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Tag: Emily Fluke

  • NWHL Game Recap – 10/13/2019 – Buffalo Beauts v. Boston Pride

    NWHL Game Recap – 10/13/2019 – Buffalo Beauts v. Boston Pride

    Buffalo Beauts (1-1-0 2pts) v. Boston Pride (1-0-0 2pts)

     

    Game Recap:

    After falling short to the Boston Pride the night before the Buffalo Beauts look to get themselves back into the win column, but it would be the Pride striking early as McKenna Brand would be able to jam the puck past Beauts rookie goaltender Mariah Fuijimagari to make it 1-0 a minute forty-five seconds into the game. Following the goal the Pride would continue to surge against the Beauts, but the Beauts would create an offensive opportunity that would draw a powerplay opportunity. However, the Beauts would squander their opportunity when recently signed Pride forward Emily Fluke would be coming into the Beauts zone and Iveta Klimasova would take her down to end the Beauts powerplay early. Then once on the powerplay Kaleigh Fratkin would send an outlet pass to Brand who would streak in on Fujimagari to score her second of the game. However, the Beauts would respond as Brooke Stacey would drive to the net and a fight to get the puck past Lovisa Selander to get the Beauts back within one, but the McKenna Brand show would not be denied as Brand would score a little over a minute later to complete the hat trick. Then near the end of the period Fluke would tip a point shot from Jenna Rheault to score her first goal as a member of the Pride. At the end of the first period the Pride would be up 4 to 1.

     

    In the second period the Pride would continue their push as Alyssa Wohlfeiler would make a drive to the net and put the puck top shelf over Fujimagari to make it 5-1 for the Pride, and also spell the end of Fujimagari’s game as Beauts Head Coach Pete Perram would send in Kelsey Neumann to tend the Beauts net. Then a little under eight minutes later Emily Fluke would get her second of the game after tipping a shot past Neumann to grow the Pride’s lead to five. Megan Delay would take an unnecessary penalty for the Beauts shortly after, but the Beauts would be up to the task as they would kill the Pride’s powerplay opportunity. But the Pride would still strike once again after the powerplay was over as the how duo of Carlee Toews and Lexie Laing would strike again as Toews would score her first of the game and third of the weekend series to give the Pride the 7-1. However, a late penalty by Tori Sullivan would give the Beauts a late powerplay, but before the period would end while shorthanded Mary Parker would make a great defensive play to give herself a breakaway, but she would be robbed by Kelsey Neumann with a spectacular split legged save to keep the game 7-1 for the Pride heading into the second intermission.

     

    In the third period the Beauts would have thirty seconds left to their powerplay, but the Beauts would struggle to create any momentum with it. But the Beauts would get another opportunity when McKenna Brand took a tripping penalty, however, the Pride would kill this one off as well. The Pride would then take one more penalty as Lexi Bender would be called for body checking, but the Beauts uninspired play would cost them their powerplay as Kim Brown would be called for slashing. After the Pride’s powerplay had expired Jillian Dempsey would get through all of the defenders and Neumann to roof the puck to grow the lead to seven. After the goal both teams would trade penalties and result in some extended four on four hockey, and during the four on four the Pride would come close to extending their lead, but Neumann would find a way to keep the puck out of the net. At the end of the game McKenna Brand would try to get her fourth of the game, but she would be unable to do so before the final buzzer sounded. The Pride would sweep the weekend series two games to none, and will be back in action next weekend as they host the defending Isobel Cup Champion Minnesota Whitecaps.

     

    Lineups:

    Buffalo Beauts:

    Taylor Accursi – Becki Bowering – Corinne Buie

    Brooke Stacey – Cassidy MacPherson – Iveta Klimasova

    Kim Brown – Sara Bustad – Kandice Sheriff

    Erin Gehen –  –

    Ashley Birdsall – Megan Delay

    Lenka Curmova – Marie-Jo Pelletier

    Richelle Skarbowski – Ana Orzechowski

    Mariah Fujimagari

    Kelsey Neumann

     

    Boston Pride:

    Carlee Toews – Lexie Laing – Tori Sullivan

    Emily Fluke – Mary Parker – Alyssa Wohlfeiler

    McKenna Brand – Jillian Dempsey – Christina Putigna

    Kaleigh Fratkin – Jenna Rheault

    Mallory Souliotis – Briana Mastel

    Lauren Kelly – Lexi Bender

    Whitney Renn –

    Lovisa Selander*

    Victoria Hanson

     

    First Period:

    BOS Goal – 1:45 – McKenna Brand (2) from Jillian Dempsey (2)

    BOS Penalty – 8:13 – Kaleigh Fratkin 2 minutes for Interference

    BUF Penalty – 9:58 – Iveta Klimasova 2 minutes for Tripping

    BOS PPG – 10:39 – McKenna Brand (3) from Kaliegh Fratkin (2)

    BUF Goal – 11:25 – Brooke Stacey (1) from Taylor Accursi (2) and Cassidy MacPherson (1)

