For Jenelle Carson it was a fairytale finish to the Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) season. A script fresh off the Hollywood press, think Miracle, even the Mighty Ducks series, and you get a feel for the Carson story that emerged from finals weekend.

Carson saved 67 of 70 shots on goal as the Melbourne Ice won the Joan McKowen Memorial trophy for the eighth time, defeating Perth Inferno 4-1.

It was a redemption weekend and season for Carson, who had something to prove following the end to the 2023 AWIHL finals. The Ice lost the gold medal match against the Sydney Sirens, and Carson was pulled after giving up four goals in the first period.

Fast forward 12 months and that moment came, with Carson taking the opportunity with both hands, guiding the Ice to cup glory.

“Obviously I had a bit to prove coming out of last season with an awful, I guess, finals campaign for myself,” Carson told Hockey Hype Australia.

“Just nothing went to plan. Had a really rough first period as a team, but also for myself, so I definitely didn’t play up to the standard that I try and hold myself to.

“Winning was the only option for me this year and I think once we got through that semi-final, I was confident that we could get the job done.

“Just kind of needed to have everything to fall into place. So yeah, it was a tough thing to kind of process and get ready for finals.

“But I think once I had calmed down and accepted that’s what was happening. It was yeah, go time.”

Although not at the forefront of Carson’s mind heading into the finals weekend, the bitter taste that 2023 left was lingering in the background.

Carson holds herself to a high standard, filled with self-confidence. After 10 years in the Ice program, Carson knows the level which the eight-time cup winners expect.

“I haven’t thought about it a lot because I think there were so many things that had changed. I knew that I was a better goalie for it,” continued Carson.

“Melbourne Ice have been so successful for so many years. I had experienced the win and I’ve experienced the loss, so I knew what needed to be done.

“So, I had thought about it a little bit but didn’t focus too much on it because I knew what I had to do to be able to get the win.

“I feel like I had a lot to prove and a few people to prove wrong this season, but it was something in the back of my mind, but not really at the forefront that was driving me. It was more just a case of I’ve got the chance to win another championship and I wasn’t going to let that go.”

Family Connections

The Carson name is strong throughout hockey in Australia, sister Georgia is a multiple AWIHL champion and national team representative, brother Fraser a former Goodall Cup winner with the Melbourne Mustangs.

It’s this strong family bond that helps both ground and inspire Jenelle, providing shoulders to lean on during tough times, and arms to embrace through the high moments.

That was evident with the Ice’s social media post capturing a priceless family moment after the semi-final win over the Adelaide Rush.

“You don’t have to look far to see how close the bond is between Georgia and I,” said Carson.

“We have been like that for a long time, and I think going through some things over the last couple of years has brought us all a lot closer. But Georgia and I are best friends.

“She is the first person I go to for anything, especially hockey related. And Keira Dunwoody has been, I guess, another family member. This season in particular.

“Having Georgia and Keira there throughout the final series was super important for me, and yet they are the two people that I go to for anything and everything and knowing that mum and dad are in the stands is super important.

“Just knowing that I have their support win or lose, they are going to be proud of me either way. And then the final siren going and knowing that they are all there, ready to give me the biggest hug to congratulate me. It’s just something really, really special.

“But we have always been like that. But yeah, it’s special. It’s something that we all go through together, win or lose.”

Finals Mindset

Heading into the finals weekend, the Ice had plenty of hurdles to get through. Multiple injuries, players departing midseason, and an incident in Adelaide that affected the health of the entire roster.

As finals closed in, the Ice dropped two home games against the Lightning, a surprise as the Ice were tipped by many to win the league. So, the drop off was significant in the race for gold.

However, a team meeting and scheduled psychologist appointment would help change the fortunes for the Ice. Shifting the mindset of the entire group as they searched for another banner to hang in the rafters.

“We were a pretty close team in general,” said Carson.

“It was a very new team and I think having new people in the program helped push the team. But also having the veterans like Georgia Moore, I guess myself as well, and the likes of Sharna Godfrey and Steph Cochrane.

“We know what it takes to win a championship and I think talking about those experiences [helped]. We had a psychology session, the week before finals, which I think just allowed people to talk freely about their experiences throughout the season.

“And there were some tears of laughter and just a release, I guess, of some emotions for some people, myself included. Because it definitely hasn’t been an easy season.

“So, I think being really vulnerable with each other helped pull each other in and just know that we are all there for each other and that winning would be something really, really special.

“I think being vulnerable with each other definitely helped. And the group chat was firing for a few weeks leading into finals and I think there was a lot of chatter around how people thought Melbourne Ice were out after losing those two games to Brisbane. I think as a team we had something to prove as well.

“So, we had a fire in the belly. It’s nice having all the banners up on the wall in the Icehouse just to remind us of how successful the team has been.”