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Category: Connecticut Whale

  • January 20th, 2019 — News and Notes

    January 20th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Sunday, January 20th, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were 11 contests on the NHL schedule yesterday.

     

     

     

    Anaheim 3, NEW JERSEY 2

     

    In the first contest of the day, the Anaheim Ducks took on the New Jersey Devils in the NHL European Game of the Week.  The Ducks, after getting their first win after losing twelve straight contests on Thursday night, would defeat New Jersey by the score of 3-2.

     

    https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1086790317385236481

     

    For the New Jersey Devils, they enter their bye week having lost their last three games and seven out of the last ten.

     

    COLORADO 7, Los Angeles 1

     

    The Colorado Avalanche took on the Los Angeles Kings and would soundly defeat the Kings thanks to six goals in the second period and would go on to win this contest by the score of 7-1.

     

     

    This would also be a heavily-filled penalty contest for the Kings, who amassed eight penalties in the contest.  Five of the eight penalties would come in the third period alone.

     

    NY Rangers 3, BOSTON 2

     

    Philadelphia 5, MONTREAL 2

    There would be four different scores for the Philadelphia Flyers in the contest and two different scorers for the Montreal Canadiens in this contest.

     

    Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher would lead all skaters for the Canadiens with eight shots on goal, but would not score on any of those shots.

     

     

    For the Flyers, goaltender Carter Hart would have 35 saves in the contest.  Hart has a record of 6-5-1 in those 12 contests.

     

     

    TAMPA BAY 6, San Jose 3

    Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos would go on to have a two goal, one assist performance and help the Lightning defeat the San Jose Sharks by the score of 6-3.

     

     

    San Jose Sharks Evander Kane would also have a two goal performance and Marcus Sorensen would become the eighth player for the Sharks this season to have at least ten goals.

     

    ST. LOUIS 3, Ottawa 2

    St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington would become the sixth different goaltender in Blues history to have at least a point in at least their first five contests.

     

     

    DALLAS 4, Winnipeg 2

    The Dallas Stars would take on the Winnipeg Jets and double up the Jets 4-2.

     

    In this contest for Dallas, there would be four different goal scorers in the contest.

    The Jets would not score until the third period and would fight to come back but it would still not be enough.

     

     

    Florida 4, NASHVILLE 2

     

    Nashville’s Nick Bonino and Auston Watson would score the goals for the Predators in this contest.

     

    MINNESOTA 2, Columbus 1

     

    Minnesota’s Zach Parise would score one of the two goals, his 20th on the season, in a hard fought battle between both teams in the contest.

    Columbus Blue Jackets Artemi Panarin would score the lone goal for the Blue Jackets in this contest.

     

    Calgary 5, EDMONTON 2

     

    Edmonton’s Jesse Puljujarvi would notch two assists, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Milan Lucic notching the only two goals for the Oilers in this contest.

     

     

    VEGAS 7, Pittsburgh 3

     

    Vegas Golden Knights Jonathan Marchessault became the second different player to record hat tricks for the franchise.  Marchessault joins William Karlsson, who has two hat tricks with the franchise.

     

     

    Pittsburgh’s infographic from last night’s game.  Credit of the image goes to the Pittsburgh Penguins Twitter.

     

     

    In the lone NWHL of the day, the Connecticut Whale took on the Minnesota Whitecaps.

     

    MINNESOTA WHITECAPS 2, Connecticut Whale 0

     

    Minnesota Allie Thunstrom and Hannah Brandt scored the two goals for the Whitecaps in a hard fought battle for both sides.

    Minnesota’s win put them back in first place in the NWHL standings with a record of 9-4-0 on the season

     

    The game was scoreless until toward the end of the second period when Allie Thunstrom scored her third goal on the season.  The goals were assisted by  Brooke White-Lancette and  Chelsey Brodt Rosenthal. 

    Minnesota’s second goal was scored by Hannah Brandt, her fifth on the season.  Brandt’s goal would be assisted by Amy Menke and Kendall Coyne Shofield.

     

    Connecticut Whale goaltender Meeri RÀisÀnen would go on to have a 29 save performance in the contest and would have more phenomenal saves throughout the contest.