    BOS Goal – 12:36 – McKenna Brand (4) from Mallory Souliotis (2) and Christina Putigna (2)

    BOS Goal – 14:41 – Emily Fluke (1) from Jenna Rheault (1)

     

    End of 1st – BUF – 1       BOS – 4

    Shots              12                 11

    PP                 0/1                  1/1

     

    Second Period:

    BOS Goal – 3:15 – Alyssa Wohlfeiler (1) from Kaleigh Fratkin (3)

    BOS Goal – 11:12 – Emily Fluke (2) from Lexi Bender (1) and Alyssa Wohlfeiler (1)

    BUF Penalty – 12:46 – Megan Delay 2 minutes for Roughing

    BOS Goal – 15:51 – Carlee Toews (3) from Lexie Laing (3)

    BOS Penalty – 18:30 – Tori Sullivan 2 minutes for Tripping

     

    End of 2nd – BUF – 1       BOS – 7

    Shots              22                 26

    PP                 0/2                  1/2

     

    Third Period:

    BOS Penalty – 1:41 – McKenna Brand 2 minutes for Tripping

    BOS Penalty – 9:03 – Lexi Bender 2 minutes for Body Checking

    BUF Penalty – 10:39 – Kim Brown 2 minutes for Slashing

    BOS Goal – 13:29 – Jillian Dempsey (3) from Christina Putigna (3)

    BUF Penalty – 14:40 – Becki Bowering 2 minutes for Hooking

    BOS Penalty – 15:21 – McKenna Brand 2 minutes for Slashing

     

    End of 3rd – BUF – 1       BOS – 8

    Shots              27                 42

    PP                 0/5                  1/4

     

    Next Up:

    Boston (3-0-0 6pts) v. Minnesota (1-0-0 2pts) Oct. 19th and 20th

    Buffalo (1-2-0 2pts) v. Connecticut (0-1-0 0pts) October 19th and 20th

     

    Sponsored by:

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  • NWHL News and Notes – October 9th, 2019

    NWHL News and Notes – October 9th, 2019

    Today in the NWHL there were a pair of announcements including a free agent signing.

     

    Today the Boston Pride announced that they have signed All Star forward Emily Fluke for the 2019-20 season.

    Emily Fluke.jpg

    For more on Fluke’s signing with the Pride please read Shaggy’s report on the signing.

     

    The Minnesota Whitecaps have announced that they will be doing their Banner Raising on Saturday, October 12th before they take on the Metropolitan Riveters.

     

    The Whitecaps banner raising and game will precede the Minnesota Wild’s home opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins later that night. The Wild are supporters of the Whitecaps and provide far ranging support including having the Whitecaps play all of their games and hold all of their practices at TRIA Rink, and with their extensive resources the Wild support the Whitecaps with marketing, promotions, communications, social and digital media, community relations, and so much more.

     

    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.

     

    *Graphics courtesy of the NWHL.

     

    Sponsored by:

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  • Former Whale Captain Signs With Boston

    Former Whale Captain Signs With Boston

    The big news coming from the NWHL today, former Connecticut Whale Captain Emily Fluke has signed with the Boston Pride.

    The Pride have added a really good player. On top of being an NWHL All Star last year for the Whale, in the 16 games that she played, she scored 3 goals and added 8 assists for 11 points for the season. She also added a playoff goal in a game against the Riveters.

    Emily Fluke

    (Photo Credit: Matthew Raney)

    Plus, she was a premier player in her rookie year too! In the 16 games she played that season, she scored 4 goals and added 7 assists for 11 points. She lead the team that year in every major offensive category!

    So in total, Fluke has played 32 regular season games in the NWHL, she has 7 goals and 15 assists for 22 points in 2 seasons.

    (Check out her Elite Prospects page: https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/571095/emily-fluke)

    Emily Fluke2

    (Photo Credit: Michelle Jay)

     

    To the Captain, Leader, Legend of the Whale, I want to wish you the best of luck on your upcoming season with Boston. I am happy to see that you are back for Season 5, so that you can continue to inspire and help #GrowTheGame.

     

    Sponsored by:

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  • Riveters Punch Ticket To Minnesota

    Riveters Punch Ticket To Minnesota

    The NWHL had their playoff play-in game tonight; as it was the Metropolitan Riveters against the Connecticut Whale in Newark. The two teams had split the season series and were headed for an epic confrontation. At the end of the game, it was the Riveters who came out on top by a final score of 5-2. They now have the honor of flying to Minnesota and taking on the red hot Whitecaps on Sunday at TRIA Rink.

    A quick recap of the game. In the first period, the Riveters were dominating play early. Until a counterattacking rush by the Whale led to a goal coming from the captain Emily Fluke. Four minutes later, the Riveters would get one back, as Courtney Burke came around the net, and her shot hit the post and went in. Two minutes later, Whale rookie sensation Katerina Mrázová showed off some incredible moves and roofed a shot, off her backhand beating Katie Fitzgerald, giving the Whale a 2-1 lead.

