Tag: NWHL

Wolejko Sharp But Whale Shutout

NWHL history was made today at Webster Bank Arena, which is the home of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. It was a part of the NWHL/AHL double header where the Whale would square off against the Pride in the beginning, and the Sound Tigers would later host the Hershey Bears.

For the Whale, they would turn to their main starter Brooke Wolejko; and for the Pride, they would go with their star, Lovisa Selander.

In the first period, there was just utter domination by the league leading Pride. However, it would take 8 minutes for the first goal of the game, and it would come from McKenna Brand, with the assist coming from Christina Putigna. 8 minutes later, the Pride would double their lead, with the goal coming from Christina Putigna, the assist coming from Mallory Souliotis. The period would end with the Pride up 2-0. The shot count favored the Pride 18-4.

There was no scoring in the second period, and the shot count once again favored the Pride in the period, 10-3.

In the third, we were heading for no scoring once again, but with the Whale chasing the game, the Pride would add an empty net goal with less than 2 minutes remaining. The empty net insurance goal coming from Mary Parker. Once again, the shot count would favor the Pride, 16-1; and the Pride would secure the 3-0 victory.

Lovisa Selander would be perfect, facing 8 shots and making 8 saves. Brooke Wolejko was incredible today facing 43 shots and making 41 saves.

https://www.nwhl.zone/stats#/100/game/268130/boxscore

Fundraisers

For those keeping track at home, Shannon Doyle didn’t register a blocked shot today, still giving her a total of 60 blocks on the year. She is donating a $1 for every block she records for her fundraiser Blocks For Books. Here is the link for those who want to make a donation too:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/1s6bzhbt5c

Kendra Broad did not dress today, but she still has 30 shots on goal. Please check out the charity that she is fundraising for. She is also donating $2 for every shot on goal for Mental Health Connecticut. Here is a link for those who want to make a donation too:

https://mhconn.networkforgood.com/projects/83116-kendra-broad-s-fundraiser

 

 

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NWHL Weekend Recap

Welcome to the TXHT NWHL Weekend Recap for the Weekend of Saturday, February 15th and Sunday, February 16th, 2020, plus news coming out of the weekend.

 

Saturday, February 15th, 2020

Game #1 – Connecticut Whale v. Boston Pride

  • In Boston the Pride would continue their dominance over the NWHL as they would get goals from Lexie Laing, Jillian Dempsey, Mallory Souliotis, and Alyssa Wohlfeiler to defeat the Connecticut Whale 4-1. Kaycie Anderson would score the lone goal for the Whale.

 

Game #2 – Buffalo Beauts v. Metropolitan Riveters

  • The Metropolitan Riveters would host the Buffalo Beauts in a wild one. The Beauts would get goals from Corinne Buie, Kandice Sheriff, Kim Brown, Iveta Klimasova, and Taylor Accursi while the Riveters would get goals from Leila Kilduff, Kiira Dosdall-Arena, Kelly Nash, Kate Leary, and Brooke Avery to take the game into overtime tied at five. Then after the extra frame would remain scoreless it would be Ana Orzechowski with the fourth round shootout goal to give the Beauts the 6-5 victory. This game would also be Tiffany Hsu’s first career NWHL win.

 

Sunday, October 20th, 2020

Game #1 – Buffalo Beauts v. Metropolitan Riveters

  • In the second game of their weekend series the Riveters would rebound against the Beauts as Kate Leary would score a pair of first period goals, and Leila Kilduff and Mallory Rushton would score to give the Riveters the 4-3 victory. Becki Bowering, Cassidy MacPherson, and Kristin Lewicki (who signed a PTO to play for the Beauts this past weekend) would score for the Beauts in their loss. This game would also be the first career NWHL victory for goaltender Dana Demartino

 

Standings

NWHL Standings.JPG

X – Playoff spot secured.

 

Player of the Week

  • Kate Leary of the Metropolitan Riveters would score three goals on the weekend to lead the Riveters to a 1-0-1 record against the Buffalo Beauts to be named the NWHL Player of the Week.

IMG_20200218_104933

 

* All Graphics Courtesy of the NWHL.

