• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Women's Hockey
NWHL

NWHL October Recap

By Dan Rice October 29th, 2019

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

The NWHL kicked off its fifth season on October 5 and it’s been a wild first month, to say the least over the first 14 games of the season. We’ve seen multiple lead changes, high-scoring affairs, overtime thrillers, and one team has yet to suffer a loss. “That’s the great thing about this season, it’s pretty long and these first games, while we want to win them we know that we want to be playing our best hockey towards the end of the year,” said Minnesota Whitecaps goaltender, the NWHL’s all-time wins leader, and two-time Isobel Cup champion Amanda Leveille. “We’ll take the mistakes we’re making now and we’ll fix them.”

Leaders of the Pack

The Boston Pride have played the most games of any of the five teams and finished the first month a perfect 7-0-0 so it’s no surprise that a lot of their players are atop the league leaders. Their top line ranks 1-2-3 in points – Jillian Dempsey and McKenna Brand have 13 points apiece and Christina Putigna is right behind them with 11. Brand leads all players with seven goals, already surpassing her total of six in 16 games last season as a rookie. 

Jillian Dempsey Boston Pride
The Boston Pride’s Jillian Dempsey takes a face-off against the Buffalo Beauts (Photo Credit: Pat McCarthy).

Dempsey is tied with Whitecaps’ blueliner Amanda Boulier for the league lead in assists with 9 and the five-year veteran is certainly going to shatter her career-high for points in a season (15, twice: Seasons 2 & 3). Brand also leads the league in game-winning goals (3) and the Pride’s rookie netminder Lovisa Selander has been phenomenal and boasts a 1.88 GAA to go with a 7-0-0 record and a .949 save percentage.

“The season now is longer, which is awesome. We experienced some momentum swings last season and we know every game matters,” Dempsey said after Boston’s season–opening 4-2 win in New Jersey. “We felt that at the end (of the season) when we lost a game early on in our home rink last year against the Riveters with 3 seconds left. It was a dagger. It stinks in the moment and when it came time for playoffs we realized that it cost us home-ice advantage by one game. Every game is critical, every game is important.”

The past three seasons the Pride have been eliminated by the Buffalo Beauts in the postseason, with the final two coming on the road because the Beauts had a better record.

Buffalo Soldiers

The Buffalo Beauts are playing inspired hockey right now, and it’s what has led them to a 3-2-0 record. After spoiling the Connecticut Whale’s home opener on Oct. 5 with a 3-1 victory, the Beauts suffered discouraging road losses of 4-2 and 8-1 in Boston the very next weekend before sweeping Connecticut 5-4 (OT) and 6-4.

Cassidy MacPherson Buffalo Beauts
Buffalo center Cassidy MacPherson skates out to greetings from youngsters at the Beauts home opener on Oct. 19, 2019 (Photo Credit: Mike Hetzel).

Team success has been built by numerous contributors. Beauts rookie defender MJ Pelletier is third in the league (11) in blocked shots and fellow rookie Brooke Stacey has 6 goals in 5 games, which is second in the league; she has yet to play an NWHL game where she hasn’t gotten onto the scoreboard. Though technically they are the Beauts second-line, Stacey, Cassidy MacPherson, and Iveta Klimášová have combined for 15 points (8g-7a).

“These next two games on the road are critical,” said Buffalo’s rookie defender Ana Orzechowski. “We’re coming off of two huge wins so the morale is high, but we have to keep up the hard work and positivity, and bring it with us on the bus. I know we’re all itching to get back into the swing of games, so there’s no better test than the upcoming games versus Boston and Connecticut. It’s still considered early in the season, but these wins on the road would be huge for us to take the spot for number-2 in the league, if not push us up to number-1.”

The Beauts currently boast the league’s best PK unit (90%) and their young defensive core has performed admirably through the early stages of the season.

Making a Splash

The Connecticut Whale may be the only team that failed to pick up a win in the month of October (0-4-1), but this Whale team is nothing like the previous two incarnations which were offensively-challenged at times. In Season 3 the Whale had 26 goals in 16 games and last season they had 22 goals in 16 games. This season, in just five games, they already have 13 goals. Ten of their 16 skaters already have at least one goal thus far and 14 players have at least one point.

Emma Vlasic
Emma Vlasic (No. 15) battles for the faceoff as the Whale go on the attack. Photo Credit: Bryan Johnson Photography.

First-year captain and five-year veteran Shannon Doyle leads Connecticut with 6 points (1g-5a) and leads the league with 16 blocked shots. Their top line of Grace Klienbach, Sarah Hughson and rookie Emma Vlasic has been a constant threat in every game and the trio has accounted for four goals and nine points so far.

“Grace is one of the fastest skaters I’ve ever played with, so she’s fun to play with and she sees the ice well. Sarah has a great sense for the game, she’s able to find us with the puck and she’s in the right spots on the ice,” said Vlasic, who has won the third-most face-offs (69) in the league, said of her linemates. “I think that’s a big thing for our line, knowing where to find each other. We’re able to cycle the puck down low and we all have a good hockey IQ so we’re able to find each other in spots where we should be. We’ve been emphasizing playing with pace, playing with speed, move the puck quickly and play a fast game out there.”

