Case Study: IceHQ & HockeySYTE
Growing together from inline rink to national powerhouse
Client Overview
From Puckhandlers to IceHQ: A Long-Term Hockey Tech Partnership
Before IceHQ was Australia’s premier recreational ice hockey venue, it was an inline rink called Puckhandlers. Back then, Ross Fisher chose HockeySYTE, the unified hockey product by XSYTE, to run his leagues. When he transformed Puckhandlers into the purpose-built IceHQ ice rink, he didn’t go shopping for a new system — he brought HockeySYTE with him.
That means we’ve been there for the entire journey: from inline to ice, from a single facility to one of the largest hockey operations in the country. As IceHQ has grown its leagues, tournaments and pro programs, HockeySYTE / XSYTE has grown right alongside it.
IceHQ at a Glance
- Location: Reservoir, Victoria, Australia
- Divisions: 10 adult recreational divisions (beginner → expert)
- Juniors: 4 junior divisions & development programs
- Players: ~1,300 ice hockey players every month
- Pro Program: Melbourne Ducks franchise in the AWIHL
- Highlight: First pro women’s division in Australia, players paid in ice time
The Partnership
Growing a Rink and a Platform at the Same Time
01. The Challenge
IceHQ runs ten adult divisions, four junior divisions, a pro women’s program, and multiple tournaments each year. With around 1,300 players every month, running signups, rosters, schedules, payments, streams and stats manually would quickly become unmanageable.
02. The Approach
Instead of bolting on disconnected tools, IceHQ doubled down on the platform that already worked at Puckhandlers: HockeySYTE. Together we’ve iterated constantly — adding features based on real rink needs while keeping everything under one roof: scheduling, live scoring, store, payments, livestreaming and communications.
03. The Outcome
IceHQ now operates like a pro organisation: every game is online, every player can see their stats and highlights, and staff have a single system for operations. At the same time, HockeySYTE has matured into a powerhouse platform proven at one of the busiest facilities in Australian hockey.
Key Results
A High-Traffic Hockey Site That Keeps Up
HockeySYTE at IceHQ doesn’t just “hold together” — it performs at scale, serving hundreds of thousands of visitors and millions of pageviews with strong engagement.
2023
486,187 pageviews
21,317 active users
6m 37s average engagement time
2024
642,319 pageviews
32,546 active users
6m 06s average engagement time
2025 (to mid-November)
763,998 pageviews
54,537 active users
4m 04s average engagement time
That’s 1.89 million+ pageviews between April 2024 and November 2025 alone.
How IceHQ Uses HockeySYTE
One Platform for Leagues, Tournaments & Player Experience
League & Player Pathways
IceHQ offers a clear progression: learn-to-skate, junior development, four junior divisions, and ten adult recreational tiers from beginner to expert. HockeySYTE manages registrations, season signups and team structures for all of it, with team admins able to manage rosters and handle their own operations.
We’ve shipped features specifically for IceHQ’s workflow — such as improved PDF exports for schedules and a public suspensions board on season pages (“name ’em and shame ’em”) — and those tools now benefit other leagues on the platform as well.
Livestreaming, Replays & Highlights
Every IceHQ game is livestreamed with HockeySYTE scoreboards, overlays and replays. Teams can even assign custom goal horns — for example, “The Empire” blares the Imperial March when they score.
Our automatic goal highlight generation system creates clips for every goal in every game. Those clips are tagged to individual players, letting them build personal highlight reels over a season without any extra editing by staff.
Marquee Events & Pro Hockey
CCM Women’s, Next Gen, Aussie Classic & the Melbourne Ducks
IceHQ hosts several headline tournaments each year, including:
- • CCM National Women’s Hockey Tournament
- • Next Gen Showcase youth tournament
- • Aussie Classic international tournament
All of these run on HockeySYTE’s tournament tools: online team registration, pools and brackets, “Tournament TV” scoreboards around the rink, and full livestream coverage with replays and goal highlights.
IceHQ also owns the Melbourne Ducks franchise in the AWIHL, entering the league as an expansion team in the 2025/26 season. HockeySYTE supports the Ducks with league pages, player profiles, sponsor visibility and highlight content — delivering a professional online presence for a national-level women’s program where players are rewarded in ice time.
Store, Payments & Sponsors
Smart Payments for Big Tickets & Sponsor-Ready Presentation
Built-In Store & Flexible Payments
IceHQ uses the XSYTE built-in store to power team purchases, memberships and league fees. One key advantage is per-product payment control: large-ticket items can offer free / no-fee payment methods (like bank transfer), while smaller items such as memberships and registrations are set to card-only for automatic processing.
This lets IceHQ minimise fees on big invoices while keeping everyday payments smooth and automated.
Sponsor Visibility That Actually Gets Seen
Sponsor brands are integrated directly into IceHQ’s digital experience — appearing on schedules, standings, team pages and streaming overlays. Instead of being tucked away, partners are front-and-centre where players and fans spend their time: on the site and the streams.
Combined with strong traffic and engaging content, that makes IceHQ a sponsorship platform, not just a rink.
Want to Grow Your League Like IceHQ?
Whether you’re running a single rink or building a full hockey complex, HockeySYTE / XSYTE can give you the same tools IceHQ uses: live scoring, streaming, stats, registrations, store and sponsors all connected.
Growing Up Together
01 From Inline Rink to Flagship Client
Ross first chose HockeySYTE at Puckhandlers. When it was time to build IceHQ, he chose us again. The platform has been part of the story from day one, evolving as the facility and its programs have expanded.
02 Operational Efficiencies That Matter
Together we’ve streamlined season signups, enabled team admin roster management, and added tools like better PDF support and public suspensions displays. Those changes save IceHQ staff time every single week.
03 Real-World Proof of Scale
With 1.89 million+ pageviews in 18 months and tens of thousands of active users per year, IceHQ shows what XSYTE can handle in the real world: heavy traffic, complex schedules, and constant engagement.
04 Your League Could Be Next
If you see a bit of your rink or league in IceHQ’s story, we’d love to talk. The same platform, the same “growing together” approach — tailored to your sport, your community and your goals.