 

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Pride Secure First Place

The All Star festivities are over and it’s time to get back on the ice and make the stretch run to the playoffs. The first opponents for the Whale is the Boston Pride. Starting in net for the Pride would be their All Star goalie Lovisa Selander and for the Whale, they would go with Brooke Wolejko.

In the first period, the Whale managed to do what no other team has done so far in the NWHL season. They kept the Boston Pride off the score board, despite the fact they were out-shot in the period.

In the second, it was more of the same. The Pride came out with a lot of momentum, trying to establish the lead. The Whale held them off, with Wolejko seemingly having all the answers for the Pride attack. However, with a little less than 4 minutes remaining in the period, Lexie Laing would stuff home a rebound to give the Pride the 1-0 lead heading into the third. Assist on the play came from Kaleigh Fratkin.

In the third period, the Pride got off to a fast start with captain Jillian Dempsey netting a goal very early in the period to double the Pride’s lead. Assists on the play came from McKenna Brand and Christina Putigna. After some more back and forth chances, the Whale would get on the board and cut the lead in half. The goal coming from Kaycie Anderson, her third goal of the season. Assist on the play came from Janine Weber.

With the Whale chasing the game and pressing hard, Hanna Beattie took an unfortunate tripping penalty late in the game. On the ensuing power play, the Pride would score to restore their 2 goal lead. The goal coming from Mallory Souliotis and the assist coming from Kaleigh Fratkin, her second point of the game. Alyssa Wohlfeiler would add an empty net goal, with assists coming from both her line mates Mary Parker and Emily Fluke, to secure the 4-1 win for the Pride.

Both goalies played extremely well with Selander facing 23 shots and making 22 saves in the process. While Wolejko would face 49 shots and she saved 46 of them. She earned the 3rd star of the game honors for her effort.

Fundraisers

For those keeping track at home, Shannon Doyle added 1 blocked shot today, giving her a total of 60 blocks on the year. She is donating a $1 for every block she records for her fundraiser Blocks For Books. Here is the link for those who want to make a donation too:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/1s6bzhbt5c

Also, for those keeping track at home, Kendra Broad had 1 shot on goal today, giving her a total of 30 shots on goal for the season. She is also donating $2 for every shot on goal for Mental Health Connecticut. Here is a link for those who want to make a donation too:

https://mhconn.networkforgood.com/projects/83116-kendra-broad-s-fundraiser

 

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NWHL All Star Weekend Recap

Welcome to the TXHT NWHL All Star Weekend Recap for the Weekend of Saturday, February 8th and Sunday, February 9th, 2020, plus news coming out of the weekend.

 

Saturday, February 8th, 2020

Event – NWHL All Star Skills Competition

  • Team Packer would win the All Star Skills Competition as they would take the Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, and Full Team Shootout to take the competition.
    • Chipwich Fastest Skater – Grace Klienbach (CT – Team Packer)
    • Chipwich Fastest Goalie – Mariah Fujimagari (BUF – Team Dempsey)
    • Franklin Accuracy Shooting – Jillian Dempsey (BOS – Team Dempsey)
    • Slalom Hardest Shot – Kaleigh Fratkin (BOS – Team Packer)
    • Franklin Relay Race – Team Dempsey
    • Dunkin’ Full Team Shootout – Team Packer

 

Sunday, February 9th, 2020

Event – Team Packer v. Team Dempsey

  • In the first half Team Packer would open the scoring with a Kate Leary tally, but Team Dempsey would strike with three straight as Jonna Curtis would score tie the game, then Kiira Dosdall-Arena would score a pair of goals to take the 3-1 lead. Then in the second half Amanda Boulier would get Team Packer back on the board, but goals from captain Jillian Dempsey and Lexie Laing would give Team Dempsey the 5-2 victory.

 

Standings

NWHL Standings

 

NWHL All Star MVP

  • Goaltender Lovisa Selander of Team Dempsey would stop 17 of 18 shots faced in the first half of the All Star Game to help lead Team Dempsey to a 5-2 victory.
    • Selander was selected as the game MVP by Marisa Ingemi who was given the honor by the NWHL for her hard work in covering the NWHL and women’s hockey.

NWHL ASG MVP.jpg

 

* All Graphics Courtesy of the NWHL.

