X75 Productions

Category: Connecticut Whale

  • Beauts Win Season Opener

    Beauts Win Season Opener

    The NWHL season kicked off this past weekend, and it was the Buffalo Beauts facing off against the Connecticut Whale in the opener. After a very spirited contest, it was the Beauts getting the two points at the end of the game with a 3-1 victory.

    Before the game started, there was a special ceremony in which, the mayor of Danbury, CT came out to center ice and performed a ceremonial puck drop.

    As for the game itself, it was a very penalty filled first period. There were six penalties called (4-2 Beauts in that department). However, it would be the Buffalo Beauts who would take the lead on a power play goal from Lenka Curmova. Assists on the play were from Marie-Jo Pelletier and Corinne Buie.

    (Two things about this tweeted photo: the new arena is nice, and the new jerseys are fantastic!)

    In the second period, things started to settle down, the Whale would get an equalizing goal about half way through the second period. The goal was scored by Grace Klienbach, with the assists coming from Sarah Hughson and Elena Orlando.

    After some intense action in the third period, with lots of great back and forth action, and the goalies seemingly settled into the game. It would be the Buffalo Beauts scoring a late game winning goal with about four minutes left in the game. The goal was scored by Brooke Stacey with the assists coming from Ashley Birdsall and Iveta Klimasova. About three minutes later, Corinne Buie would seal the win with an empty netter, Taylor Accursi would nab an assist on the play.

    The goaltending for the Beauts was Mariah Fujimagari, she faced 30 shots and made 29 saves. The goalie for the Whale was Sonjia Shelly, she faced 15 shots and made 13 saves.

     

    The next set of games that the Connecticut Whale play, will be on Saturday October 19th and Sunday October 20th. The game will be in Buffalo at their new facility, Northtown Center. The puck drop will be at 1130a for the 19th, and 130p on the 20th.

     

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  • Whale and Beauts Set To Kick Off Season 5

    Whale and Beauts Set To Kick Off Season 5

    The NWHL is set to kick off a new season this weekend. This will be the league’s fifth season!

    There is a spirited match up ahead where the Connecticut Whale will be hosting the Buffalo Beauts in their season opener. The game will be taking place in the Whale’s new facility, Danbury Arena.

    This will be the second year in a row that the Whale will be hosting the Beauts to kick off the season. Last year, at Terry Conners Rink, the Beauts defeated the Whale by a final score of 4-0.

    Puck drop on the new Whale season will be this Saturday at 230p in Danbury, CT.

    There was also huge Whale news today:

    Congrats are in order for Shannon Doyle, Elena Orlando, and Jordan Brickner!!

    Cetacean Nation got the drop on a PTO signing for the Whale:

     

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  • 2019-20 NWHL Previews – Connecticut Whale

    2019-20 NWHL Previews – Connecticut Whale

    2018-19 Record:  2-12-2 6pts   5th Place in the NWHL

    Playoffs: Lost in First Round to Riveters

     

    Key Additions: F – Emma Vlassic, F – Kendra Broad, G – Cassandra Goyette

     

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    2019-20 Preview:

    Shaggy’s Questions For The Season

    Who will step up and be the leader for the team?

    As of this article, the Whale still have some players they need to sign. However, the Whale roster is full of some returning players and a lot of rookies. The head veterans on the team are Elena Orlando and Shannon Doyle. Which one of them is going to step up and be the leader of the locker room?

     

    How will the team adjust to the new coaching staff?

    Last years coaching staff was Ryan Equale and Cydney Roesler, they are now gone. The current coaching staff is ex-NHLer Colton Orr and former Whale goalie Laura Brennan. The team will have to adjust to a new playing style, and how long will that adjustment take?

     

    Who will be the starting goalie for the Whale this season?

    The Whale will start off the new season with three new goaltenders on the roster: Cassandra Goyette, Sonjia Shelly, and Brooke Wolejko. All three goalies have previous NCAA experience. There certainly will be some good competition to see who the number one is going to be.

     

    The Whale will be playing at a new rink this season. They are going to be playing at Danbury Arena in Danbury, CT. The first game of the season will be the home opener against the Buffalo Beauts at 230p EST on October 5th

     

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  • NWHL News and Notes – October 1st, 2019

    NWHL News and Notes – October 1st, 2019

    Today in the NWHL there were five more signings announced as we are now four days away from the start of the 2019-20 Season.

