X75 Productions

Author: Shaggy901516

  • Whale And Riveters Set For Playoff Rematch

    Whale And Riveters Set For Playoff Rematch

    The first playoff game for the NWHL this year will take place on Thurday March 7th at 7p EST. It features the two teams that finished fourth and fifth in the season standings. Finishing fourth place, and the host of this playoff match up, is the Metropolitan Riveters. Unfortunately, finishing last in the standing is the Connecticut Whale. The game will take place at the RJW Barnabas Health Hockey House.

    Last year these two teams met in the Isobel Cup semi final game which saw the Riveters win that game, and would go on to win the championship that year, beating the Buffalo Beauts in the finals.

    A quick look back at that game, the goalie match up last year was Katie Fitzgerald for the Riveters, and Sydney Rossman for the Whale. The Riveters jumped out to a quick lead, after a minute into the game, the goal coming from Rebecca Russo. This got the crowd going and the Riveters dominated play. However at the end of the first period, the Riveters only had a 1-0 lead.

    In the second period, it was more of the same, dominance from the Riveters and eventually a breakthrough for them, as Erika Lawler would net a goal a little over halfway through the second period.

    Unfortunately in the third period, the wheels came off from the Whale. About halfway through, when the Whale were on the power play, Madison Packer got a breakaway and scored while short handed. This really deflated any possible notion of a Whale comeback, because shortly after, the Riveters would get two more goals in quick fashion. Goals coming from Bray Ketchum and Kelly Nash. Rossman would depart from the game after the Ketchum goal and Keira Goin would finish the game. It ended with the final score being 5-0 in favor of the home team.

    Boxscore for this game can be found here:

    https://www.nwhl.zone/game/show/20901411?subseason=484754&referrer=3422133

    Fast forward a year later and both teams are again meeting in the playoffs. Perfect time for some revenge? Possibly. We do know that the Riveters will be starting Katie Fitzgerald on Thursday, info provided from Mike Murphy.

    How have the Whale fared against the Riveters this season? Decently. Their record against them is 2-1-1 and they are also 1-0-1 against them in Newark, NJ.

    The last time that the Whale and the Riveters matched up was on January 6th, a 6-3 victory for the Riveters. However it was Maria Sorokina in net for the Riveters, and the previous loss to the Riveters was back on November 25th, a shootout loss with Kimberly Sass in net.

    Why bring that up? Well, the last time the Whale faced off against the Riveters with Katie Fitzgerald in net was all the way back on December 2nd, which was a 4-0 victory for the Whale in Pittsburgh; and the first game that these two teams squared off against each other was all the way back on November 18th, a 2-1 victory for the Whale with, you guessed it, Katie Fitzgerald in net. So this year, the Whale are a perfect 2-0 against Katie Fitzgerald.

    Will the Whale continue to be the kryptonite against Katie Fitzgerald? Or will Fitzgerald go on another spectacular run in the playoffs like she did last year, posting two shutouts?

    The game can be watched here:

    https://twitter.com/nwhl

    3 Players to Watch

    Audra Richards: The Minnesota native and Riveters rookie has had an incredible year for them, scoring 8 goals! 6 of her 8 goals have come against the Whale, including a hat trick! She is the only player in the NWHL to record a hat trick this season!

    Katerina Mrázová: The Czech international, and Whale rookie has put up some stellar numbers this year, she leads the team in points with 12 (6g, 6a). 6 of her 12 points on the year have come against the Riveters (4g, 2a).

    Shannon Doyle: The Whale blue liner has had a great year this season. She is one of the most consistent players for them. Against the Riveters, she has 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points. Both of her goals against the Riveters have been incredible, they include a game winner in the final minute and a sick deke against Katie Fitzgerald.

    https://twitter.com/WSportHilites/status/1069355814568243201

    Tweet from Women’s Sports Highlights were used with their permission, you can follow them on Twitter here: @WSportHilites

  • Whale Swept In Final Back To Back Of The Regular Season

    Whale Swept In Final Back To Back Of The Regular Season

    The Connecticut Whale played their last two games of the regular season at home at Terry Conners Rink. The first game was against the Buffalo Beauts and the second game was against the Minnesota Whitecaps.

     

    1st Game

    In the first game on Saturday, the Whale were defeated by the Buffalo Beauts. The Beauts jumped out to an early 3-0 lead by the end of the first period. Goals for the Beauts came from Annika Zalewski, Taylor Accursi, and Juliana Iafallo. Emily Pfalzer assisted on two of the goals in the first period.

    In the second period, there would be more Beauts dominance against the Whale, and late in the second period, the Beauts would get another breakthrough, the goal coming from Corinne Buie.

    In the third period, the Beauts would add another goal, it came from former Whale forward Kelly Babstock. It would be her fourth goal on the year and her first coming against her old squad. However, the Whale would spring to life a minute after the goal. Beauts forward Corinne Buie would take a slashing minor and on the ensuing power play, Whale defender Shannon Doyle scored. For Shannon Doyle, it was her fifth point in six games (one goal and four assists). Five minutes later, the Whale would add another goal from Rachael Ade.

