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Tag: Amanda Kessel

  • Game Recap – 2/18/2019 – Boston Pride vs. Metropolitan Riveters

    Game Recap – 2/18/2019 – Boston Pride vs. Metropolitan Riveters

    Boston Pride (9-4-0 18pts) v. Metropolitan Riveters (3-10-0 6pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    The Boston Pride and the Metropolitan Riveters face off for a President’s Day matinee, which is also their makeup game from January 20th when it was postponed due to a snow storm, and it would be the Pride to strike early as Mary Parker would knock in a rebound from a Kaleigh Fratkin point shot three minutes into the game. The Pride would keep on pushing the game in their favor as McKenna Brand would score on the wraparound to give the Pride a 2-0 lead. The Riveters would generate some offense, but it has been all Boston so far. Then to add on to their lead, Czech forward Denisa Krizova would score her fourth of the season to give the Pride a 3-0 lead.

     

    In what would be considered an “even” back and forth period, it would be the Pride who would be dominant over the Riveters. Katie Burt stood on her head making miraculous save after save, and then in the minutes of the second period the Riveters would take a bench minor for too many women on the ice to which the Pride made them pay for quickly as Gigi Marvin would score seconds into the powerplay, and then 23 seconds later score her second of the game giving the Pride a 5-0 lead over the Riveters.

     

    To start the third period, the Riveters would switch their goalie as Maria Sorokina would come in to replace Kimberly Sass, but it would not matter as less than three minutes into the third period Mary Parker would score her second of the game from a tight angle. Then it would be Rockville, MD native Haley Skarupa getting feed a pass in the slot and she would just skate in unopposed to make it 7-0 for the Pride with her 5th of the season. The Pride would not let up however as Jillian Dempsey would score an NWHL record 34th career goal as the Pride would go up 8-0. The Riveters would end the Katie Burt’s shutout bid as Amanda Kessel would not quit as she would score her second goal of the season to get the Riveters on the board.

     

    First Period:

    Pride Goal – 3:00 – Mary Parker (1) from Emily Field (3) and Kaleigh Fratkin (4)

    Pride Goal – 7:39 – McKenna Brand (6) from Jordan Smelker (4)

    Pride Goal – 11:14 – Denisa Krizova (4) from Mallory Souliotis (2) and Kaleigh Fratkin (5)

     

    End of 1st – BOS – 3       MET – 0

    Shots              12                07

    Faceoffs         08                06

    PP                 0/0                 0/0

     

    Riveters Penalty – 18:51 – Bench (Rebecca Morse) 2 minutes for Too Many Women

    Pride PPG – 19:04 – Gigi Marvin (7) from Kaleigh Fratkin (6) and Mallory Souliotis (3)

    Pride Goal – 19:27 – Gigi Marvin (8) from Amanda Pelkey (5) and Lexi Bender (6)

     

    End of 2nd – BOS – 5        MET – 0

    Shots               20                 20

    Faceoffs          19                 10

    PP                   1/1                  0/0

     

    Third Period:

    Riveters Goalie Change – Kimberly Sass pulled for Maria Sorokina

    Pride Goal – 2:37 – Mary Parker (2) from Kaleigh Fratkin (7) and Jordan Smelker (5)

    Pride Goal – 5:19 – Haley Skarupa (5) from Gigi Marvin (5)

    Pride Goal – 8:00 – Jillian Dempsey (10) from McKenna Brand (8) and Denisa Krizova (7)

    Riveters Goal – 9:58 – Amanda Kessel (2) from Miye D’Oench (5) from Madison Packer (5)

    Pride Penalty – 17:24 – Amanda Pelkey 2 minutes for Tripping

    Pride Penalty – 19:25 – Kaleigh Fratkin 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 3rd – BOS – 8         MET – 1

    Shots              28                   33

    Faceoffs        31                    14

    PP                 1/1                    0/2

     

    Next Up:

    Boston (10-4-0 20pts) @ Connecticut (2-9-2 6pts)

    Metropolitan (3-11-0 6pts) @ Buffalo (9-4-0 18pts)

  • 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

  • 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

  • November 26th, 2018 — News and Notes

    November 26th, 2018 — News and Notes

    Today is Monday, November 26th, 2018, and these are your news and notes.

     

    There were four contests yesterday in the NHL and one contest in the NWHL…

     

    Calgary 6, ARIZONA 1

     

    The Calgary Flames would register three shorthanded goals against the Arizona Coyotes in their 6-1 win last night.

     

    The three shorthanded goals are tied for the most in franchise history.

     

     

    TAMPA BAY 5, New Jersey 2

     

     

    Brayden Point would end the game with two goals.  He has 10 for the month of November and is tied for third place with 17 goals on the season.

     

     

    NASHVILLE 5, Anaheim 2

     

    Nashville’s Austin Watson would register a hat trick in the contest over the Anaheim Ducks, with Nick Bonino and Craig Smith registering the other two goals from the Nashville Predators.

     

     

    LOS ANGELES 5, Edmonton 2

    Los Angeles’ Matt Luff would be the fifth different rookie to have a four-goal streak or more in franchise history in the Los Angeles Kings 5-2 win last night.

     

    Kings captain Anze Kopitar would factor on three of the teams’ goals for the 53rd time in his career and the first on the season.

     

     

    Kings Dustin Brown would also register a hat trick in the game as well.

     

     

    There are five games on the NHL schedule today:

     

     

    In the lone National Women’s Hockey League contest from the weekend, the Metropolitan Riveters faced off against the Connecticut Whale.

     

    Audra Richards of the Metropolitan Riveters would net a hat trick as the Riveters would go on to defeat the Whale 4-3 in a shootout.

     

     

    Riveters’ Amanda Kessel would score in the shootout to help out with the victory.

     

     

    TXHT’s Christopher Vasilas has your recap of the match-up between the Riveters and the Whale at the following page.

     

    NWHL Game Recap – 11/25/2018 – Connecticut Whale v. Metropolitan Riveters

     

    In NHL News today:

    In a very shocking and surprising announcement, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Hextall has been fired.

     

    Flyers President Paul Holmgren and Comcast Spectacor Chairman and CEO Dave Scott will have a press conference at 11:00am tomorrow (November 27th).

     

     

    TXHT has your thoughts and coverage on the news of Hextall’s firing at the following page.

     

    Flyers Fire Ron Hextall as GM in a Very Shocking Move

     

    The Winnipeg Jets announced that they will wear their Heritage jerseys for two games this season.  The jerseys will be available for purchase on Friday and will be worn on December 31st at the Edmonton Oilers and then again on the Winnipeg Jets Alumni Night on February 26th, 2019 when the Minnesota Wild visit Winnipeg.

     

     

    The NHL announced their Three Stars of the Week ending on November 25.

     

    In NWHL news, Audra Richards was named the VEDA NWHL Player of the Week.  Richards registered the first NWHL hat-trick of the season in the Metropolitan Riveters 4-3 shootout win yesterday.

     

     

    You can watch TXHT Live this Wednesday at 8p EST on Facebook Live.