     

    This contest ended up being the Whitecaps “You Can Play” game in which all Whitecaps players donned jersey with rainbow numbers and accents. The You Can Play Project is an initiative that emphasizes equality and respect in sport, particularly for LGBTQ+ individuals.

     

    Today there is only one contest in the NWHL.  The Minnesota Whitecaps will be hosting their last home game of the regular season.  The game will be available to watch on NWHL.zone/watch

     

    The game that was to take place between the Metropolitan Riveters and the Boston Pride has been postponed to a date to be determined.

     

     

    Today there are five games on the NHL schedule.

     

  • 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 RĂ€isĂ€nen’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.

     

    âžĄïž@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 MrĂĄzovĂĄ, 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.

  • TXHT Podcast – 1/17/2019

    TXHT Podcast – 1/17/2019

    The TXHT podcast is back with Serious Hockey Talk for Serious Hockey Fans!

     

    Audio Version:

     

    YouTube Version:

     

    This week on TXHT, Michael Lindenbaum is joined by our friend from The Hockey Writers Nate Oliver, and TXHT’s Toronto Maple Leafs writer Steve Gardiner.

     

    TXHT starts off with NWHL talk with Michael and Nate as we review the partnership between the NHL’s Boston Bruins and the NWHL’s Boston Pride. Plus a recap of last weekend’s action, as well as a preview for this upcoming weekend’s games. Also we talk about some other news and notes throughout the NWHL.

     

    Then Michael opens up the forum to Nate and Steve as they ask him questions about Alex Ovechkin, Madison Bowey, and the Capitals future on defense.

     

    Plus Michael and Steve talk about the Maple Leafs and the situation with the fans booing defenseman Jake Gardiner, and the slippery slope that is the growing negativity of “fans” on social media. Also all three geek out over hockey cards and some of their prized items in their memorabilia collections.

     

    This week’s episode was recorded on Wednesday, January 16th, 2019

    Opening Music: “Human Chess” by Crimson Orchid

     

    Have a question you want answered on the show? Ask us! Comment on here or on one of our Social Media outlets, and we’ll answer it.

  • January 14th, 2019 — News and Notes

    January 14th, 2019 — News and Notes

    Today is Monday, january 14th, 2019, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were six games that took place yesterday.

     

    CAROLINA 6, Nashville 3

     

    Carolina Hurricanes Sebastian Aho would go on to record a hat trick in the contest and Nashville Predators Filip Forsberg would go on to have a two goal performance in the Carolina’s 6-3 win.

    Aho would be the fourth player in the franchise history of the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes to begin their career with the franchise and  have three seasons with at least 20 goals.

     

    Justin Williams would also extend his goal scoring streak to five games and be the sixth player to do this at the age of 37 or older.

     

    WINNIPEG 4, Anaheim 3 (OT)

    The Winnipeg Jets would win this contest with 11 seconds left to take down the Anaheim Ducks 4-3.  Winnipeg’s Bryan Little would score his 10th goal on the season with this game winner.

    Winnipeg Jets Patrik Laine would join a rare company when he scored his 25th goal on the season.

     

    He would be the seventh player in League history to have at least three 25 goal seasons before their 21st birthday.

     

    COLUMBUS 7, NY Rangers 5

     

    Before the contest between both teams, Rick Nash, who had played for both franchises in his career, participated in the ceremonial puck drop.

     

     

    Columbus would go on to win its third game in four days in this contest when they went on to defeat the New York Rangers by the score of 7-5.

     

     

    NY ISLANDERS 5, Tampa Bay 1

    The New York Islanders faced off against the Tampa Bay Lightning and would win the contest 5-1.  With the Islanders win, they would snap the Lightning’s 12 game win streak against Metropolitan division opponents.

     

    NY Islanders goaltender Thomas Griess would go on to have a 26 save performance in this contest to extend the hot streak that the Islanders have been on.  The team has won eight out of their last ten contests.

    The Lightning now has a record of 35-9-2 on the season, good for 72 points.

     

    VANCOUVER 5, Florida 1

    Vancouver’s Loui Eriksson would open up the scoring in the second period for the Canucks when he scored his eighth goal in the season, giving Vancouver the 1-0 lead at the 12:32 mark.

    Late in the third period, Brock Boeser and Jay Beagle would both score empty net goals, sealing the 5-1 win for the Canucks.

    Eriksson had a four-point night to top all scorers for points in the game.