    Unfortunately, that would be as close as the Whale would come to a comeback. The Beauts held on to take the game by a score of 5-2. Shenae Lundberg was the goalie of record for the Whale and she made 25 saves on 30 shots.

    3 Stars

    Shannon Doyle: Scoring on the powerplay, she now has three goals and five assists on the year, and now has eight points in her last eleven games.

    Rachael Ade: She now has two goals in her last three games as of Saturday. She pushes her totals to two goals and one assist for three points on the year.

    Katerina Mrázová: She added two primary assists assists adding to her points lead.

     

    2nd Game

    On Sunday, the Whale played their final home game of the regular season, against the Minnesota Whitecaps.

    In the first period, there were good back and forth action between the two teams. Unfortunately, a little over halfway through the first period, Whale forward Vanessa Gagnon went down with an apparent leg injury. Stunned by the situation, the Whitecaps would get a goal from Allie Thunstrom.

    In the second period, the Whitecaps would jump out to a 2-0 leas when Lauren Barnes beat Erin O’Neil. The Whale would get a goal back which was provided by their captain Emily Fluke. Mrázová came around the net and sent the puck across the crease and Fluke was there to put the puck home.

    https://twitter.com/WSportHilites/status/1102318153416278016

    Before the end of the second period, the Whitecaps would add to their lead with Lauren Barnes notching her second goal of the period and her second of the game.

    In the third period, there was a lot of great back and forth action, with great goaltending being supplied by both goalies Amanda Leveille and Erin O’Neil. However the Whale wouldn’t be able to make a comeback as Kendall Coyne Schofield would add an empty net goal. The Whitecaps would win the game by the final score of 4-1.

    3 Stars

    Erin O’Neil: The goalie of record for the Whale, she kept them in the game. She made 30 saves on 33 shots.

    Katerina Mrázová: Getting her third point over the weekend on an assist from the Emily Fluke goal, it pushes her point totals on the year to six goals and six assists for twelve points on the year.

    Emily Fluke: She notched her third goal of the year, which combined with her eight assists, gives her a point total of eleven. It is good for second on the team in points, finishing up an impressive sophomore campaign for her.

     

    Playoffs:

    The Whale will square off against the Metropolitan Riveters in the playoffs again; as it will be a rematch of last years semi-final matchup. The game will be at the RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House this Thursday March 7th at 7p EST.

     

    Tweet from Women’s Sports Highlights was used with their permission and you can follow them here: @WSportHilites

  • Whale Set For Weekend Back To Back

    Whale Set For Weekend Back To Back

    The Connecticut Whale will close out their regular season with back to back home games at Terry Conners Rink in Stamford, CT, against the Buffalo Beauts and the Minnesota Whitecaps.

    The first game against the Beauts will be on Saturday at 6p EST. The last time the Whale played the Beauts at home was on Opening Day in which the Whale were defeated 4-0. Also, unfortunately, the last game the Whale played against the Beauts, they were also defeated 3-1 in Buffalo.

    The game can be watched here:

    https://www.nwhl.zone/watch

    3 Players to Watch

    Katerina Mrázová: Having scored the only Whale goal against the Beauts, she looks to continue her great rookie campaign, in which she has scored six goals on the year.

    Emily Fluke: She has had a great sophomore campaign in the NWHL, having scored two goals and added seven assists. She looks to continue to lead her team with fierceness and tenacity.

    Michelle Löwenhielm: The Swedish rookie scored in her last game against the Boston Pride, as she looks to continue her great play she has consistently displayed all season long.

    The Whale’s next game on Sunday is against the Minnesota Whitecaps. In the three previous games though, they have shown that they can skate well with them. Unfortunately the last game, they were defeated by the score of 9-0 and worse yet, that was the game they lost star goalie Meeri Räisänen for the rest of the season. Their last home game against the Whitecaps, they were beaten by a score of 4-1. The Sunday game will be at 3p EST.

    The game can be watched here:

    https://www.nwhl.zone/watch

    3 Players to Watch

    Amanda Boulier: In her previous homecoming match, the former Whale defender registered a goal and added two assists. Also, in her last game against the Whale in Minnesota, she scored a goal.

    Michelle Löwenhielm: Having scored the only goal against the Whitecaps, off a sweet assist from Emily Fluke, the Swedish All Star has three goals and three assists in her rookie year in the NWHL

    Shannon Doyle: She got a secondary assist on the Löwenhielm goal against the Whitecaps in Connecticut. She currently has registered five points in her last seven games.

  • A Whale Of A Time In Nashville

    A Whale Of A Time In Nashville

    The NWHL hosted their All Star festivities in Nashville, TN this past weekend. The best players from all five teams came down and showcased their talents in front of an electric Nashville crowd. The skills competition was held at the Ford Ice Center, the practice facility for the Predators; while the All Star Game itself was at the Bridgestone Arena in Downtown Nashville.

