The stars of equally-massive victories for their respective teams have been named co-recipients of the NWHL Player of the Week Award: Emily Fluke and Hayley Scamurra.
Fluke, a rookie forward, had an assist and scored the winning goal in the shootout as her Connecticut Whale took a big game in Boston, 3-2, to claim sole possession of third place.
“It is an honor to be a part of the league alone – never mind be named one of the players of the week! – so this is an incredible honor,” said Fluke. “We knew heading into the game it was going to be a hard-fought battle for third place and both teams really showed up ready to play.”
Fluke played at Middlebury College, where in 2015 she was honored a CCM First-Team All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association. She returned this season to Connecticut, where she attended the Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor and was captain of the ice hockey, field hockey and lacrosse teams during her senior year.
This season, Fluke has 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 12 games. She is proud of the way the Whale has come together this season as arguably the NWHL’s grittiest, hardest-working team.
“The previous two games we played teams into overtime and even though we were proud of the way we competed, we didn’t get the results we hoped for,” said Fluke. “It was exhilarating to see our hard work pay off in Boston and finally get the result we wanted. My family, friends, and fans who attended the game made this an exciting night I will never forget”!
Scamurra, in her first full season as a pro after joining the Beauts last March in time to contribute to the Isobel Cup championship, continues to emerge as a rising star in the NWHL. On Saturday, Scamurra had a goal and two assists to lead Buffalo to a 5-3 win over the Metropolitan Riveters, who are undefeated no longer.
In the last month alone, the 23-year-old Scamurra played for Team NWHL in its two-game series against the U.S. Olympic Team, was selected to play in the NWHL All-Star festivities this weekend in Minnesota, and is now a co-winner of the league’s Player of the Week award. She is 4-5-9 in 10 games this season and is second in the NWHL with 46 shots on goal (behind Kelly Babstock’s 49).
“I am excited to be receiving this honor this week,” said the former student-athlete at Northeastern. “It was a great team effort this weekend that I’m extremely proud of. I appreciate the accolade, and I share it with my team.”