     

    CALGARY 7, Arizona 1

    The Calgary Flames would take on the Arizona Coyotes last night and the Flames would drub the Coyotes, winning the contest by the score of 7-1.

    Calgary’s Matthew Tkachuk and Mark Giordano would score twice in the contest and Johnny Gaudreau would score a goal and have an assist in the contest.

    Arizona’s lone goal would come on a power play from Jordan Oesterle late in the second period.  Arizona cold never get out of the box and would fall behind early.

    With this contest, the Flames would hold onto their best record in the Western Conference and now has a record of 30-13-4 (64 pts) Arizona has a record of 20-22-3 (43 pts).

     

    https://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status/1084696525958144000

     

    Today’s Schedule of Games…

     

     

     

    NWHL

     

    Saturday in the two NWHL contests…

     

    BOXSCORE: Buffalo Beauts 5, Metropolitan Riveters 1

     

     

    For the first time since the 2018 Isobel Cup Final last March, the Buffalo Beauts and Metropolitan Riveters faced off and the Beauts would walk away with a dominant 5-1 win over the Riveters at HarborCenter yesterday afternoon in the NWHL Twitter Game of the Week.

    Buffalo’s Hayley Scamurra would score twice and by doing so would tie teammate Maddie Elia for the lead in NWHL goals with nine on the season.

     

    BOXSCORE: Boston Pride 5, Minnesota Whitecaps 4

     

     

    In the contest between the Boston Pride and the Minnesota Whitecaps, The Pride went on to defeat the Whitecaps by the score of 5-4.

    This was a contest for the battle for first place overall in the NWHL standings and this contest was playded before a sold out crowd at the Warrior Ice Arena.

    This was the first contest since the Pride announced the new partnership with the NHL’s Boston Bruins.

    The scoring in this contest would be fast and furious as the Whitecaps would open up the scoring in the first period when Minnesota’s Kendall Coyne Schofield would score at the 3:25 mark.  Then Boston would even the score just 35 seconds later when Kaleigh Fratkin scored her second goal on the season.

    Then at the 6:24 mark, Boston’s Amanda Pelkey would score her fourth goal on the season.  Almost two minutes later, Minnesota’s Amanda Menke would even the score at 2 a piece.  After that, the Pride would score three unanswered goals to give the Pride a 5-2 lead at the end of the first period.

    The second and third periods were quiet on the scoring front for the Pride but the Whitecaps would score a goal in each period.  However, that would not be enough as the Minnesota Whitecaps would fall to the Pride in their first game on the weekend.

     

     

    Yesterday’s action in the NWHL…

     

    BOXSCORE: Minnesota Whitecaps 4, Connecticut Whale 1

     

     

    After falling to the Boston Pride 5-2 on Saturday night, the Minnesota Whitecaps would have a dominant performance against the Connecticut Whale and would defeat the Whale by the score of 4-1.

    Minnesota’s Janna Curtis would open up the scoring for the Whitecaps with her goal at the 6:58 mark in the first period, her sixth on the season.  Then about six minutes later, Hannah Brandt would score a goal on the power play to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead.

    Minnesota goaltender Amanda Leveille would once again have a contest with great saves and would register 26 saves in the contest.

    Amy Menke would have a great game, registering two assists before getting a goal of her own about halfway through the second period.

    Despite having four minutes of power play time in the third period, the Whale would not convert on the chances given and would fall to the Whitecaps.

     

    Upcoming games in the NWHL:

     

    • January 19: Connecticut Whale at Minnesota Whitecaps (Twitter Game of the Week)
    • January 20: Boston Pride at Metropolitan Riveters; Connecticut Whale at Minnesota Whitecaps
    • January 26: Boston Pride at Buffalo Beauts (Twitter Game of the Week)
    • February 2: Buffalo Beauts at Metropolitan Riveters (Twitter Game of the Week); Connecticut Whale at Boston Pride
  • 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 RÀisÀnen 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 Mråzovå 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

  • December 31st, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 31st, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is December 31st, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There was one contest yesterday in the NHL.

     

    Vegas 5, ARIZONA 1

     

    Arizona Coyotes Oliver Ekman-Larsson would collect his 312th career point to surpass Keith Yandle for the most points in Coyotes history as a defenceman since the club relocated to Arizona in 1996-97.

