The move of Sharna Godfrey down south to the Melbourne Ice was a big offseason Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League (AWIHL) transfer which will no doubt shake up the league.
Godfrey had spent the past eight seasons with the Sydney Sirens, a club stalwart, and a three-time Joan McKowen Trophy winner.
When it came to the decision to move to Melbourne it was off the back of good friend, and current Ice player, Stephanie Cochrane.
“Everyone keeps asking why I moved, I don’t really have a reason,” Sharna Godfrey told Hockey Hype Australia.
“I grew up on the Gold Coast, so I don’t have any family or anything in Sydney, so there is nothing really holding me there.
“Yeah, it was just after something new and my best friend Steph [Stephanie] Cochrane, she moved down here [Melbourne] a couple of years ago and she has been bugging me to move for a few years.
“[I was] after something new and just packed up and came on down.”
It’s a fresh start at the Ice with some familiar faces. Godfrey, who is now a veteran of the AWIHL, knows many of the players on the Melbourne roster.
The 35-year-old has been with the group leading up to the AWIHL season for some time, and the early chemistry has been promising.
“I have been in the league for a while, so I knew a lot of the girls before moving,” continued Godfrey.
“And then with the Aus [Australian] team and stuff, played with a few of them from that as well.
“So, it was really only some of the young girls I didn’t really know, there is a lot of new players on the team as well.
“It’s been a really good dynamic so far.”
Before Godfrey became a star of the ice for Australia, the journey to AWIHL stardom started with the street hockey scene.
From street hockey the progression would move to inline and ultimately reach the local ice rinks of Australia.
On the back of a suggestion from a neighbour – who was an inline referee at the time, Godfrey would lace up the skates for a shot at inline. The rest as they say is history.
“I started playing inline hockey, so playing street hockey when I was like seven,” said Godfrey.
“Someone lived across the road that was a referee approached my dad and was like ‘take them down to the local rink’.
“So, we went down to Coolangatta inline rink, and I started playing inline there, and it wasn’t until I was about 12 or 13, I ended up taking up ice hockey.”
Known for its beaches, sunshine and entertainment strips, Gold Coast is a big holiday destination for many tourists.
So, when it came to ice hockey it wasn’t one of the top priorities for the region at the time.
It wasn’t until Godfrey was 16 to 17-years-old that ice hockey would become a serious consideration, three years after being first introduced to the sport.
“It was around then when the A-Dub [AWIHL] kind of started, but it was like a showcase series,” continued Godfrey. “And then yeah, 22 I moved to Sydney.”
At 22-years-old and moving south to Sydney, Godfrey would kick start an AWIHL career and connection with the Sydney Sirens Ice Hockey Club that would last for eight seasons.
Godfrey would become a club and national team icon, winning trophies, and performing at the highest-level year in and year out.
“I knew a couple of girls in Sydney from inline and I moved to Sydney for work,” said Godrey.
“Just tried out for the Sirens team, I think I was there for ten seasons maybe, maybe not that many.
Spending that long within an organisation you grow as a player and person, something Godfrey was able to do across their Sirens career.
“Look it was a fun journey,” continued Godfrey.
“Obviously I hit a lot of milestones while playing there, I did win three cups.
“I learned a lot about myself and about hockey, like my hockey IQ over that time.
“I experienced a lot better coaching in Sydney than what I received when I was younger, that was more specific to my game and benefiting me.
“I owe a lot to the Sirens and the franchise for where I am today.”
Before the trip down south to join the Melbourne Ice, Godfrey had become a well-established Australian national team player.
Collecting gold, silver, and bronze medals along the way, while also picking up most points in Division II B World Championships in South Africa recently.
Now a veteran of the Australian national team, Godfrey is eyeing more caps in the years to come, with no plan to retire from international hockey just yet.
“It’s always a huge achievement to represent your country,” said Godfrey.
“They are always amazing at tournaments, they are so much fun, like you do your training camp before the tournament and then we head off to the tournament.
“It’s everyone’s goal to play for their country in any sport that they are in I guess, we are lucky enough that we get to do it and we get to play at a competitive level.
“Unfortunately, the funding obviously that everyone knows, that is the thing that holds us back, to put strong teams into the tournaments.
“Because it kind of comes down to in a way who can afford it and whatnot. “I love putting the jersey on, I save every year so that I can go.
“I guess one day I’m going to have to retire and decide not to do worlds, but that day is not coming yet.”
A league that only has five teams in it, the AWIHL does have its fair share of rivalries, naturally players are competitive as soon as they hit the ice.
In Australian women’s ice hockey, the rivalry between the Ice and Sirens is as big as we see in the AWIHL.
Sliding on that new Ice jersey is something that Godfrey never pictured.
“So, Melbourne Ice and Sydney Sirens is a bit of a rivalry,” Godfrey said with a grin.
“Never thought I would see the day that I would put on a Melbourne Ice jersey, so that will be interesting that’s for sure.
“I had to put in my uniform order the other day and I was like I don’t know it just doesn’t seem right.
“But yeah, it’s definitely going to be strange.”
The offseason switch brings changes for Godfrey, and not just different colours and a new locker room.
There will be an added bonus from being on the Ice roster and not having to stand opposite the puck to Danielle Butler.
Butler – a rising start of the AWIHL, burst onto the scene in the 2022/23 season for the Ice and Godfrey is happy to be a teammate this time around.
“So, hated playing against her, absolutely despised it,” Godfrey said with a laugh.
“Did not like her, I was like ‘who are you?’ get out of here.
“She is an amazing player. Played with her in the Pro League over at IceHQ over the winter.
“She’s amazing, she’s such a great player to play with. The energy that she brings to the team, and she has this winning attitude.
“She hates losing, absolutely hates losing. She is a terrible person to be around if you have lost the game.
“But she’s an amazing player, she’s positive and [I’m] hoping I’ll get to jump on a line with her a few times.”
Godfrey now looks towards a new journey and a new challenge suiting up for the Ice for a fresh AWIHL season.
Learning different systems, playing with new line partners, Godfrey will look to hit the ground running.
Early indications at a recent exhibition series against the Melbourne Ducks, had Godfrey slotting in nicely with teammates Christina Julien and Ashlie Aparicio.
However, for Godfrey it’s keeping things quite simple on the ice and doing what they can for the team.
“I kind of just want to continue to have a good year like I have previously,” continued Godfrey.
“Be competitive, help the team to wins games, I’m not sure who I’m on a line with or anything like that.
“I’m kind of at an age like obviously I want to win games and stuff, but I also want to enjoy the game while I’m playing.
“Concentrate on my fitness and my health and have a bit of fun while doing it.”
Switching from the hunted to the hunter the Ice look to be primed for a strong 2023/24 AWIHL campaign.
Some new faces on the roster and the arrival of Godfrey into the fold will have an immediate impact.
A roster that runs deep, a new coach [Curtis Klooster] bringing strong professionalism in coaching, it’s all positive so far for an Ice team that wants to go one better than its silver medal in 2022/23.
“Get down to the rink, support the girls,” said Godfrey.
“If anyone is keen on sponsoring us individually, players or the team, I mean, reach out.
“It’s going to be a great season. We have got a super strong team this year.
“The young girls that are actually on the team and on the development squad this year are amazing.
“We have got three strong lines, three strong goalies. Fresh coaching staff, it’s going to be a really exciting season.
“So yeah, get on down to O’Brien and help support the girls.”
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