    The Whale had originally sent five players down, but Meeri Räisänen could not attend as she was called up to the Finnish National Team. [Congrats are in order for her!]

    The four players that did go to the All Star game were Shannon Doyle, Emily Fluke, Michelle Löwenhielm, and Katerina Mrázová.

    Doyle and Mrázová played for Team Szabados; Fluke and Löwenhielm played for Team Stecklein.

    NWHL-ASG2019-Roster-4_large

    Photo from nwhl.zone

     

    Skills Competition

    Only two skills competition events were needed for the Whale players as it was Mrázová vs Fluke in the trick shot challenge, and it was Löwenhielm vs Doyle in the hardest shot competition.

     

    At the end of the six events, it was tied at three apiece. A best two out of three shootout was required between Beauts goalie Shannon Szabados and Whitecaps defender Lee Stecklein. Szabados stopped all the attempts by Stecklein, giving Shannon Doyle and Katerina Mrázová the bragging rights so far over the weekend.

     

    All Star Game

    The All Star Game took place at Bridgestone Arena after the Blues v. Predators game, in which the St. Louis Blues proved victorious in overtime.

    Predators Game.jpg

    Also, it wouldn’t be Nashville without someone throwing a catfish on the ice that landed right by Shannon Doyle just before the opening faceoff.

    Catfish Opening Faceoff.jpg

     

    The All Star game was two 25 minute halves of four on four hockey. The Whale had a really spectacular showing in Nashville. After Riveters forward Audra Richards gave Team Szabados the 1-0 lead, Whale defender Shannon Doyle had a great rush up the left side of the ice. She got to the left circle, she made a great drop pass to Katerina Mrázová, who then roofed it over Nicole Hensley’s shoulder to give Team Szabados the 2-0 lead heading into halftime.

    https://twitter.com/WSportHilites/status/1094711430144774145

     

    After some halftime music by a live band at Bridgestone Arena, the second half began with Team Stecklein chasing a 2-0 lead. Team Stecklein would get a goal back when Beauts forward Lisa Chesson redirected a shot from Pride forward Gigi Marvin which found the back of the net. A few shifts would go by without a goal, but during that goalless break, we got to see some pretty spectacular defending at the blue line from Michelle Löwenhielm. Later in the half, Emily Fluke would net a five hole goal that tied the game at two. We also got to see an awesome celly between the Team Stecklein players:

     

    At the end of the second half, the game was tied at two. Just like yesterday’s skills competition, the game would require a shootout to determine a winner. In the shootout, there would only be one goal, and it came from Riveters forward Amanda Kessel. It would give Team Szabados the victory and the sweep for the weekend!

     

    It was a pretty historic All Star weekend, the best part about it was the attendance by the Nashville faithful. The recorded attendance was 6, 120, which set a record for largest crowd for a women’s hockey game in the United States!

     

    Not to mention that All Star MVP and Beauts goalie Shannon Szabados talked about the amazingness of nearly ONE MILLION people that watched over the weekend!

     

    Here is my favorite photo from the weekend!:

     

     

    The Whale have three games left on the season, all of them will be home games. The first game will be against the Boston Pride on February 24th at Terry Conners Rink. Puck drop for that game will be 3p EST. The game will be a Twitter Game of the Week, and you can watch that here: https://twitter.com/nwhl

     

    Tweets from Women’s Sports Highlights and Anya Battaglino were used with their permission. You can follow them here: @WSportHilites and @battaglinoa

  • TXHT at the NWHL All Star Festivities!

    TXHT at the NWHL All Star Festivities!

    The NWHL hosted their All Star festivities in Nashville, TN this past weekend. The best players from all five teams came down and showcased their talents in front of an electric Nashville crowd. The skills competition was held at the Ford Ice Center, the practice facility for the Predators; while the All Star Game itself was at the Bridgestone Arena in Downtown Nashville.

    Here’s how the rosters looked for the weekend:

    NWHL-ASG2019-Roster-4_large
    Photo from nwhl.zone

    Skills Competition

    It was a full house at the Ford Ice Center for the NWHL skills competition; people gathered to watch the players have fun and show off. The first event was the fastest skater, in which Kristin Lewicki won the event last year. This year had the likes of Michelle Picard, Amanda Pelkey, Lexi Bender, and Kendall Coyne Schofield for Team Szabados; and Lisa Chesson, Jonna Curtis, Kate Schipper, and Allie Thunstrom for Team Stecklein. If anyone saw the NHL’s fastest skater competition, knows that Coyne was going to be the odds on favorite, and she delivered. Coyne was actually faster than when she did the NHL’s event, [14.3 for the NHL and 13.9 for the NWHL].

