The Dunedin Thunder open their New Zealand Women’s Ice Hockey League campaign with a home doubleheader against the Wakatipu Wild this weekend.
It represents both a chance for the Thunder to build on the exciting progress they made last year and an exciting step for Lilly, as she becomes just the second captain in the short history of Dunedin’s female team.
"I think we’re looking really good," the Gore-raised defender said yesterday.
"We’ve got heaps of returning players, which is always good, and it really helps what is kind of a new leadership group."
Lilly, 25, will have Kate Vernal and Sammy Heyward as her assistant captains.
Caitlin-Judith Heale is the big scoring threat and has experience of playing overseas, while the Thunder should have one of the better defences in the league ahead of star goaltender Breane Byck.
"She’s also playing for the Phoenix Thunder, and she’s doing really well for them, so she’s on double duty.
"We’re really lucky to have her back because she is so consistent in the net."
The Thunder also welcome back the consistency and toughness of Tekapo-based players Camryn Linton and Jess Ryall.
The Dunedin team made quite the turnaround last year, bouncing back from a winless NZWIHL season in 2022 to post three wins and an overtime win, qualifying second before dipping out to eventual champions Auckland Steel in the playoffs.
Lilly sees no reason why the Dunedin women, entering their fifth season as a standalone team after previously joining forces with Wakatipu as a Southern side, cannot aim right for the top in a competitive league.
"Last year was such a good season for us — our best season yet as an organisation.
"It definitely showed that you can’t predict what will happen in any of the games because there are four really good teams.
"That’s exciting for us. If you want to win, you have to work for it."
Women’s ice hockey is a young sport at the top level in New Zealand.
Lilly, who has been to eight tournaments with the Ice Ferns, hopes hosting a world championship event in Dunedin next year — both the women and the men will play in the city — will be a shot in the arm for the sport similar to how the Fifa World Cup ignited women’s football.
"It’s super exciting for us. I don’t think we’ve had a senior world championship since 2005.
"Having the Fifa games here showed as a city we are prepared to have big tournaments, and I know the locals are super excited to watch some high-level hockey.
"Hopefully I will get to play in front of a home crowd."
Women’s ice hockey does not have the huge hits — or the fighting — of the men’s game, but Lilly thinks the sport holds huge appeal.
"I think, with all these women’s sports, it just feels like now is the time for women to really step into the light and shine as athletes.
"Ice hockey is a smaller sport here, but it would be huge to even get 100 people in the building cheering for us.
"We don’t have the big hits, but it’s still a contact sport. We play hard and physical."
After the Wild games this weekend, the Thunder get doubleheaders against the Steel and the Canterbury Inferno before the playoffs in Queenstown.
The Thunder twice beat the Inferno 4-2 in preseason action.
Dunedin Thunder
Women’s squad
Goaltenders: Breane Byck, Ashley Dickinson.
Defenders: Rebecca Lilly (captain), Hannah Cross, Rosie Harris, Ashley Howard, Izzy Power.
Forwards: Mallory Anderson, Lyani Goodman, Caitlin-Judith Heale, Sammy Heyward, Whitney Keenan, Camryn Linton, Jess Ryall, Sophie Sam, Neve Spooner, Kate Vernal.