We witnessed an @espn @SportsCenter #Top10 worthy play today from @emmavlasic !!! @SportsCenter @Buccigross whatcha think? #SCtop10 #NWHL pic.twitter.com/lKXCgIcIMi

— Connecticut Whale (@CTWhale_NWHL) October 26, 2019

Four of their five games were decided in the third period or overtime and eight of their next nine games are at home. It would be a major shock if they haven’t picked up a handful of wins by the end of the calendar year.

Riveting Renovation

With only three returning players the Metropolitan Riveters have been completely revamped and the results have been mixed through five games (1-4-0). They’ve only played two teams (Boston, Minnesota) and new head coach Ivo Mocek only had a full complement of players for two of those games. For the first time since Season 2, the Rivs needed to find a new goaltender and they may have uncovered a hidden gem in Sam Walther.

Kendall Cornine of the Metropolitan Riveters. (Photo Credit: Michelle Jay)

Walther has faced the second-most shots (203) in the league and in four of the five games she has made at least 36 saves. Rookie Kendall Cornine has been dynamic and has five goals in her first five pro games, which is tied for third in the league after one month of games. Cornine and her linemates (and former teammates at RIT), Brooke Baker and Mallory Rushton, have been a formidable trio as they find their way at the next level.

“It’s interesting because at RIT we didn’t really play together but now as professionals we are and we’re really connecting out there. It’s awesome and I owe my hot start to my linemates,” said Rushton who has four assists in five games. “They definitely make me feel a lot more comfortable out there,” added Cornine, who has also done an admirable job on face-offs. “We know each other and how each other plays. For me, that has definitely made this an easier transition.”

First-year captain and five-year veteran Madison Packer leads the team in points (3g-3a) and shots on goal (29) and only three of 16 skaters on the Riveters have yet to record a point. Only four of the 16 skaters have yet to take a penalty though, and going forward they need to find a way to stay out of the sin bin.

Riding the Wave

The Whitecaps first month as defending champions was filled with ebbs and flows but yet they still find themselves in second place (3-2-1) after a six-game stretch that had only two home games. Boulier leads the team (and all defenders) with 10 points (1g-9a) and is the only non-Boston player with double-digit points. 

Second-year pro Jonna Curtis and rookie Nicole Schammel lead the forward group with nine points apiece and rookie defender Sydney Baldwin also has nine points (4g-5a) after her six-point weekend in Connecticut where the Whitecaps won two times.

Audra Richards of the Minnesota Whitecaps wins a battle for the puck against the Boston Pride. (Photo Credit: Michelle Jay)

“I don’t know who my linemate is going to be tomorrow but that’s totally fine because we’ve all grown up playing Minnesota hockey and that’s kind of our style,” said second-year pro Audra Richards who joined the Whitecaps after a rookie season with the Riveters. “I’ve had the pleasure of playing with a lot of these players before so that helps make the learning curve a little bit smaller. We’re just trying to get better and better every game,” added Baldwin. “Our practices are helping us get better and better every day to figure out different combinations and lineups that will help us be successful.”

With Leveille in net, the Whitecaps will always be a formidable foe and as she says she hopes to also be the coolest-looking goalie on the ice. “I don’t know if I’ve achieved that this season, but a few people have said it looks really weird – including some of my younger goalie students who are like eight-years-old. Chirping me for having fish on my pads, especially because we’re the Whitecaps and not the Walleye. They look cool in photos and that’s all I care about. The Walleye is the State Fish!”

Up Next

When they tell us we're not playing again until Nov. 30th. . . Let the countdown begin⌛️
📸: Ashley Intile pic.twitter.com/4lkKq5TRgh

— Madison Packer (@madison_packer_) October 29, 2019

After every team takes off for the two weekends while the Four Nations Cup is supposed to be going down the NWHL returns as Buffalo visits Boston on Nov. 16 and Connecticut on Nov. 17. Minnesota returns to action with two games in Buffalo the following weekend and the Riveters lone November game comes on Nov. 30 when they play in Boston for a third time in six games.

  • Tags
  • Amanda Leveille
  • Jillian Dempsey
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 19th 7:42 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Wild Acquire Ian Cole From Avalanche for Greg Pateryn

Jan 19th 6:05 PM
Calgary Flames

Flames Need to Be More Disciplined if They Want to Stay Hot

Jan 19th 5:50 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

9 Blue Jackets’ “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” Fun Facts

Jan 19th 5:40 PM
Toronto Maple Leafs

Babcock Bombs as Former Leafs Coach Tries to Clarify Marner Drama

Jan 19th 5:25 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Golden Knights Are 3-0, But Still Have Plenty of Work To Do

Jan 19th 5:15 PM
New York Rangers

Rangers News & Rumors: Essential Workers Night, DeAngelo, Trouba & More

Jan 19th 5:05 PM
Calgary Flames

Flames Should Add Forward Oliver Okuliar to Prospect Pool

Jan 19th 4:55 PM
Montreal Canadiens

Montreal Canadiens: 3 Takeaways from Week 1

Jan 19th 4:45 PM
Hockey History

Top 3 Penguins Trades Under Jim Rutherford

Jan 19th 3:45 PM
St Louis Blues

Blues Weekly: Up and Down Start to the 2020-21 Campaign

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information