     

    Minnesota Whitecaps

    The Whitecaps announced that they have re-signed Minnesota native Lauren Barnes to a one year deal. Barnes, who played at Mercyhurst and Minnesota State University, played in nine regular season games for the Whitecaps, and scored two goals and earned an assist in her time with the Whitecaps.

     

    Connecticut Whale

    The Whale have announced that they have re-signed Sarah Schwenzfeier for the the 2019-20 season. Schwenzfeier appeared in four games for the Whale last season after a career with Norwich University which saw her finish her collegiate career with 121 points in 119 games.

     

    Buffalo Beauts

    The Beauts announced that they have signed three players for the upcoming 2019-20 season starting with Ana Orzechowski. Orzechowski, a stay at home defender, played for RPI from 2015 to 2019 where she amassed only 16 penalty minutes in her 105 career games in the NCAA.

     

    The Beauts also announced the signing of defender and New York native Richelle Skarbowski. Skarbowski played at New England University and SUNY-Cortland. With SUNY-Cortland Skarbowski served as team captain for the Red Dragons in her senior season.

     

    The Beauts final signing announcement is Erin Gehen. Gehen, who played at Buffalo State College, is the college’s all time leader in goals, assists, points, shorthanded goals, and games played while playing for the school from 2014 to 2018.

     

    All players will partake in the 50 percent cut of revenue from league sponsorship and media deals. Plus they will also receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with their name on it.

     

    Other News

     

    TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

    *Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

     

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  • Whale Unveil New Jersey for 2019-20 Season

    Whale Unveil New Jersey for 2019-20 Season

    Following this past Friday’s announcement by the Metropolitan Riveters unveiling their new jersey for the 2019-20 NWHL season, today the Connecticut Whale unveiled their new 2019-20 jersey.

     

    After the Riveters new uniforms were unveiled the big question would be what will the Whale do as the past two seasons they have been wearing white as their primary color. With the Riveters now wearing white as their primary the Whale will need to change their jersey primary color. Friday afternoon the NWHL tweeted the following teaser:

     

    The NWHL acknowledged that the Whale would be returning to green for the first time since season two. But how will they look? Well never fear because here they are!

     

    The Whale are now doing a green version of the jersey they wore last season, and originally wore in the inaugural season. This style for the Whale is a long time fan favorite and one of the more artistically designed jerseys in the NWHL. This is a great look for the Whale for the 2019-20 Season.

     

    Per the NWHL Press Release very little was said except for this quote from Whale defender Shannon Doyle:

     

    “Green just feels right.”

     

    And that it does.

     

    *Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

     

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  • Riveters Unveil New Jersey for 2019-20 Season

    Riveters Unveil New Jersey for 2019-20 Season

    Last night the NWHL tweeted a teaser of a new Metropolitan Riveters jersey for the 2019-20 season, and stated that it would be unveiled Friday, September 27th. Here is what the league tweeted:

     

    From first look at this teaser we see that the Riveters primary color this season will be white, which will be the first time they have done so since the inaugural season when they were known as the New York Riveters. We also see the color navy on the sleeves which is also a return since the team’s rebrand to the Metropolitian Riveters as part of their partnership with the New Jersey Devils, which saw the Riveters don Devils inspired jerseys the past two seasons.

     

    However ladies and gentlemen the time for speculation is no more as the after a night of pondering, and envisioning what these new jerseys for the Riveters will look like, here is the official jersey of the 2019-20 Metropolitan Riveters:

     

    So here we are with the Riveters new jersey and here are some observations that jump out right away. After three seasons of having red as a primary color it has now been regulated to just the collar of the jersey. Also for the sleeves it is primarily navy, with white stripes to give it a piping look. Per the NWHL release here is more information on the sleeves:

     

    “The Riveters’ new sweater features a red collar and blue sleeves that are broken up by three white stripes. These stripes hold a special connection to Rosie and to American history. Beginning on D-Day, Allied aircraft had alternating stripes painted on their wings and fuselages to help identify friend from foe.

