PHOTO: ODT FILES
The New Zealand women's league will grow from six games to 12 games next season, plus the playoffs, in an new dawn for the sport.
The league, which features four teams in the Dunedin Thunder, Wakatipu Wild, Canterbury Inferno and Auckland Steel, the defending champions, will have a full home and away round robin format in 2025.
The New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation (NZIHF) has also contributed $40,000 to help the league and the teams transition to the longer format.
NZIHF president Andy Mills was thrilled to be able to offer more opportunities in the women's game.
"It's really exciting," Mills said.
"It's something we've wanted to do for a while and we feel the time is no better.
"We've got huge growth in women's hockey at the moment, and we want to continue that, and we want to create pathways and having something to aspire to is a big part of that."
Expansion would also give fans the chance to see more action and provide more exposure in what is set to be a big year.
Dunedin will host the women's and men's division 2, group B world championships in April and May next year.
Auckland last held the men's tournament in 2017, and the women's group A tournament in 2013, and it is an exciting chance for the southern ice hockey fraternity to see world-class players up close.
"We're very excited, actually," Mills said about hosting the tournament.
"It's not something that many of the players get to do in their playing careers ... playing at home.
"Obviously you just never know where you're going to end up, so to play at home, and your own home crowd, is pretty special."
The Ice Blacks will also play a three-game transtasman challenge series against Australia in Auckland in March.
