Wikipedia

Wakatipu Wild

The Wakatipu Wild is a New Zealand amateur ice hockey team from Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 2020, the Wild are a member of the New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League (NZWIHL). The Wild are based at Queenstown Ice Arena, located at Queenstown Gardens. Wakatipu are one time NZWIHL champions and premiers.

Wakatipu Wild
CityQueenstown, Otago
LeagueNew Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League
FoundedSeptember 2020 (4 years ago) (September 2020)
Operated2020–present
Home arenaQueenstown Ice Arena
ColoursYellow, blue, white
     
General managerNew Zealand Rebecca Dobson
Head coachColin McIntosh
CaptainKellye Nelson
WebsiteWakatipu-wild.com
Franchise history
2020–presentWakatipu Wild
Championships
Premierships1 (2022)
Championships1 (2022)
Current season

History

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The Wakatipu Wild was founded in 2020 and applied and joined the New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League (NZWIHL). The Wild was established to bring women of all ages and nationalities together to further the development of woman's ice hockey locally in central Otago and nationally in New Zealand.[1] Wakatipu appointed Rebecca Dobson as their maiden general manager and former Skycity Stampede player Colin McIntosh as head coach.[1][2] The Wild's first ever game was played on 16 October 2020 against Otago rivals Dunedin Thunder on the road at Dunedin Ice Stadium. Young kiwi forward, Tallulah Bryant, scored the first ever goals for the Wild in the first period against Dunedin. Wakatipu doubled their lead in the second period before the Thunder pulled one goal back in the third. That third period goal proved a simple consolation as the wild won the game 2–1, for their first ever victory.[3] Queenstown finished their first season in the NZWIHL in third place, qualifying for the bronze medal game in the NZWIHL Finals. The Wild won bronze in Finals on 1 November 2020 by defeating the Thunder 4–2. Wakatipu came from behind to claim their first Finals win, with American import and team captain, Kellye Nelson, scoring a hat-trick of goals over the course of the second and third periods.[4]

Half way through the 2021 NZWIHL season, the Wild's second season, the league was cancelled due to the lock-downs implemented by the New Zealand Government during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6] The team had started the season well with two wins from their first three games before the season cancellation.[7]

In 2022, the Wild had a breakout season in their second full NZWIHL season. Rather than tournament style weekends, the league moved to a proper round-robin format that the Wild players enjoyed.[8] Wakatipu almost went the entire season undefeated to finish top of the league standings a secure their first NZWIHL Premiership title.[9] Queenstown followed up this success in the NZWIHL Finals with a big 7–2 victory over the Thunder in the semi-finals before being crowned Champions of New Zealand and winning goal medals with a 2–0 win over Canterbury Inferno in the grand final.[10][11][12]

All-time record

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Wakatipu Wild all-time record
Season Regular season Finals Top points scorer
P W T L OW OL GF GA GD Pts Finish P W L GF GA Result SF BF GF Name Points
2020 6 2 – 4 – – 8 18 −10 6 3rd 1 1 – 4 2 Bronze – Won –   Kellye Nelson 9
2021 2021 NZWIHL season was not completed and cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic1
2022 6 5 – – – 1 33 7 +26 16 1st 2 2 – 9 2 Champion Won – Won   Kellye Nelson 19
2023 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Totals 12 7 – 4 0 1 41 25 +16 3 3 0 13 4
1 At the point of the 2021 season cancellation, the Wild had played three games, won twice, lost once, scored 15 goals and conceded eight goals.[7]
Champions Runners-up Third place

Championships

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  • Championships
  Champions (1): 2022
  Runners-up (0):
  • Premierships
  Premiers (1): 2022
  Runner-up (0):

Players

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Current roster

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Team roster for the 2022 NZWIHL season.[13]

Wakatipu Wild roster - 2022 NZWIHL season
Active Roster Coaching staff
Goaltenders
  • 37   Lilly Forbes
  •  1   Sara Leadbetter
  • 78   Danielle Strayer
  • 25   Jordan Wichman