    The next competition was the fastest goalies, in which Amanda Leveille returned to defend her title. All four goalies Katie Burt, Amanda Leveille, Shannon Szabados, and Nicole Hensley skated. The final showdown came in the form of a “battle of the teammates” Szabados v Hensley, and it was Nicole Hensley who claims bragging rights.

    Accuracy shooting was up next, where Corinne Buie was the winner last year. The three shooters for Team Szabados were Haley Skarupa, Haley Scamurra, and Savannah Harmon and the three shooters for Team Stecklein were Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, and Emily Pfalzer. In the end, it was Dani Cameranesi who proved to be the most accurate!

    Talents were on display during the next event, which was the trick shot challenge. All of the skaters have great hands and great creative minds. For Team Szabados it was Amanda Kessel, Madison Packer, and Katerina Mrázová and for Team Stecklein it was Gigi Marvin, Emily Fluke, and Jillian Dempsey. In this particular event, the fans got to vote for the winner of the competition. The event had everything, from Amanda Kessel doing the Flying V from the Mighty Ducks, to Madison Packer with a smooth spin-o-rama attempt that almost scored, to Emily Fluke throwing a cowboy hat, and having her second shot saved by Katie Burt with her back toward her.

    In the end it was Team Stecklein who won over the fans and getting their vote.

    Up next was the hardest shot competition with players who can really bring the heat on their slapshots. Last years winner of the event was Kelsey Koezler, and the players looking to take the title were, for Team Szabados were Shannon Doyle, Amanda Boulier, Audra Richards, and Blake Bolden; and for Team Stecklein were Michelle Löwenhielm, Alyssa Gagliardi, Courtney Burke, and the captain Lee Stecklein. There were a lot of really hard shots, but Blake Bolden won with her shot reaching 80 mph!

    The last event was a go for goal shootout relay in which all the skaters for Team Szabados and Team Stecklein took shootout attempts, and the team with the most goals was declared the winner. After some pretty nifty attempts, it was Team Stecklein who won the event.

    This meant at the end of all competitions, both teams were tied at three wins a piece. It meant that to settle it in a tiebreaker, it was captain vs captain in a best two out of three shootout attempts. Szabados made all the saves and her team won the Skills Competition!

    Audio from Dani Cameranesi of the Buffalo Beauts [Team Stecklein]

    Audio from Kendall Coyne Schofield of the Minnesota Whitecaps [Team Szabados]

    All Star Game

    The All Star Game took place at Bridgestone Arena after the Blues v. Predators game, in which the St. Louis Blues proved victorious in overtime.

    Predators Game.jpg

    It wouldn’t be Nashville without someone throwing a catfish on the ice that landed right by Shannon Doyle just before the opening faceoff.

    Catfish Opening Faceoff.jpg

    Both teams skated to two 25 minute halves of four on four hockey. In the first half, Team Szabados jumped out to the lead, the goal coming from the Riveters rookie forward Audra Richards. Richards, who has eight goals on the year continues her scoring prowess by getting the opening marker. Later in the half, Shannon Doyle led the rush and made a nice drop pass on top of the circle, and it fell on the stick of leading Connecticut Whale scorer Katerina Mrázová, who roofed the shot over Nicole Hensley. The goal gave Team Szabados a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.

    https://twitter.com/WSportHilites/status/1094711430144774145

    During the intermission, and because Nashville is known as Music City, there was some live music being played while we waited for the second half.

    The second half had a lot of good back and forth action and then Gigi Marvin took a shot from the point which got redirected by Lisa Chesson and it found the net beating Katie Burt. The goal cut the Team Szabados lead in half. Later in the half, the game would be tied at two as Whale captain Emily Fluke netting a five hole goal!

    Both goalies [Leveille and Burt] made really incredible saves and at the end of the second half, the score was tied at two. The game moved into a shootout in which Amanda Kessel was the first shooter and she beat Leveille five hole. Then Katie Burt stopped all three Team Stecklein attempts, giving the victory to Team Szabados!

    The best part about the All Star Game weekend was the attendance by the Nashville faithful. The recorded attendance was 6, 120, which set a record for largest crowd for a women’s hockey game in the United States!

    Audio from Amanda Kessel of the Metropolitan Riveters [Team Szabados]:

    Audio from Jonna Curtis of the Minnesota Whitecaps [Team Stecklein]:

    Audio from Shannon Szabados of the Buffalo Beauts [Team Szabados]:

    Audio from Lee Stecklein of the Minnesota Whitecaps [Team Stecklein]:

    Tweet from Women’s Sports Highlights and Anya Battaglino were used with their permission. You can follow them on Twitter here: @WSportHilites and @battaglinoa

  • Lundberg Debuts But Whale Come Up Short Against The Pride

    Lundberg Debuts But Whale Come Up Short Against The Pride

    The Connecticut Whale squared off against the Boston Pride on Groundhog’s Day tonight at the Warrior Ice Arena. The Whale played a solid game, but unfortunately fell short against the Pride; dropping this game 3-1. This also pushes the Whale losing streak to seven games.

