New York, NY— This week’s news and notes from the National Women’s Hockey League.
ON THE ICE – BOSTON, CONNECTICUT STAY PERFECT AFTER WEEK 2
Pride 7, Riveters 1 – Just 55 seconds into the contest, the Pride jumped out to a one-goal lead as Zoe Hickel sent a backhand past Riveters’ goalie Nana Fujimoto. Later in the opening frame, Boston forward Brianna Decker undressed a Riveters defenseman en route to scoring the game’s second goal.
The Pride made it 3-0 after Decker and Corinne Buie executed a perfect two-on-one opportunity resulting in Decker’s second goal. The goal came while Boston defenseman Marissa Gedman was serving a two-minute minor for tripping in the second period. New York’s backup goaltender Shenae Lundberg entered the game, replacing Fujimoto who struggled in the team’s home opener, allowing three goals in the first half of the contest.
Trailing by three, Riveters’ defenseman,Gabie Figueroa tried to will her team back into the game with a tremendous individual effort resulting in a goal late in the second period. However, any momentum generated from that goal ended with the intermission, as Boston was all over New York to start the third, scoring three more goals in the first 5:48.
Whale 5, Beauts 2 – The Beauts hosted their first ever “Strides For The Cure” breast cancer awareness game, in partnership with Erie County Medical Center Corporation. Fans filled the stands in pink and the Beauts wore special pink jerseys to honor those who have been affected by breast cancer.
On the ice, both teams started strong, skating quick and playing physical. The Whale got on the board first with a goal from Alyssa Wohlfeiler, assisted by Lindsay Berman at 15:50 of the first period. The Beauts tied the game at the 3:48 mark on a goal by Meghan Duggan, assisted by Kelley Steadman.
The Whale, who had penalty trouble throughout the game, added another goal in the second period (Sam Faber), and three more in the third (Engstrom, Buesser and an ENG) to take the 5-2 win. Kelley Steadman scored her second of the year in the third period, but it was not enough to derail the Whale.
Updated NWHL Standings
Boston: 2-0, 4 points, +9 GD
Connecticut: 2-0, 4 points, +6 GD
Buffalo: 0-2, 0 points, – 6 GD
New York: 0-2, 0 points, -9 GD
UPCOMING GAME AND PRACTICE SCHEDULE
October 20:
7:00 PM: Boston Pride Practice at Allied Veterans Rink in Everett, MA
9:55 PM – Connecticut Whale Practice at Chelsea Piers – Connecticut
October 21:
10:00 PM – New York Riveters Practice at Aviator Sports & Events Center
10:00 PM – Buffalo Beauts Practice at HarborCenter
October 22:
7:00 PM – Boston Pride Practice at Allied Veterans Rink in Everett, MA
10:05 PM – Connecticut Whale Practice at Chelsea Piers – Connecticut
October 23
10:00 PM – Buffalo Beauts Practice at HarborCenter
10:00 PM – New York Riveters Practice at Aviator Sports & Events Center
October 25: GAME DAY
3:30 PM – Boston Pride vs. Buffalo Beauts at HarborCenter
7:00 PM – Connecticut Whale vs. New York Riveters at Aviator Sports & Events Center
Tickets are still available for both games and can be purchased at http://nwhl.co/buy-tickets/.
Media interested in covering practice MUST contact either Jenny Scrivens ([email protected]) or Jake Duhaime ([email protected]) beforehand.
For game credentials, please contact Jake Duhaime at [email protected], or the National Women’s Hockey League PR email at [email protected].
NWHL IN THE NEWS
National Women’s Hockey League action has been covered from coast-to-coast thanks to media partners like you.
