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Weekend Update: Oct. 12 - 13

A wild second weekend of NWHL play sees 33 goals scored

NWHL

Saturday, Oct. 12

Minnesota Whitecaps beat Metropolitan Riveters; 9-2

Whitecaps: Jonna Curtis (Amanda Boulier), Curtis (Nicole Schammel, Meaghan Pezon), Allie Thunstrom (Meghan Lorence, Emma Stauber), Schammel (Sydney Baldwin), Lorence (Stephanie Anderson, Boulier), Lorence, Curtis (Boulier, Schammel), Schammel (Curtis, Boulier), Baldwin (Boulier)
Riveters: Kate Leary (Madison Packer), Rebecca Morse (Cailey Hutchison, Packer)

The Whitecaps put the hurt on the Riveters in their first game of the season piling on nine goals and chasing Sam Walther out of her net after she gave up six goals on 17 shots. Two of those goals were while shorthanded, and two were on the power play. Again the Riveters had trouble staying out of the box with eight total penalties.

Five Whitecaps had a multipoint game with Boulier leading the way with five assists. Curtis’s hat trick and one assist gave her four, along with rookie Schammel who scored two and assisted on two. Both goals that Whitecaps goaltender Amanda Leveille let in came off rebounds, but after that she settled in stopping 35 total.

Frequently, the Riveters defense left their goaltender out to dry, either by bunching up and leaving a player open or by poor puck handling. The Riveters, with a lot of players on the ice together for the first time, need to settle it down a bit more. Veteran defender Kiira Dosdall’s return next weekend should help as should more practice time.

Boston Pride beat Buffalo Beauts; 4-2

Pride: Lexie Laing (Carlee Toews, Kaleigh Fratkin), Toews (Laing, Tori Sullivan), Christina Putigna, Toews (Laing, Sullivan)
Beauts: Brooke Stacey [penalty shot], Iveta Klimasova (Stacey)

The kids (read: rookies) are alright. Every goal in this game was scored by a newcomer to the league while Fratkin’s secondary assist was the sole point awarded to a veteran in the whole game.

Again Beauts goaltender Mariah Fujimagari saw more than 40 shots (45 in total) as the Pride continued the onslaught on her that the Whale had started. However, it was too much for her. Her defense does block a fair amount of shots - 19 in total - but against the Pride, giving them at least 60 chances to shoot isn’t going to end well. Especially when the Pride have one of the strongest defenses in the league and goaltender Lovisa Selander behind them who, apparently, can make saves without even facing the right direction.

Sunday, Oct. 13

Boston Pride beat Buffalo Beauts; 8-1

Pride: McKenna Brand (Jillian Dempsey), Brand (Kaleigh Fratkin, Dempsey),  Brand (Christina Putigna, Mallory Souliotis), Emily Fluke (Jenna Rheault, Alyssa Wohlfeiler), Alyssa Wohlfeiler (Fratkin, Mary Parker), Fluke (Wohlfeiler, Lexi Bender), Carlee Toews (Lexie Laing), Dempsey (Christina Putigna)
Beauts: Brooke Stacey (Taylor Accursi)

Twelve different Pride players hit the scoresheet in their rout over the Beauts with Brand’s hat trick in the first period (!!) leading the way. The newest Pride player Emily Fluke added two.

The Beauts got out played on the second day of their road trip to Boston, as the Pride outskated them for most of the game. Again, a highlight was their shot blocking with 12. But giving up 42 shots to the Pride, like the night before, isn’t going to end well. Fujimagari was pulled in the second and veteran Kelsey Neumann came in. Neumann made some fantastic saves to keep the game from getting too far out of hand.

Metropolitan Riveters beat Minnesota Whitecaps in overtime; 4-3

Riveters: Audra Richards (Lauren Barnes), Amanda Boulier (Allie Thunstrom), Thunstrom
Whitecaps: Kendall Cornine (Mallory Rushton), Madison Packer (Kate Leary, Nichelle Simon), Cornine (Rushton, Rebecca Morse), Morse

The Riveters put on an exciting performance, dominating against a team that beat them so badly on Saturday. Sam Walther made 34 saves, including some that had her jumping across the crease and diving into Whitecaps legs. The Riveters led the scoring twice in regulation in an extremely even, back and forth match. Ultimately, it was Morse for the Rivs to go top shelf and put them up once and for all just 30 seconds into overtime.

Minnesota outshot the Riveters 40-24 but still couldn’t come away with a win, despite Allie Thunstrom giving them a late game goal to tie it up and force overtime. Thunstrom is the only Whitecap to get a star as Cornine who had two goals on the game, and Morse with the game winner took the first two. Audra Richards also nabbed her first goal of the season against her former team to get the scoring started.

Finally, the newest signed Riveter, Anna Keys made he debut in Minnesota this weekend though she didn’t get on the box score except for one penalty taken in Sunday’s game. That being said, the Riveters minimized the penalties they’ve been taking and it really worked out for them. The Whitecaps had double the amount of penalties in Sunday’s match and it seemed to make a difference.
-Leighann Strollo

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