     

    News and Notes

    The Whale had some signings to announce before this game. As suspected, Colleen Murphy will join the Whale for the rest of the season to bring some stability on the back line.

     

    The Whale also announced that they had signed former goalie Shenae Lundberg to a professional tryout.

     

    1st Period

    In the first period, the Boston Pride got off to a great start; getting a goal about a minute and twenty seconds into the game. The goal was scored by Denisa Krizova, giving the Pride the momentum from the start and establishing a good fore-check.

    Before the end of the first period, it looked like the Whale were going to be down a goal heading into intermission, Rachael Ade took a shot on the left side of the half boards and it beat Katie Burt to tie the game at one all.

    https://twitter.com/WSportHilites/status/1091866588146483200

    The goal for Ade is her first NWHL goal, and her first on the season!

     

    2nd Period

    The Boston Pride came out flying again in the second period, and about two minutes into the second period, Jillian Dempsey cleaned up a rebound in the slot, shooting it past Lundberg. The goal was the ninth of the year for Dempsey.

    https://twitter.com/WSportHilites/status/1091872672475217920

    After the goal, there was good back and forth action between the two teams, however the defenses played a little tighter and the goalies were coming up large with some great saves.

     

    3rd Period

    The action in the first half of the third period was a lot like the end of the second. There was great back and forth action, and great saves by Burt and Lundberg.

    In the second half of the third period, at the nine minute mark, Shannon Doyle got called for a hooking penalty. It knocked Denisa Krizova out of the game for a little bit of time. On the ensuing power play, Toni Ann Miano scooped up a rebound to get the Pride an insurance marker.

    https://twitter.com/WSportHilites/status/1091886690342453249

    After the power play goal, Rachael Ade took a hooking call, sending the Pride back to the power play. Before the puck fell, obviously upset with the call, the referees escorted Emily Fluke to the box. After a brief stint in the box, and still before the puck dropped, the refs then escorted Emily Fluke off the ice. Officially on the boxscore, they gave Fluke a ten minute unsportsmanlike conduct misconduct, with zero minutes. Meaning that the Whale would not be five on three.

    After that bit of craziness, the Pride played lock down on defense and kept the Whale shots to a minimum and gave them no significant offensive chances. Katie Burt sealed the deal for a Pride win, making 25 saves on 26 shots.

     

    Boxscore

    https://www.nwhl.zone/game/show/22207070?subseason=512423&referrer=4170047

     

    3 Stars of the Game

    Shenae Lundberg: She played really solid on her debut. Making 22 saves on 25 shots, as she was really in the zone.

    Rachael Ade: Scoring the lone goal for the Whale tonight, she had a beautiful shot on the half boards to tie the game at one before the end of the first period. It is also her first NWHL goal!

    Shannon Doyle: She got the assist on the Rachael Ade goal, giving her six points on the year. She currently has a four game point streak, heading into the All Star Break.

     

     

    The next game that the Whale play will be on February 24th as they look to exact some revenge against the Boston Pride in Stamford, CT.

    Next weekend is the NWHL All Star Game in Nashville, TN. Where Shannon Doyle, Emily Fluke, Michelle Löwenhielm, and Katerina Mrázová will be participating.

     

    Tweets from Women’s Sports Highlights were used with their permission. You can follow them here: @WSportHilites

  • Whitecaps And Whale Set For Weekend Skirmish

    Whitecaps And Whale Set For Weekend Skirmish

    The Minnesota Whitecaps and Connecticut Whale will get to face each other two times this weekend. The first game will be on Saturday January 19th at 630p CST and Sunday January 20th at 2p CST. Both games will be in Minnesota at Tria Rink.

     

    News and Notes

    Earlier in the week, there was some roster moves the Whale had made. Erica Ayala broke the news about back up Whale goaltender and Annapolis, MD native Sam Walther no longer being with the team.

     

     

    Also, Mike Murphy, reported that the Whale had released two more forwards, Randi Griffin (a 2018 Olympian for the Unified South Korean team), and Sam Donovan (a 2017 NWHL 1st Round Draft Pick, 5th Overall).

     

     

    Murphy went on to report that the Whale did indeed also sign a goalie to replace Sam Walther, a familiar face, goalie coach and former Whale player Laura Brennan. She even dressed as Räisänen’s backup in the last game on January 13th against the Whitecaps.

     

     

    Last Game

    Last game was rough sledding for the Whale against the Whitecaps; they lost that game 4-1. Goals for the Whitecaps came from Jonna Curtis, Hanna Brandt, former Whale defender Amanda Boulier, and Amy Menke. The Whale were able to convert once against the Whitecaps, the goal coming from Michelle Löwenhielm, it was her second on the season.