    Three minutes later, the Riveters would claw back in the game before the end of the first, Alexa Gruschow would find herself in-between the hash marks and she fired a shot that beat a screened Erin O’Neil. The first period would end tied at 2.

    There was only one penalty called in the first, and it was late in the period. Why do I bring that up? In the second period, there was a grand total of 9 penalties called throughout the period. 5 penalties were dolled out against the Whale and 4 penalties were called on the Riveters. Unfortunately, there was nothing doing on both power plays as the penalty kills were performing phenomenally. At the end of the second period, there was no scoring and heading into the third, the game was still tied at 2.

    In the third, there were no penalties called, as the referee’s decided to swallow their whistles and let the players play. The Riveters got off to a quick start into the third as rookie Audra Richards continued to plague the Whale, sniping a shot over Erin O’Neil. The Whale pressed play hard, and had a few great chances, but Katie Fitzgerald shut the door on them. Late in the period, while the Whale were pressing the attack, Riveters forward Alexa Gruschow was sprung on a breakaway and deked to her back hand beating Erin O’Neil for a goal.

    Audra Richards would add the empty net at the end of the game, sealing the victory for the Riveters. Erin O’Neil made 22 saves off of 26 shots, and Katie Fitzgerald made 24 saves of 26 shots.

    For the Connecticut Whale, it means that their season is over. Unfortunately with an 11 game losing streak to boot. The team consistently plays hard and has proven to be able to skate with the best of them. What an incredible year the Whale have had, and I’m looking forward to the players continued development and taking the league by storm next season.

     

    3 Stars of the Game

    Whale

    Katerina Mrázová: The incredible rookie skated hard and had some incredible dekes to boot. Her hard work got her a goal and an assist on the scoreboard.

    Emily Fluke: The captain got the team going, scoring the first goal of the game. She made some great plays in the offensive zone that led to some significant chances for the Whale.

    Shannon Doyle: She’s the textbook example of what hard work is supposed to be, she was flying all over the ice. Jumping up on the rush in the offensive zone and blocking shots on the back end. She contributed with an assist, which is her 5th against the Riveters this season.

     

    Riveters

    Audra Richards: She really likes playing against the Whale. She had already scored 6 goals against them in the regular season, she added 2 more to that tally. One of them is a game winner.

    Alexa Gruschow: She contributed with two goals on the score sheet. Both goals were huge; as the first one tied the game at 2 and the second one, on the breakaway, gave the Riveters an insurance marker.

    Miye D’Oench: The Riveters forward played her last home game for them, and she had an incredible performance, tallying two assists.

     

    Boxscore

    The boxscore for this epic game can be found here:

    https://www.nwhl.zone/game/show/24666097?subseason=593663&referrer=4170043

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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!

  • Five Whale Players Going To Nashville!

    Five Whale Players Going To Nashville!

    NWHL All Star Game
    The NWHL’s All Star Team was named the other day and there are five players headed to Nashville this season for the Connecticut Whale. Last year the Whale had four players at the All Star Game in Minnesota, and it was Kelly Babstock, Sydney Rossman, Sam Faber, and Amanda Boulier who went.
    The Whale players playing for Lee Stecklein’s team will be captain Emily Fluke and Michelle Löwenhielm.
    The Whale players playing for Shannon Szabados’s team will be Meeri Räisänen, leading scorer Katerina Mrázová, and Shannon Doyle.
    Let’s take a look at the stats that got them there.

    Emily Fluke
    Voted to the All Star Game via fan vote; in the six games played so far this season, she has tallied a goal and has two assists for three points. While not the most stellar of numbers, she has been one of the hardest working forwards on the top line.

    Michelle Lowenhielm
    In her first season in the NWHL; in the six games she has played, she has done really well. She is still waiting for that elusive first goal, but she has registered three assists. Including a sweet assist to Mrázová while the Whale were shorthanded against the Riveters.

    Meeri Raisanen

    She has quite honestly been one of the Whale’s best players all season long. In the six games she has started, she has gone 2-3-1, with a 2.72 GAA and a .918 save percentage. In her last game, she recorded a shutout on her birthday.

    Shannon Doyle
    In the six games she has played, she has been one of the Whale’s best defenders on the ice, blocking numerous shots. She has also recorded two goals this season, both goals came in her last three games, including a late game winner against the Riveters.

    Katerina Mrazova
    In her first season in the NWHL, in the six games she has played, she leads the team in goals and points. She has tallied five goals and two assists for seven points. She also leads the team in shots on goal with 22. Two of her five goals have been on the power play. Also, one goal came while the team was shorthanded against the Riveters.
    Congrats to all the players selected, it is absolutely well deserved!

    NWHL All Star graphics courtesy of the NWHL. Special Thanks to Chris Botta for permission for the use of the NWHL graphics.