Isobel Cup Champion Whitecaps' New Weapon: An Improved Power Play
Published on December 9, 2019 under Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)
Minnesota Whitecaps News Release
Last season, The Minnesota Whitecaps' dangerous offense helped lead the team to an Isobel Cup Championship in its first season in the NWHL, but it was not without its faults. The 2018-19 Whitecaps averaged 3.31 goals for per-game (GF/GP) and 30.81 shots for per-60 minutes (SF60), which ranked third and second in the league respectively.
However, Minnesota had the fourth-ranked power play in the league (7.5%). The offense was at its best in the transition game and on the counterattack but failed to develop much chemistry on the advantage. As a result, the Whitecaps leaned heavily on the goaltending of Amanda Leveille and their speed at even strength to win them games.
This year, things have been different.
Through the first eight games of the 2019-20 campaign, the Whitecaps lead the league with a 31.3 percent success rate on the advantage. Remember, eight games represents a full third of this year's regular season and would have been half of the 2018-19 season; it is a significant sample size. So, what's gone differently for the Whitecaps on the power play? The coaching staff is the same, but the players on the ice are not.
This year, Minnesota has six different goal scorers on the power play; last year they had just three. Four of those six Whitecaps skaters already have two goals on the advantage; no other team in the league has more than three. Co-head coaches Jack Brodt and Ronda Engelhardt are getting goals from both of their units, but the twin engines of the power play are easy to identify.
Jonna Curtis' presence on the half-boards and in front of the net has led to her notching six points on the advantage, four of which have been primary. Curtis leads the team in PP scoring, but the quarterback for Minnesota is Amanda Boulier, who has already picked up five assists while the other team is down by a skater or two. With Curtis' scoring touch and Boulier's ability to move the puck, the Whitecaps are finding more success with newcomers like Nicole Schammel, Meghan Lorence, and Sydney Baldwin on the ice.
It's no secret that the Whitecaps have an abundance of players from the State of Hockey. Many of them grew up playing with and against each other in Minnesota, which gives the defending Isobel Cup Champions a unique edge over the rest of the league. "Our team has great chemistry on and off the ice," Lorence said. "I think that helps us move the puck well, especially with the one-player advantage."
Thanks in part to their intimidating power play, the Whitecaps rank second in the league in GF/GP (4.13) and SF60 (39.33). Of course, Minnesota's team speed also makes them dangerous at even strength and while shorthanded. There is room for the defending champs to improve on the penalty kill (81.8%), but their quick feet and aggressive forechecking have resulted in a league-leading two shorthanded goals in eight games.
The secret to the Whitecaps' offense isn't much of a secret: they have a deep group of forwards, a few exceptional puck-moving defenders, and are blessed with great team speed. The difference this year is that they're beginning to find a way to produce after they get set up on the power play thanks to All-Stars like Thunstrom, Boulier, and Curtis and newcomers like Schammel, Lorence, and Baldwin demonstrating their individual skill when they have the luxury to work with more time and space on the power play.
This season you can watch the Whitecaps get to work on the power play live on the NWHL on Twitch.
Premier Hockey Federation Stories from December 9, 2019
- Isobel Cup Champion Whitecaps' New Weapon: An Improved Power Play - Minnesota Whitecaps
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