It’s hard to believe that we are already into week four of this year’s Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) season! Brisbane Lightning was the last team to have its official home opening against the Adelaide Rush last weekend.
Once again, this series was the only series across the league this weekend so all eyes were on Boondall on Saturday and Sunday. Brisbane was looking to carry forward their better form against the Ducks in the exhibition series a couple of weekends ago rather than their opening weekend of the season against the Ice in Melbourne.
Meanwhile, Adelaide Rush was looking forward to playing in a similar fashion to the games against the Perth Inferno despite splitting that series two weekends ago.
Jersey Watch
Adelaide Rush debuted their new away jersey against the Lightning. I was expecting a traditional away white jersey with either a blue or a red stripe in the same style as their home jersey. Having seen a preview before the game, I was surprised to see that their jerseys are in reality an alternate jersey.
If you are a rugby league fan, you may be asking, “What’s with the sky blue that you might associate with the NSW State of Origin teams?” This has not been confirmed at the time of writing this report; however, I believe that there is another link that is closer to Adelaide than the NSW State of Origin rugby league teams.
Over the summer, the Adelaide Strikers T20 cricket teams in the Women’s and Men’s Big Bash Leagues have playing uniforms that are very similar in the shade of blue as seen here on the new Rush jerseys. Don’t be surprised if, in time, this jersey is seen as more than just an away jersey for the Rush.
At the other end of the ice, it was the official home opening weekend for the Brisbane Lightning whose black jerseys look fantastic. I’m not a massive fan of white away jerseys which is one of the many reasons I like the Rush’s away jerseys but the Lightning’s white jerseys are also fine.
I would not be opposed to the Lightning using a grey away jersey like their male team used during the 2024 AIHL season. Anyhoo, let’s move on to the hockey from the only series across the league this weekend.
Saturday Was A Continuation Of Last Time
Katie Meyer had a very busy afternoon in net for Brisbane on her first start of the season on Saturday. Interestingly in the photo below of Tash Farrier attacking the Lightning net protected by Meyer, we can see Rush goaltender Rebecca Kempe suited up and standing in the crowd in the background as Farrier attacks the net.
Emma Moonen started on Saturday for the Rush. While they arguably had a quieter game against shots from dangerous areas compared to their first game of the season against Perth Inferno (11 shots vs. Brisbane compared to 19 shots vs. Perth), Moonen picked up their first win for the Rush and in the AWIHL and that can never be taken away from them.
Despite playing in six games for the Sydney Sirens towards the latter part of the previous season, Moonen and the Sirens did not take a win during those games.
Fun fact time: I found an Emma Moonen who played four games for Belgium in defence in the 2018/2019 season on Elite Prospects. There was also an American Emma Moonen who played in defence in Minnesota in a high school league in 2016/2017. But did I find Australia’s Emma Moonen there? No.
Part of the reason for Moonen’s quieter afternoon between the pipes at Boondall is because the Rush were spending so much time at the other end of the ice in front of Katie Meyer. Meyer faced 33 shots in total including defending five Rush power plays.
While Brisbane showed promise with seven shots on Moonen in period two, only making 11 shots for 60 minutes of hockey will not win many games in the modern AWIHL. Brisbane could not convert any of its six power plays while Adelaide converted one from five of its player advantages.
The Rush absolutely dominated Saturday’s game with five goals in the first two periods. Winning the first period with the ice heavily slanted in their direction, Adelaide piled on 15 shots to Lightning’s one in period one.
Torie Cybulski celebrated her recent 18th birthday in style with the opening goal 5 minutes and 20 seconds into the game. Just over 10 minutes later, Rush captain Tash Farrier scored her first goal of the season, taking advantage of a back door opportunity.
Jordan Kulbida continued her excellent season for the Rush with an awesome goal with six seconds to go in the first period as she was left unattended in the high slot as a result of her speed and skating skills. Then 56 seconds into the second period, Kulbida scored again with her second unassisted goal of the game, this time on the wraparound.
Against the run of play, Lindsey Kiliwnik dumped in the puck from distance towards the Rush net. Eventually Kiliwnik finished what she started and and tapped in what would be the only Lightning goal on Saturday.
Rush weren’t finished in the scoring department with another Farrier goal to make the score 5-1 Rush. Farrier took advantage of a loose Lightning puck and sped away on the breakaway.
The only goal of the final period was a late powerplay goal to Madeline Langevin with her first goal of the season, taking advantage of the rebound in front of the house on the Kulbida cannon from distance.
The Lightning have had issues with their breakouts so far this season which leads to turnovers and spending more time in front of their own house and defending their backyard.