     

    ➡️@michellelowen!!! Whale have cut the lead to 1 #NWHL pic.twitter.com/zl0YaA45q7

    — Women’s Sports Highlights (@WSportHilites) January 13, 2019

     

    Players to Watch

    The Whale will look to bounce back this weekend. They have proven that they can skate with the Whitecaps team, but need to find a way to convert the offensive chances they have been getting.

     

    Whitecaps: Amanda Boulier, D – The former Whale defender played really well against her old club tallying a goal and two assists, as she looks to build off that performance with a strong showing over the weekend.

     

    Whale: Michelle Löwenhielm, F – The Whale forward has had a good year this season, as she is tied for third on the team with five points. She currently has two goals in her last three games, and she’s been playing on the top line with Fluke and Mrázová, so she is getting good offensive chances.

     

    Where to Watch

    The game on Saturday is in fact, an NWHL Twitter Game of the Week, and it can be viewed here:

    https://twitter.com/nwhl

     

    The game on Sunday is going to be a little different, and the game can be viewed here:

    https://www.nwhl.zone/watch

     

    Tweets from Women’s Sports Highlights and Erica Ayala were used with their permission.

  • Sorokina Returns To Haunt The Whale

    Sorokina Returns To Haunt The Whale

    The Connecticut Whale faced off for the last time against the Metropolitan Riveters this season. It was a spirited bout that saw the Riveters pick up the 6-3 win over the Whale, giving both teams a split in the season series. Earlier in the week, the Connecticut Whale and the Metropolitan Riveters made a trade with each other, which saw backup Whale goalkeeper Maria Sorokina be shipped to the Riveters in exchange for future considerations.

    Here is a quick summary of the game, in which the Whale went down two goals before the ten minute mark of the first period. The first goal coming from Audra Richards, which is her first time scoring on the road this season. The second goal came from Madison Packer, on the breakaway, after a beautiful pass from Amanda Kessel. The Whale managed to get one back, as Nina Rodgers got the goal, when a Riveters penalty expired.

    The Riveters would add another goal before the period ended, and it was Alexa Gruschow with the goal.

    In the second period, there was a net mouth scramble in which Kayla Meneghin, while unfortunately not credited with an assist on the play, tied up traffic in front for Jamie Goldsmith to sweep the puck in the net. This goal is Goldsmith’s first of the year and it breaks her drought.

    The Riveters would then rattle off two more unanswered goals in the second. Goals coming from Rebecca Russo, off a rebound in front of the net; and Audra Richards notching her second goal of the game. Coincidentally, both goals she scored this game came via the power play. With her two goals in this game, it pushes her goal totals to eight. In the third period, the Whale would strike first and fast, as the puck went across the crease and Emily Fluke had a wide open net to shoot at; her goal coming on the power play.

    That would be as close as it gets for the Whale, as almost four minutes later, Miye D’Oench would notch an insurance marker for the Riveters, sealing them the victory.

    Some notable stats for some players in this game, Maria Sorokina would record 18 saves on 21 shots, and Räisänen would make 13 saves on 19 shots in the game. Madison Packer had a goal and three assists for four points in the game. Amanda Kessel had five assists on the game and a lot of them were really pretty. For the Whale, Katerina Mrázová improved her point totals adding two assists in the game.

    The Whale’s penalty kill coming into the game was the best in the league. Unfortunately they suffered a less than stellar performance. The penalty kill gave up two goals, both to Audra Richards. It really is something that they should forget, as the penalty kill has been one of the best things about the team all season long.

    It’s not going to get any easier for the Whale, as their next three games will be against the Whitecaps. The first of the three games will be on Sunday January 13th at Terry Conners Rink, at 3p.

    Boxscore
    https://www.nwhl.zone/game/show/22207053?subseason=512423&referrer=4170047

    Video Highlights

  • NWHL – Whale And Pride Set To Clash Before The New Year

    NWHL – Whale And Pride Set To Clash Before The New Year

    I hope that everyone enjoyed their holidays, because there is actually some NWHL action to be played this weekend! The Connecticut Whale and the Boston Pride are set to play against each other on December 30th in Stamford, CT. This will inevitably be a tough matchup for the Whale, as the Pride boast being the league leaders at this point of the season; eking out top spot from the Minnesota Whitecaps with a better goal differential.
    The last game that these two teams played against each other was all the way back on October 20th in which, the Boston Pride came out on top by a final score of 4-2. The goals in that game for the Pride came from Emily Field, Lauren Kelly, McKenna Brand, and Gold Medalist Gigi Marvin. In net for the Pride was Katie Burt, who made 13 saves in the game. For the Whale, it was Meeri Räisänen in net, making 28 saves off of 31 shots in the game. Goals for the Whale came from Katerina Mrázová and Emily Fluke.
    The last game that the Pride played, back on December 9th, was against the defending Isobel Cup Champions Metropolitan Riveters, they came away with a 5-2 victory in Newark. Goals in that game came from Amanda Pelkey, Dana Trivigno, Kaleigh Fratkin, Mallory Souliotis, and McKenna Brand. It was Katie Burt again playing and making 21 saves off of 23 shots.
    The last game that the Whale played, back on December 8th, was against the Buffalo Beauts in Buffalo. The game ended in defeat for the Whale by the final score of 3-1. It was a tough game that day, as Katerina Mrázová got the lone goal for the Whale and Meeri Räisänen made 32 saves off of 35 shots in the game.