    The stripes on the Riveters’ new jersey serve as an homage to the women who worked in factories constructing aircraft, munitions and other war materials. Without them, an Allied victory in World War II would not have been possible, which is one of the reasons why Rosie the Riveter has become an enduring symbol of female empowerment.”

     

    For the shoulders we see on the right shoulder (left to us) there is a “5” logo to commemorate the team and league’s fifth season in a military style patch format, and on the opposite shoulder we see where the player jersey numbers will go. Here is an image of the full uniform look that Riveters play by play commentator Matt Falkenbury shared on Twitter:

    https://twitter.com/MattFPxP/status/1177583729147109378?s=20

     

    As you can see with Matt’s full uniform reveal the Riveters are using more of a “mechanic” like font for the names and numbers this season which is a welcome change from the typical usual fonts that we see used all of the time.

     

    Now with this new uniform for the Riveters revealed an expected change for the Connecticut Whale is now expected as the last two seasons the Whale have been wearing white as their primary color. Hopefully, and this is just our opinion, the Whale keeps their current style and make the primary color green.

     

    *Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

     

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  • NWHL News and Notes – September 17th, 2019

    NWHL News and Notes – September 17th, 2019

    Today in the NWHL it was announced that a team of investors led by Cannon Capital managing partner Miles Arnone has purchased the Boston Pride.

     

    BOS

    The Pride were informed on Monday night prior to the practice. Arnone met with the team’s players and staff, and as part of their new ownership of the team, their immediate plans for the Pride include investments in player and team development, increases in marketing and promotion, along with more youth hockey initiatives to be created. Also Arnone plans to hire a team president for the Pride to run all of the day to day operations of the team.

     

    Per the NWHL’s Press Release this morning Arnone brings to the Pride and NWHL “more than 20 years of investment experience and a background in engineering, turn-around management and start-ups. He is the author of two books, founder of three start-ups and principal inventor on 125 patents. A Long Island native, Arnone earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has called Boston home for more than thirty years.”

     

    “My investors and I believe in the NWHL, and we are honored to take on the responsibility of leading the Boston Pride during this important era of growth for women’s sports. We will build the Pride into a world-class team and an innovative and thoughtful business venture that demonstrates the power of professional women’s hockey and the value of the game’s remarkable athletes.”

    – Miles Arnone

     

    The sale of the Boston Pride to Miles Arnone’s investment group was facilitated by the Sports Advisory Group, which is an idustry leader in the sale and acquisition of major and minor league sports teams. This sale can also be viewed as a catalyst for the NWHL to consider the sale of the other current teams that the league runs, and also brings in the prospect of bringing in expansion teams with investors who are genuinely dedicated to the women’s game.

     

    We here at TXHT see this as a huge plus for the NWHL and for Women’s Hockey as a whole. With how the offseason unfolded and with the dedication of the NWHL to continue to grow, today’s announcement proves that their vision and dedication to the women’s game is undeterred and that the 2019-20 season will be another year of growth.

     

    Also today the Connecticut Whale have announced that former NHLer Colton Orr and NWHL Veteran Laura Brennan will be the coaches for the team this season.

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    Orr will be the Whale’s head coach with Brennan serving as his assistant coach. Brennan will also act as Interim Head Coach while Orr competes on CBC’s “Battle of the Blades” tv show.

     

    “I’m honored to have the privilege of leading the Connecticut Whale. This game means a lot to me, and these fantastic athletes on the Whale and across the NWHL are role models to the next generation – including my daughter, who is in the Learn to Play program. I’m determined to take all of the hockey knowledge and life lessons learned from great NHL people like (former Rangers coach) Tom Renney and apply them to the Whale. I’m grateful to Laura Brennan for running the show while I’m away, and I can’t wait to get back to Connecticut to work with her and the players and give the Whale fans a team they can believe in.”

    – Colton Orr

     

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  • NWHL News and Notes – September 4th, 2019

    NWHL News and Notes – September 4th, 2019

    Today in the NWHL there were six more signings announced bringing the total number of players signed for the 2019-20 season to 80.

     

    Starting with the Metropolitan Riveters, yhey would announce that they have signed goaltender Dana DeMartino to a one year deal.