ESPN: NWHL Commissioner Says League Will Score Big
http://espn.go.com/espnw/w-in-action/2015-summit/article/13841481/nwhl-commissioner-dani-rylan-says-league-score-big
Boston Magazine: Hilary Knight On Making History In The NWHL
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2015/10/15/hilary-knight-boston-pride-nwhl-2/
MSG: Riveters Players Interviewed During NY Islanders Game
http://www.msgnetworks.com/teams/islanders.html?vid=2677158890
The Hockey News: Riveters Sweater 22nd Best Of All-Time … After Two Games
21st on a list of 'Best Sweaters of All-Time' isn't too shabby after just two games of wear. @TheHockeyNews pic.twitter.com/78l0IZWnF0
— Metropolitan Riveters (@Riveters) October 19, 2015
KNIGHT UP FOR WOMEN’S SPORTS FOUNDATION SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Boston Pride star Hilary Knight is nominated for Sportswoman of the Year award by the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF). The winner will be named tonight at the organization’s annual salute in New York City.
The WSF awards two different Sportswomen of the Year awards, one for individual sports and another for the best team sport athlete. Knight, Maya Moore, Carli Lloyd and Maggie Steffens are among the nominees.
For more information, visit http://www.sportswomanoftheyear.com/.
A COMMITMENT TO STREAMING
Understanding its commitment to #GrowTheGame, fans across the world can watch all 36 NWHL regular season games free of charge on the league’s Cross-Ice Pass.
Visit http://nwhl.co/cross-ice-pass/ for more details including opportunities to donate so we can improve the technology.
NWHL PROMOTIONAL EVENT SCHEDULE
The following games have been designated as special promotional nights by the league. Please visit www.nwhl.co for more information.
October 25 – BOS @ BUF: Youth Hockey Night
October 25 – CTW @NYR: Skates For The Cure – Breast Cancer Awareness
November 15 – CTW @ BUF: Canned Food & Coat Drive in partnership with the Food Bank of Western New York
November 15 – BOS @ NYR: Military Appreciation Night in partnership with Defending The Blue Line
November 22 – NYR @ BOS: Opening Night for the Boston Pride
November 22: CTW @ BUF: Military Appreciation Night in partnership with Defending The Blue Line
INTRODUCING CAPPRO
The National Women’s Hockey League is the first in North America to pay its players a salary, recently releasing all salary information through NWHL CapPro.
For those curious, the league’s minimum salary is $10,000 over an 18 game season. By comparison, the American Hockey League’s minimum salary was $42,375 over a 76 game season in 2014-2015.
Thus on a per game basis, every NWHL player will make at least $555.55, while AHL players will make at minimum 557.56. The Manchester Monarchs, last year’s Calder Cup champions, also played 24 postseason games en route to the title.
Visit NWHL CapPro here: http://nwhl.co/players/cappro/
SEASON TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
Full season packages start at $150 ($125 in Buffalo) and include the following perks.
– 10 percent off all NWHL merchandise
– 10 percent off NWHL Live: Cross Ice Pass
– Priority Isobel Cup Playoff and All-Star Game tickets
– Exclusive Season Ticket Holder events
– Free preseason games
All season ticket packages can be purchased at www.nwhl.co/buy-tickets.
RIVETERS TO PLAY TEAM JAPAN IN DECEMBER
The New York Riveters will be the first NWHL team to play an international game when they travel to face off against Smile Japan in December.
The three-game series will take place on Wednesday, December 16th, Thursday, December 17th and Saturday, December 19th at the Nikko Kirifuri Ice Arena in Nikko, Japan.
“This is a historic opportunity to bring the NWHL to Japan and grow the game of women’s hockey,” said Riveters head coach Chad Wiseman.
“It’s especially significant for me personally since I’ve been able to play in Japan during my professional career and now return as a coach of the Riveters.”
For Riveters goaltender Nana Fujimoto, the trip to Japan will also be a significant one. Fujimoto is a member of the Japanese national team and competed for Smile Japan in both the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2015 IIHF Women’s World Championships, where she was named the tournament’s top goaltender.
More details: http://nwhl.co/riveters-to-play-team-japan-in-december/