    3 Players to Watch

    Emily Fluke: She really loves to play against Boston; no I mean really loves to play Boston. In the 7 career games she has played against the Pride, she has tallied 4 goals and added 3 assists for 7 points!

    Katerina Mrázová: Her first NWHL goal came against the Pride, and it set her off on a goal scoring streak. In the 6 games she’s played, she has scored 6 goals in her last 5 games.

    Meeri Räisänen: In her last game against the Pride, she made 28 saves. In her last 3 games though, she has faced 104 shots and has made an impressive 98 saves.

    3 Dark Horse Players to Watch

    Nina Rodgers: The rookie from Boston University has been playing pretty well these last few games. She has been building off her 2 point performance in Pittsburgh, and with more attention possibly thrown at Mrázová and Fluke, she might get more offensive chances.

    Jamie Goldsmith: Having been one of the hardest working players for the Whale this season, and probably one of their best penalty killers. Her last goal came against the Pride last season, and maybe this is the game where she breaks her drought.

    Jordan Brickner: The only player on the Whale team who can boast that she is in the plus category of the plus minus stat; the veteran defensemen, like Jamie Goldsmith, her last goal came against the Pride last season. Maybe this is the game where she can also break her drought.

    The game will be played at Terry Conners Rink at 3p, and you can watch the game here:
    https://www.nwhl.zone/watch

  • Shaggy’s 2018 State Of The Union Address: Connecticut Whale

    Shaggy’s 2018 State Of The Union Address: Connecticut Whale

    As 2018 draws to a close, and we head into the holiday season, now is a good time to reflect on the season that has been so far. I have often stated that the Whale this season have shown signs of improvement from last year; so I would like to compare and contrast the team last season, to the team this season. Each team, at this point of the year, have each played seven games on the season.
    Last year, at this time, the Whale’s record was two wins, five losses. They scored 11 goals at that point, and unfortunately given up 24 goals against, giving them a goal differential of -13. This season, the team’s record is two wins, four losses, and one shootout loss.

     

    They’ve scored 12 times this season and have given up 23 goals against, for a goal differential of -11. Although seemingly having very similar records, when you look closely at the difference in stats from this season compared to last season, it’s where you begin to notice the signs of improvement the team has gone through.
    Even though the goal totals have remained about the same, there are differences as to who leads the team in each department. Through seven games last season, there was a three way tie for the goals lead.

     

    Leading the way then was Kelly Babstock, who now plays for the Beauts; Sam Faber, who retired before the season started; and Emily Fluke, who is now the captain of the team. Each of these three players had two goals through seven games. Leading in the assist department was Kelly Babstock, she posted four assists through seven games, bringing her point totals to six.
    This year has been completely different, as it has been the rookie NWHLer and Czech native Katerina Mrázová who has been leading the way with six goals on the season. The six goals she has scored have come in her last five games.

     

    It seems that everything she is throwing at the net has gone in; she also finds herself in the right areas on the ice to put the biscuit in the basket. In her last game, she had a nice deflection goal off a shot that came from Emily Fluke.

     

     

    Additionally, Mrázová leads the team with eight points on the year, including two power play goals and one coming while the team was shorthanded. In terms of the setup, there is a tie for the team lead in assists. It is captain Emily Fluke and rookie NWHLer Michelle Löwenhielm who both have three assists on the year. One of Fluke’s assists on the year came via the power play; while Löwenhielm has had an assist on the power play and the penalty kill, feeding both goals to Mrázová.

     

     

    Although the team has a goal differential of -11, there is actually somebody on the team who is in the plus category of the plus/minus stat. She is the only one on the team who can say this and the honor goes to the veteran defensemen Jordan Brickner, who is a plus one.
    One of the biggest differences between last year’s team and this season has been the penalty kill. I know, I know, I have talked about the penalty kill to death, but it really needs to be continually stated how good the penalty kill has been all season long.

    Currently, the Whale has a 96 percent penalty kill rating, which is best in the league right now. Upon further inspection of the stats, they’ve been on the penalty kill 25 times this season through seven games.

     

    They have only been scored on ONCE all season long. The lone goal came from the Boston Pride on October 20th. Compare this to last season, through seven games; they went on the penalty kill 28 times, and the Whale were burned for seven goals through those games.

     

    As we have learned this season, a good penalty kill can stymie the opposition and can gather momentum, which can lead to greater offensive chances. The Whale proved that this was the case in the games against the Riveters.