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    DeMartino, 24, will be playing in her first season in the NWHL and with the Riveters. DeMartino is also the second goalie to sign with the Riveters for the upcoming campaign.

     

    Then the Minnesota Whitecaps announced a pair of signings starting with the return of forward Kalli Funk.

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    Funk, 25, is returning for her second season with the Whitecaps and in the NWHL. Last season with the Whitecaps Funk had a goal and an assist in six games.

     

    The Whitecaps also announced that they have signed Kelsey Cline to a one year deal.

    IMG_20190904_094103.jpg

    Cline, primarily a defender but can also play forward, played in 161 games from 2014 to 2017 for the University of Minnesota. This will be Cline’s first season with the Whitecaps and in the NWHL.

     

    Then the Connecticut Whale would announce three signings for their 2019-20 campaign. Their first signing was goaltender Brooke Wolejko.

    IMG_20190904_103020.jpg

    Wolejko, a Connecticut native, becomes the third goaltender to sign with the Whale for the upcoming season, and will be playing in her first season for the Whale and in the NWHL.

     

    Then the Whale announced that they have re-signed versatile player Hanna Beattie to a one year deal.

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    Beattie, who will be entering her third season with the Whale, is the ninth member from last season’s team to return for the 2019-20 season. Beattie has played both offense and defense for the Whale in the past.

     

    And finally the Whale announced that they have signed defender Erin Hall to a one year deal.

    IMG_20190904_100144.jpg

    Hall, who played collegiately at Holy Cross, played two seasons in the CWHL for the Boston/Worcester Blades where she played in 17 career games for them. This will be Hall’s forst season with the Whale and in the NWHL.

     

    All players will partake in the 50 percent cut of revenue from league sponsorship and media deals. Plus they will also receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with their name on it.

    TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

    *Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

     

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  • NWHL News and Notes – August 29th, 2019

    NWHL News and Notes – August 29th, 2019

    Today in the NWHL there were three new signings announced as we get closer to the 2019-20 season.

     

    First we have the Connecticut Whale signing goaltender Sonjia Shelly to a one year deal.

    IMG_20190829_123500.jpg

    Shelly, recently completed at St. Lawrence University, completed her senior season with a 2.16 GAA, a .912 save percentage, and with 4 shutouts. This will be Shelly’s first season in the NWHL and with the Whale.

     

    Then the Minnesota Whitecaps re-signed forward Meaghan Pezon for the 2019-20 season.

    IMG_20190829_103334.jpg

    Pezon, returning for her second season, will be looking to help the Whitecaps with their continued success for the 2019-20 season. Pezon played in 10 games last season with the Whitecaps.

     

    Then the Metropolitan Riveters signed goaltender Sam Walther for the 2019-20 season.

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    Walther, an Annapolis, MD native, will be entering her second season in the NWHL, and first with the Riveters. Last season Walther played for the Whale.

     

    All players will partake in the 50 percent cut of revenue from league sponsorship and media deals. Plus they will also receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with their name on it.

    TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

    *Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

     

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  • NWHL News and Notes – August 19th, 2019

    NWHL News and Notes – August 19th, 2019

    Today in the NWHL announced three more signings for the 2019-20 season.

     

    Starting with the Buffalo Beauts as they have signed Slovak defender Lenka Čurmová to a one year deal.

    Curmova_TW_large

    Čurmová, 22, has been a member of the Slovakian National Team since she was 15 years old. For Čurmová playing in the NWHL is a dream come true and is excited to be a part of the Beauts organization.

     

    Next up the Connecticut Whale announced that they have re-signed forward Kaycie Anderson to a one year deal.

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    Anderson, who will be entering her third season with the Whale, in four years at Norwich University would record 48 goals and 70 assists for 118 points in 118 games from 2011 to 2015.

     

    Then the Metropolitan Riveters announced that they have signed Mallory Rushton to a one year deal.

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    Rushton, a 2019 RIT graduate, plays both forward and defender and will be entering her first season in the NWHL and with the Riveters.

     

    All players will partake in the 50 percent cut of revenue from league sponsorship and media deals. Plus they will also receive 15 percent of revenue from apparel sold with their name on it.

    TXHT will continue to provide NWHL coverage as more signings are announced.

    *Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

     

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