 

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By The Numbers: Madison Packer

The NWHL announced before the start of this season that the league would be expanding the number of games the teams will play. I want to take a look at the players stats to see how players are taking advantage of the extended schedule and possible expanded roles on their respective teams. Today, we will be looking at the heart and soul of the Metropolitan Riveters and original NWHL member Madison Packer.

Madison Packer played four years of college hockey at the University of Wisconsin, in which she had played 146 games for the program. She tallied 46 goals and added 58 assists for a grand total of 104 points. Which is good for 26th all time for the illustrious program. (According to Elite Prospects.) After missing only a year’s worth of hockey, she signed for the newly formed NWHL league.

In her rookie year for the league, she played in 16 games for the then New York Riveters. She managed to find the back of the net 3 times and would add 4 assists for 7 points on the year. Her point totals would tie her for fifth on the team. In the playoffs that year, she played 2 games and found the back of the net once.

Not suffering any sophomore slumps, she would improve on her numbers by playing 17 games for the renamed Metropolitan Riveters, in which she would score 8 goals and add 5 assists for a total of 13 points on the year. Which would once again place her in fifth on the team in point totals. In the playoffs that year, she would tally an assist in the one game she played.

In her third year in the league, she played in 5 less games than her previous season, but that didn’t stop her scoring, she would net 10 goals and add another 8 assists for 18 points on the year. Which would move her to third on the team in points, having played in 4 less games than those around her. In the playoffs, she played two games and scored once and added 2 assists as the Riveters went on to win the Isobel Cup that year!

In her fourth year in the league, she would suffer only a slight dip in numbers. Her point per game rate went from 1.5 her previous year, to just under a point per game at 0.9. She still managed to net 8 goals and add 5 assists for 13 points for the season. It would be good for second on the team in terms of points, and tied for the team lead for goals. While she didn’t score in the playoffs, she was a force to be reckoned with in the 2 games she played.

In this current NWHL season, and with the expanded schedule, she is currently lighting up the league. At the start of the season, she was given a greater role on the team, being named captain of the Riveters.

She has taken the role in stride, as she has netted a career high 12 goals and added another high with 17 assists for 29 points on the year. She is third in the league in points, and she currently has a tie for the league lead in power play goals. Currently for the Riveters, she leads the teams in points and also is once again tied for the team lead in goals.

Packer was named captain for the NWHL All Star Game, which will take place in Boston.

She has definitely taken full advantage of having an expanded schedule. She is primed for many great things for the rest of the year. I very much look forward to seeing how she’ll do with the remaining 5 games.

 

Previous By The Number Articles:

Emily Fluke (Boston Pride)

Audra Richards (Minnesota Whitecaps)

Kayla Meneghin (Connecticut Whale)

Taylor Accursi (Buffalo Beauts)

 

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By The Numbers: Taylor Accursi

The NWHL announced before the start of this season that the league would be expanding the number of games the teams will play. I want to take a look at the players stats to see how players are taking advantage of the extended schedule and possible expanded roles on their respective teams. Today, we will be looking at the numbers of the Beauts top goal scorer, Taylor Accursi.

Taylor Accursi played her college hockey at Mercyhurst University. She tallied 15 goals and added 23 assists for a total of 38 points, in the four years she played for the program. Which is good for 62nd all time for the program. (According to Elite Prospects.)

She would sign for the, then champion, Buffalo Beauts. In her rookie season, she would manage to dress for 15 games that season, where she would net 6 goals and add 5 assists for a total of 11 points that year. That would land her fourth on the team in points and would place her second on the team in goals. Unfortunately, she would not manage to find the back of the net in the 2 playoff games she played, as the Beauts would be bounced by the Riveters in the finals.

In her sophomore season, she would re-sign with the Beauts. She would suffer a slight dip in her numbers but she put up a respectable 4 goals and would add 2 assists for 6 points on the year. It would tie her for 11th on the team in points and she would also be in a four way tie for 4th on the team in goals, as she was on a pretty stacked Buffalo Beauts team that season. Unfortunately, she would once again not find the back of the net in her 2 playoff games that she would dress for. As once again the Beauts would be defeated in the NWHL finals by the Minnesota Whitecaps.

