official Site
{{Sports leagues of Australia Women's ice hockey leagues
Lea Lea or LEA may refer to: Places Australia * Lea River, Tasmania, Australia * Lake Lea, Tasmania, from which the Lea River flows * RAAF Base Learmonth, IATA airport code "LEA" England * Lea, Cheshire, a civil parish * Lea, Derbyshire, a settl ...
Sports leagues established in 2006
Ice Hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
Ice hockey competitions in Australia Professional ice hockey leagues in Australia