The Thunder ended its first year in the National Hockey League with a morale-boosting 6-3 win against the Canterbury Red Devils in Dunedin on Sunday, a nice finish to a predictably testing debut.
Bode, the Canadian recruited to guide the Thunder in its new adventure, did not enjoy watching one loss after another but believes her players will be better for the experience.
"It's been a massive learning curve for everyone and they've made huge improvements," Bode told the Otago Daily Times.
"It was our first time in the league and we're probably two or three years behind the other teams.
"We've had some highlights. I know it doesn't really show on the scoreboard but we've had moments of brilliant hockey. Then we have these bad mental lapses. We often play 55min of good hockey and five terrible minutes.
"When you crumble like that, it takes all the momentum away from you. And it's a long slog when you're losing a lot of games."
The Thunder played like a classic first-year team: competing well for stretches but letting in several goals at crucial times.
An example of that was the game against Canterbury in Christchurch on June 21, when the Thunder leaked 11 goals in the first period.
The Dunedin side competed well the rest of the game but the damage was done.
Bode was reluctant to single out players for praise but is satisfied her players took baby steps in their team's bid to become a contender in the NHL.
"This was never going to be a one-year show.We wanted to be as competitive as possible in first year, then be a contender in our second, then push for the championship in the third.
"It's not something that will happen overnight. We've got to build a team, develop our Kiwi players and get in some more imports to raise the standard of our players.
"There's definitely going to be a core group of guys who will stay, I hope. That's how you create a team."
Bode is undecided whether she will return to Canada straight away.
She's been "chasing winters" and rather fancies the prospect of seeing a New Zealand summer.
She hopes to be given a second year to coach the Thunder to finish the job she has started.
The New Zealand league involves just five teams and is over quickly.
Bode knows it cannot compare with leagues in Canada or the United States but is excited about its future.
"The New Zealand league is still in its infancy. It's in its fourth season and that's not a long time for a league. I wasn't involved from the start but I think it's getting there.
"It has the capability to go up and up. There's talk of joining an Australasian league and that's really exciting."