Accursi would once again re-sign for the Buffalo Beauts returning for her third season with the team. This year, has been an absolute breakout year for her. First, Accursi was named an alternate captain for the Beauts this season, but currently, she is leading the team in terms of goals and points! She has scored 15 goals so far this season, while adding 8 assists for a grand total of 23 points. She is currently producing at a rate of over a point per game, and the Beauts still have 6 more games to play!

An interesting note on how good her season has been this year? She netted her first career hat trick against the Minnesota Whitecaps, but more impressively, she managed to score 4 goals in one period against the Riveters in the NWHL’s first outdoor game in Buffalo. She single-handedly willed her team back into the game, before they unfortunately lost 7-4 that game. Not suprisingly, she was named an NWHL All Star and will be heading to Boston to play for Team Dempsey.

She has definitely taken full advantage of having an expanded schedule. She is primed for many great things for the rest of the year. Maybe another trip to the Isobel Cup finals, as she is 2 for 2 on getting there. I very much look forward to seeing how she’ll do with the remaining 6 games.

 

 

 

Previous By The Number Articles:

Emily Fluke (Boston Pride)

Audra Richards (Minnesota Whitecaps)

Kayla Meneghin (Connecticut Whale)

 

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By The Numbers: Kayla Meneghin

The NWHL announced before the start of this season that the league would be expanding the number of games the teams will play. I want to take a look at the players stats to see how players are taking advantage of the extended schedule and possible expanded roles on their respective teams. Today, we will be looking at sophomore Connecticut Whale forward Kayla Meneghin.

Kayla Meneghin played her college hockey at SUNY-Plattsburgh, where she scored 86 goals and added 102 assists for a total of 188 points in the four years she’s played college hockey. Which is good for 2nd all time in the program’s history! (According to Elite Prospects.) She came into the league signing for the Connecticut Whale.

In her rookie year, you could tell she was learning the ropes, but she did dress for 10 regular season games with the Whale. She did manage to score her first NWHL goal in her rookie season; the New Jersey native did so against the Metropolitan Riveters! She would add an assist during the year as well, and would finish with 2 points. The Whale were unfortunately bounced from the playoffs that year against those same Riveters.

Kayla Meneghin would re-sign with the Whale for a second season, and would see an expanded role, with other key players departing. The Whale would go through some transition, as there was a new head coach to play for. In her expanded role, Meneghin has played a lot better. She’s been floating between the 2nd line and the 1st line in the games she has played this season. Having played 12 games so far this season, and she has already tallied 4 times and added 4 assists on the year. She is tied with Sarah Schwenzfeier for second on the team in terms of goals, and is one of the top 5 point producers for the Whale!

She has absolutely taken full advantage of having an expanded schedule and a bigger role on the team. I think she is primed for many great things for the rest of the year, as there are 4 more games for the Whale to play in the regular season!

Previous By The Number Articles:

Emily Fluke (Boston Pride)

Audra Richards (Minnesota Whitecaps)

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By The Numbers: Audra Richards

The NWHL announced before the start of this season that the league would be expanding the number of games the teams will play. I want to take a look at the players stats to see how players are taking advantage of the extended schedule and possible expanded roles on their respective teams. Today, we’ll be looking at Minnesota Whitecaps forward Audra Richards.

Audra Richards played college hockey from 2012-2016 at the University of Maine. She scored 45 goals and added 25 assists for a total of 70 points, which is good enough for 13th all time, during her four years of college hockey. (According to Elite Prospects.) After a brief hiatus, she signed for the Metropolitan Riveters.

During her rookie year, she played 16 games in which she scored 8 goals and had no assists on the year. She was tied for the team lead in goals with Madison Packer. Also, 6 of her 8 goals came against the Connecticut Whale that season. However, interestingly enough, she was the only player last season to record a hat trick in the NWHL. Her efforts led to her being named an NWHL All Star in her rookie year and she got to showcase her skills in Nashville.

She even scored during the All Star Game!

The Riveters would play the Whale again during the playoffs, and Richards would add 2 more goals for a total of 10 on the year! The Riveters would get bounced in the playoffs by the eventual champions, the Minnesota Whitecaps.

