Doğramaci, Sera

BORN JUNE 4TH, 1983, in Sydney Australia, Sera Doğramaci began field hockey at school with her sisters and the Morgan family. The Morgans also played ice hockey, and Sera took it up in 1995, a year after older sister Esra. They played in boys' leagues around Sydney, then the Blacktown City Flyers women.

In August 1996, the sisters played exhibition games against the visiting Assabet Valley team from the USA, in the squad now considered the first Australian National Women's Team. In January 1998, they toured Boston in a junior team. Back home they won the McKowen Trophy, the national championship, coached by David Mann. Sera continued in the state side.

She joined the Sydney Sirens in the 2009-10 season of the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League and played every year except 2015-16, when she played for the Brisbane Goannas, and 2017-18 when she coached the Sirens. For seven seasons into her late 30s, she consistently saved 90 per cent of shots and 93 per cent at her peak. She made the playoffs four times (2014, 17, 19, 20) in five seasons, winning the Joan McKowen Trophy national in 2017 and 2020 as back-up to Tina Girdler. By 2022, she had played over 100 AWIHL games and was three times AWIHL goalie of the season (2010, 17, 19).

From 2011 to 2014, Doğramaci also played East Coast Super League for the Sydney Heat, ECSL Vipers and Blueline Bombers.

In 2014 in her early 30s, she attended the IIHF Women’s Development Camp in Vierumaki, Finland and began to coach goaltending. She was Goaltender Coordinator for her state (2015-19), and since 2015 she has been Goaltender Development Manager for the national association except in 2017-18 when Bruce Poling had the role. She coached the Sirens (2018), directs coaching for the Canterbury Eagles Ice Hockey Club and is the head coach of NSA Hockey. She helped the state association with Level 1 and 2 coaching courses and goalie coordination.

Goalie Coach for the U18 national women since 2014, she coached goaltending for the Australia Under-18 women at a World Championship qualification in 2019 and then retired.

Doğramaci represented Turkey in five Division 2 World Championships from 2014 until she retired from international competition at the 2020 Worlds. The nation is ranked 28 in the world. She played against Australia twice (2016, 20) but never for Australia, although she has been a reserve goalie (2011, 12, 13). She saved an average of 89 per cent of shots across 23 games, including qualifiers. Best Goaltender in 2014, and three times Top Player on Team (2014, 15, 17), she won Gold to re-qualify in 2015.

Doğramaci completed a Bachelor of Arts in Human Movement Studies (Honours) and a PhD in Leisure, Sport and Tourism. A postgraduate research supervisor and Honorary Adjunct at Western Sydney University, she tutors there and at the University of Technology in sports and exercise science. The national league goalie retired at 39 in 2023, and is still Head Goaltending Coach at National Sport Academy, a hockey school based in Newcastle for the past 10 years.

“There are a handful of players who have already surpassed 150 games, so for a goalie to reach 100 is quite a feat," she said. "I’m incredibly grateful for the support I’ve had around me...I hope other goalies are in a position to reach 100 career games as well". [2]