Sunday Was A Day Of Special Teams
Sunday’s game started so much better for the Lightning with an early shorthanded goal to Courtney Mahoney. Taking advantage of open ice, Mahoney sped away with lights and sirens on and beat Rush netminder Rebecca Kempe.
Rush is the first team this season to use a third goal tender as Claudia Tom (who started on Sunday at home against Inferno) did not make the road trip to Brisbane alongside Kempe and Emma Moonen. We’ll see if this is the plan for the rest of the season and how the three goalies share the net.
So far, Moonen has started each Saturday, with the other goalie (Tom or Kempe) starting on Sunday. At the other end of the ice, Imogen Perry started after Katie Meyer had started the day before.
Aspen Cooper opened the scoring for Adelaide soon after Mahoney’s goal, taking advantage of congestion in front of the net with Adelaide on a five-on-three power play. This meant that both teams scored on the same power play.
Brisbane took the lead and scored more than one goal in a game this season with a Lindsey Kiliwnik goal during a five-on-three Lightning power play with 6.19 remaining in period 1.
Special teams has been the name of the game on Sunday with Elana Holub being in the right place at the right time to take advantage of a bomb from Aspen Cooper to score another power play goal in the twilight moments of period one for the Rush. At the end of arguably Lightning’s best period of the season, the scores were tied 2-2.
The Lightning got seven more shots on net (total 8) for the first period on Sunday compared to their single shot for Saturday’s first period. Rush’s production was similar for period one with 15 shots on Saturday against Meyer and 13 on Sunday against Perry.
Cooper (1 goal, 1 assist) and Sierra Meroniuk (2 assists) were involved in both Rush goals of the first period. All first-period goals were scored on special teams.
The second period was full of back and forth action. Just as it was looking like the second period would be scoreless, Jordan Kulbida gave Adelaide the lead with yet another powerplay goal with 80 seconds in the period, assisted by Cooper.
Kulbida and Cooper were certainly firing some cannons from either the blue line or the right hand circle. With 20 minutes to play, all five goals had been scored on special teams.
The Rush dominated shots on goal in period two, leading 14-3 in that department. While Lightning made many trips down the ice, actually getting a shot on Kempe proved difficult in the middle frame.
A Lightning powerplay early in the third period saw a scramble in front of the Adelaide net, as Brisbane was applying the pressure. Special teams continued to feature with the Lightning scoring to tie the game up at three.
Several players were in the vicinity, and Madison Laplante was ruled to get the last touch before the puck crossed the goal line with 14.56 remaining. There were many opportunities at both ends, and both teams continued to spend time in their respective penalty areas.
With the scores tied at the end of regulation time, both teams went to three-on-three overtime for five minutes. However, it would only take the Rush 66 seconds of overtime to claim the OT win, courtesy of an unassisted goal to Jordan Kulbida. The only even-strength goal of the afternoon would give Adelaide five out of six competition points from the weekend and Brisbane’s first point of the season.
For Adelaide, Rebecca Kempe records her first win for the season and of her AWIHL career just like Emma Moonen did on Saturday. Kempe faced 19 shots on goal for the win.
Adelaide converted three out of six power plays. Meanwhile, for the Lightning, Imogen Perry had a much busier day at the office, facing 40 shots, including the only shot in overtime, Kulbida’s overtime game-winning goal. Brisbane converted two out of eight powerplay goals and the game’s only shorthanded goal.
Woah, We’re A Quarter Of The Way There….
At the end of Sunday’s game, all AWIHL teams have now played four games, one-quarter of their season. For all teams, two games have been played at home, and two games have been played away.
Adelaide and Perth both have two regulation wins, an overtime win and a regulation loss for eight points. Sydney are a point behind because of their overtime loss against Perth.
The Melbourne Ice have a split hand, winning two and losing two in regulation and are on six points. Brisbane – not through a lack of effort or ability or personnel – has yet to win a game with three regulation losses and an overtime loss and is on one point. While there’s a five-point gap between the Ice and the Lightning, all Brisbane (or any team, for that matter) has to do is to finish in the top four come Finals time to have a chance of winning the championship.
Looking Forward To This Weekend
This weekend’s week five action sees a couple of series being played for the first time since the opening weekend (again, not counting the Ducks exhibition series against the Lightning). In Sydney, the battle of the teams who both wear black jerseys takes place with the Sydney Sirens hosting the Brisbane Lightning at Macquarie Ice Rink.
In Adelaide, the Rush hosts the Melbourne Ice. Perth Inferno (remember them?) haven’t played since November 10 against the Rush in Adelaide and next play at home against Brisbane Lightning on December 7 and 8.
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