Defencemen

  • 27   Lucy Boniface
  • 92   Gracie Hellmrich
  • 33   Kimberley Helmersson
  • 32   Caitlin Hollyer
  • 11   Alexandra Laframboise (I)
  • 79   Aoife Orr
  • 12   Zanzee Pielak-Jones
  • 74   Phaeora Sims
 Forwards
  • 19   Emma Ahvennie (I)
  • 15   Amanda Albertson (I)
  • 36   Polly Bennetts
  • 23   Tallulah Bryant
  • 18   Gina Davis
  • 14   Rebecca Dobson
  • 81   Lova Holmqvist (I)
  •  8   Inge Kemp
  • 17   Coco Lund (I)
  • 16   Harriet Miller-Brown
  •  5   Ella Mills
  •  2   Gabrielle Mills
  • 22   Kellye Nelson (I) (C)
  • 10   Kristyn Ouimet (I)
  • 48   Manuella Pedrosa
  • 13   Minna Ruski-Jones (I)
  • 11   Neve Spooner
  • 24   Jessie Strain
  •  7   Nicole Watts
  •  6   Bobbie Weeks (I)
 Head Coach
  •   Colin McIntosh

Coaches

  •   Dave Dubnick
  •   Kellye Nelson


Legend
(C) Captain
(A) Alternate Captain
(I) Import player

Statistics
Average age: 21.3 years
Average height: 167.4 cm
Average weight: 64.1 kg

Last updated on: 25 February 2023
Elite Prospects

Player records

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These are the top-five all-time/career player records in franchise history. Current as of 2022 NZWIHL season.[14]

All-time Appearances
# Name Pos GP
1   Kellye Nelson F 13
2   Gabrielle Mills F 13
3   Zanzee Pielak-Jones D 13
4   Caitlin Hollyer D 13
5   Emma Ahvennie F 13
All-time Points
# Name Pos Pts
1   Kellye Nelson F 28
2   Lova Holmqvist F 16
3   Gabrielle Mills F 10
4   Gina Davis F 9
5   Zanzee Pielak-Jones D 9
All-time Penalties
# Name Pos PIM
1   Gabrielle Mills F 26
2   Emma Ahvennie F 16
3   Tallulah Bryant F 12
4   Gracie Hellmrich D 8
5   Caitlin Hollyer D 6

Team staff

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Current as of 2023 NZWIHL season.[1]

Wild staff
Role Name
Head coach   Colin McIntosh
Assistant coach   Dave Dubnick
Assistant coach   Kellye Nelson
General manager   Rebecca Dobson

Leaders

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Team captains

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The Wild have had one captain in the team's history.[15]

No. Name Term
1   Kellye Nelson 2020–present

References:

Further information on team captains in ice hockey: Captain (ice hockey)

head coaches

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The Wild have had one head coach in the team's history.[2][1]

No. Name Term
1   Colin McIntosh 2020–present

References:

Further information on head coaches in ice hockey: Coach (ice hockey)

General managers

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The Wild have had one general manager (GM) in the team's history.[1]

No. Name Term
1   Rebecca Dobson 2020–present

References:

Further information on general managers in ice hockey: General manager (ice hockey)

Broadcasting

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Current:

  • YouTube (2020 – present) – The NZWIHL self broadcast league games live on YouTube on their official channel. Due to limited resources, not all games are broadcast.[16][17]


References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Wakatipu Wild". New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Wakatipu Wild – Team Staff History". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Game Summary" (PDF). New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation. 16 October 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 June 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Game Summary NZWIHL Play-offs Game 13" (PDF). New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation. 1 November 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 June 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  5. ^ "NZIHF COVID-19 Announcement". New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation. 20 August 2021. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  6. ^ "NZWIHL Round 2 Cancellation". New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation. 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b "NZWIHL 2021 season". New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Wakatipu Wild Reflect on 2022 NZWIHL Season". New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League. 24 October 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  9. ^ "NZWIHL Schedule and Results: Season 2022". New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  10. ^ Wormald, Lucy (29 September 2022). "Wild makes history". Mountain Scene. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  11. ^ Meikle, Hayden (26 September 2022). "Wild wins league trophy for first time". Otago Daily Times. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  12. ^ "2022 Season Recap". New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League. 14 October 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Queenstown 2021–2022 Roster". eliteprospects.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  14. ^ "Wakatipu Wild – All Time Regular Season Player Stats". eliteprospects.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Wakatipu Wild – Team Captaincy History". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Live Stream". New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  17. ^ "New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League Live". New Zealand Women's Ice Hockey League. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
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