CIHC Eagles crowned 2024 NSW champions, defeating a defiant Canberra Pirates 3-2 in overtime at the NSW Women’s League grand final in Liverpool last weekend.

Two of the best teams this season went head-to-head at Liverpool Catholic Club Ice Rink (LCC) on 22 September 2024. The table topping Canterbury Ice Hockey Club Eagles faced-off against third-placed Canberra Pirates in the championship decider.

The Canterbury Eagles looked to be cruising to victory after taking a 2-0 lead in the first period. Mila Vuk-Luboya stamped her mark on the game with a brace of goals. However, the Canberra Pirates sparked a comeback response in the second and third periods. Dilli Kenyon halved Canterbury’s lead in the second before Steph Boxall levelled the game with less than five minutes to go in the third.

The comeback was on for the Canberrans, who were chasing their maiden title. However, league leading scorer Stephanie Newmark had other ideas. Stephanie scored the game winning golden goal in the first overtime period to hand victory to the Sydneysiders.

The Eagles win capped off a tremendous 2024 season with the championship title, after also finishing top of the regular season standings. The Eagles victory ended the Sydney Bears three years of championship dominance in the league.

It is the second time the Eagles have claimed this title since IHNSW records started in 2016, the first being back in 2018. Stephanie Newmark finished top of the scoring charts with a superhuman 63 points in 17 games (3.7 points per game). Ella Licari was impressive in net all season with a 1.00 Goals Against Average (GAA) and .928 save percentage.

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