     

     

    The power play is slightly better than it was last year, but not by much. Last year, through seven games, the Whale only scored one power play goal on 20 attempts. The lone player who got the goal on the power play was Jamie Goldsmith, and it came against the Boston Pride.

     

    This season, the Whale have been to the power play 21 times and have only managed to score two goals from it. Which is good for a 9.5 power play percentage; both of the goals came from Mrázová, in which she scored against the Riveters and the Pride.
    Goaltending has always been a strong suit for the Whale. The past two seasons, their goaltending always kept them in games and even giving them a shot of winning. In the seven games last year, three of them were one goal games, in which the Whale boasted a 2-1 record in those games. The stellar goaltending came from Sydney Rossman, who is now a member of the Minnesota Whitecaps.

     

    There have been two one goal games this season, in which the Whale are 1-1. The goaltending this season has been nothing short of spectacular and that is all thanks to first year NWHLer and the first ever Finnish player in the league Meeri Räisänen. A very late signing in the offseason, just days before their first game, she has turned in some really incredible performances this season; which includes a shutout she recorded on her birthday against the Riveters in Pittsburgh. She has been by far, the reason why the penalty kill has been better and why the team continues to show signs of improvement.
    Earlier in the year, when I did my preview for the team, I asked three questions. This seems as good a time as any to see if we got some answers, and possibly ask some new questions for the second half of the season.

    First question: How will Emily Fluke build on her incredible rookie season?

    Earlier in the article I stated how Emily Fluke was tied for the team lead in goals through seven games with two. Well, she had also posted three assists giving her five points through those seven games, which was good for second best on the team behind Kelly Babstock. During the second half of the year, Emily Fluke went on to post another two goals and three assists, giving her 11 total points on the year and she finished with a plus 2; which was the team lead in every offensive category.
    How has she faired this season? Well, first things first, she was named captain of the Whale. A huge honor for her, I’m sure. She has transitioned into her new role very well and has registered one goal on the year, which came against the Pride (She really likes scoring against the Pride).  Additionally, she has added three assists on the year, for a total of four points through seven games. A slight dip in numbers, but she is definitely one of the hardest working players out there. It even garnered her honors of being named an NWHL All Star. Safe to say, she’s improved upon her rookie season.

    Second question: How will Cydney Roesler do in her new role of being a player/assistant coach?
    Earlier in the year, before the season started, the Whale announced that Cydney Roesler would be named an assistant coach. She was going to adjust to a new role of being player/coach. Last year, she was an assistant coach for Quinnipiac University, so it made the most sense to give her such a role. I think she has adjusted rather nicely to this role. There is always something new for her to learn while behind the bench, and she’s been on the ice in four games this season. Her first game wasn’t particularly good, a hat trick of penalties is never a good thing; but in the other three games, she definitely showed that the first game she played is not indicator of anything. I look forward to seeing her continued development in her new role.

    Third Question: Who will be the starting goalie for the Whale this season?
    As stated earlier in the article, Sydney Rossman was the starting goaltender all last season for the Whale. When the Whitecaps became an official NWHL team, she departed to go play goalie for them. She is from Minnesota, so it really made sense for her. However, it left the team looking for a new goalie. It seemed heading into the season that the goaltending tandem was going to be Sam Walther of Hamilton College or Maria Sorokina of the Russian National Team. Coincidentally, the team chose another option, Meeri Räisänen. The team signed her the same week the Whale were going to face off against the Beauts in their home opener at Terry Conners Rink. She has been the clear cut favorite for the starting goaltender spot ever since, as she has started every game this season. She boasts a record of 2-4-1, a 2.76 GAA, and a .917 save percentage, including one shutout. She was also named an NWHL All Star.

    Questions I would like to ask for the second half of the season:

    Which players can step up and help create secondary scoring?
    As great as Mrázová has been all season long, she can’t do it all by herself. The team seems to go as she goes, which is good and bad. Good, in the sense of her current hot streak; again, everything she is firing at the net is going in, but bad if she (hopefully not) starts going cold. Others will need to start stepping up and help the team score more goals.

    What role will Colleen Murphy fulfill for the team on the blue line?
    Before the Whale played the Beauts, it was said that Murphy would make her debut. She played well, having one shot on goal in the game. It will be interesting to see what the former Beaut brings to the team with her veteran presence on the blue line.

    Can the Whale continue their improvement and finish with a better record than last season?
    As stated early on in this article, the Whale were 2-5 last year through seven games, seemingly pretty similar to this season. However last season was definitely not something worth remembering or repeating because the team went on and had a 1-6-2 record in the second half to finish out the year at 3-11-2.
    The team is 2-2 in their last four games, having shaken off the cobwebs of the first three games. They have continued to show the signs of improvement; can they keep taking the steps forward and make last season a thing of the past?

     

    We will certainly find out as the next game the Whale will play will be just before the new year on December 30th against the Boston Pride in Connecticut at Terry Conners Rink. The game will be at 3p.
    Happy Holidays Whale Fans!