In her second year in the league, the Minnesota native would not re-sign with the Riveters; rather, she would sign for her hometown team, the Minnesota Whitecaps.

She has so far not suffered any “sophomore slumps,” as her prowess for being on the score sheet hasn’t diminished at all this season. Having only played 20 games so far this season, she has found the back of the net 8 times so far. Tying her goal tallies from her rookie season; but also, this season, she has added 9 assists for a total of 17 points. She has already done better points wise than her rookie season.

Her efforts have lead her to be voted to be in her second NWHL All Star Game, this season.

She has definitely taken full advantage of having an expanded schedule. She is primed for many great things for the rest of the year. She possibly can have a legit run at the Isobel Cup. I look forward to what else she can bring to her team with 4 games remaining in the season!

 

Previous By The Number Articles:

Emily Fluke (Boston Pride)

 

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By The Numbers: Emily Fluke

The NWHL announced before the start of this season that the league would be expanding the number of games the teams will play. I want to take a look at the players stats to see how players are taking advantage of the extended schedule and possible expanded roles on their respective teams. The player we are looking at in this case is Boston’s Emily Fluke.

Emily Fluke played for Middlebury College, where she scored 54 goals and added 61 assists for 115 points, which is good enough for 7th all time in points, during her four years of college hockey. (According to Elite Prospects.) She came into the league after a small hiatus from college hockey and signed for the Connecticut Whale.

She had a great rookie year, in which she played 16 games that season. Being a player that can do everything, playing every forward position. She also played on the powerplay and she could penalty kill when called upon. She would go on to notch 4 goals and added 7 assists for 11 points for the season. She played in the playoff game against the Metropolitan Riveters, and unfortunately was unable to get on the score sheet, as the Whale would bow out. The Riveters would go on to win the championship that season. For her rookie year, she lead or was tied for the lead in every major offensive category for the Whale! Incredible.

She would re-sign for the Whale in the off-season, coming back for her sophomore season in the league. She would later be named team Captain, and earned herself top line minutes. She played most of the year with top players like Katerina Mrázová, Nina Rodgers, and Michelle Löwenhielm. Some players might have a dip in their second season, dubbed the “sophomore slump,” however Fluke’s ability to be on the score sheet shined. She played 16 games that season too, in which she tallied 3 goals and added 8 assists for 11 points on the year again.

That season, Fluke would be named an All Star by the NWHL fans and would showcase her skills in Nashville!

In the playoff game against those pesky Riveters, she would get on the score sheet, scoring a goal. Unfortunately, the Whale would bow out against the Rivs again. While she did not lead the team in every major offensive category again, she proved that she was one of the hardest working players on the team, with a complete 200 ft game.

In her third year in the league, she would not re-sign with the Whale in favor of playing closer to home, signing for the Boston Pride.

So far this season, she has played 20 games, mostly on the second line, but that hasn’t stopped the incredible offensive output she is producing. She has tallied 9 goals and has added 14 assists for 23 points so far, and the Pride still have 3 more games to play! She is currently right now producing over a point per game! She’s been skating mostly with Alyssa Wohlfeiler and Mary Parker this season. The line has had incredible chemistry and scoring as it has so far helped the Boston Pride obtain an incredible record of 20-1-0 this season.

She has definitely taken full advantage of having an expanded schedule. She is primed for many great things for the rest of the year. She is primed to have a legitimate run at the Isobel Cup this season! I very much look forward to seeing how she’ll do with the remaining 3 games.

 

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NWHL January Player of the Month

Today the National Women’s Hockey League has announcements goaltender Amanda Leveille of the Minnesota Whitecaps has been named the January Player of the Month.

 

Leveille would play in all eight games for the Whitecaps and go on to have a 6-2-0 record for the month which would see her have a .953 save percentage and one shutout victory for the month. Leveille would also backstop the Whitecaps with a 36 save performance  to hand the Boston Pride their first loss of the 2019-20 season.

 

Leveille is also the first goaltender to earn the NWHL Player of the Month honors.

 

Congratulations Amanda on becoming the January Player of the Week!

 

*Feature Graphic courtesy of the NWHL.

 

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