    However , he still trails Fredrik Olausson and Dave Babych in the long history of the Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes history for most points as a defenceman.

     

     

     

    Marc-Andre Fleury would move to 6-0-3 in his last nine contests with the win over the Coyotes.

     

     

    With the Vegas’ win, they are the first team in League history to have at least 50 points in the standings in their first two seasons before January 1.  The Golden Knights are also now tied for first place in the Western Conference standings.

     

     

    There is a 13 game slate today and that kicks off with the Washington Capitals taking on the Nashville Predators at 12:30 p.m., ET.  You can read TXHT’s preview of that contest at the following page.

    Gameday Preview – 12/31/2018 – Nashville Predators v. Washington Capitals

     

     

    Yesterday there were two contests in the NWHL.

     

     

    For the fourth and final time on the NWHL season, the Buffalo Beauts would go on to shutout the Minnesota Whitecaps by the score of 4-0.

    Buffalo’s Maddie Elia would have a hand on all four of the goals scored by the Beauts in this contest with two goals and two assists.

    With three minutes left in the first period, the Beauts would open up the scoring when Elia would re-direct a pass from Emily Pflazer from the top of the face-off circle to get the puck past the Whitecaps goaltender, Amanda Leveille.

    In the second period at the 3:15 mark, Pflazer would score off of asssits from Elia and Dani Cameranesi and then Hayley Scammura would make the score 3-0 with her goal at the 11:47 mark.

    Elia would score the final goal of the contest at the 12:35 mark in the third period.

    Buffalo’s win would prevent the Minnesota Whitecaps from sweeping the season series.

    The contest would not be without a penalty filled game, however.

     

    Buffalo Beauts vs. Minnesota Whitecaps Box Score

     

    The Boston Pride would go on to defeat the Connecticut Whale 2-1 thanks to Haley Skarupa scoring the game winner 37 seconds into the overtime frame yesterday afternoon.

    The Pride would open up the scoring when Toni Ann Miano netted her second goal of the season in the first period.  The contest would stay at 1-0 until Michelle Lowenheim scored the first NWHL goal of her career with less than five minutes left in the second period.

     

     

    Upcoming contests in the NWHL:

    • January 5th, 2019: Boston Pride at Buffalo Beauts (NWHL Twitter Game of the Week)
    • January 6th, 2019: Metropolitan Riveters at Connecticut Whale
    • January 12th, 2019: Metropolitan Riveters at Buffalo Beauts (NWHL Twitter Game of the Week)
    • January 12th, 2019: Minnesota Whitecaps at Boston Pride
    • January 13th, 2019: Minnesota Whitecaps at Connecticut Whale

     

    Day 5 of the the 2019 World Juniors had two contests…

     

     

    Today for Day 6 of the 2019 World Junior Championships, there are four games on tap.

  • 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 RÀisÀnen in net, making 28 saves off of 31 shots in the game. Goals for the Whale came from Katerina Mråzovå 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 Mråzovå got the lone goal for the Whale and Meeri RÀisÀnen 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 RÀisÀnen: 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 MrĂĄzovĂĄ 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 MrĂĄzovĂĄ 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, MrĂĄzovĂĄ 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 MrĂĄzovĂĄ.

     

     

    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 MrĂĄzovĂĄ, 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 RÀisÀnen. 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 RÀisÀnen. 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!

  • December 19th, 2018 — News and Notes

    December 19th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Wednesday, December 19th, 2018, and this is a very quick recap of the games last night, and brief news and notes across the NHL

     

    There were 11 contests last night in the NHL.

     

     

    Steve Gardiner, TXHT’s Maple Leafs writer, has your recap of the contest at the following page.

    Toronto Maple Leafs vs New Jersey Devils – 18/12/2018 – Game Recap

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Two games are in action tonight.

    Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals, 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN)

    Montreal Canadiens at Colorado Avalanche, 8:30 p.m, ET

     

    You can read TXHT’s preview of the contest between the Penguins and the Capitals at the following page.

    Gameday Preview – 12/19/2018 – Pittsburgh Penguins v. Washington Capitals

     

    Today in the NHL…

     

     

    Today in the NWHL was the 2018 NWHL Draft.  Tomorrow the NWHL draft will conclude with rounds 3-5.