PHF Weekend Primer: Dec 4-5
December 3, 2021 - Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) News Release
(Brooklyn, N.Y) - After a week away from the rink to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Premier Hockey Federation returns with four games to push the 2021-22 regular season schedule past the quarter mark.
Here's a closer look at what's in store over the next two days.
Saturday December 4, 2021:
3:00 PM ET - Minnesota Whitecaps (1-2-1) vs Connecticut Whale (2-3-1)
(ESPN+ with Josh Eastern & Kaylyn Kyle, Twitch International with Mark Schoenster)
Stats Preview
It's an opportunity for both the Minnesota Whitecaps and Connecticut Whale to bounce back with a change of scenery following pre-holiday losses. For Minnesota, they hit the road after dropping an overtime decision to Boston, while Connecticut returns home after a pair of losses in Toronto. It's been almost two years since the Whitecaps have been to Danbury Ice Arena but enjoyed success on that trip with 3-0 and 2-1 triumphs. Allie Thunstrom scored a hat-trick and Amanda Leveille posted a 20-save shutout back on December 21, 2019. Thunstrom scored again the next day along with Haylea Schmid's game-winner in front of Leveille's 32 saves. This time around it'll be a Whale team led by top scoring newcomer Kennedy Marchment and power forward Alyssa Wohlfeiler who returned to the Pod in 2020. Head-to-head regular season history during Season 4-5 heavily favored Minnesota who has won all 12 games against Connecticut outscoring them 56-12.
7:00 PM ET - Toronto Six (3-0-0) vs Boston Pride (4-2-0)
(ESPN+ with Josh Eastern & Kaylyn Kyle, Twitch International with Mark Schoenster)
Stats Preview
The top two teams in the PHF through three weeks will battle with first place on the line in Boston. The host Pride have four total wins including two in regulation and two coming in overtime most recently with heroics from Amanda Boulier in Minnesota. Toronto remains the only undefeated team in the PHF sweeping their first ever series on home ice against Connecticut before the break. The Six make their first ever regular season trip to Boston but did defeat the Pride by a 2-1 score on January 26 in Lake Placid led by a Mikyla Grant-Mentis game-winner. The reigning PHF MVP currently leads the league with a 2.7 points-per-game average, while newcomer Michela Cava has also made a strong first impression averaging two points-per-game. The defending champions counter up front with McKenna Brand who has five points in six games, along with Christina Putigna and Kayla Friesen each with four.
Sunday December 5, 2021:
1:00 PM ET - Minnesota Whitecaps vs Connecticut Whale
(ESPN+, ESPN International & TSN Direct with Steve Goldstein & Katie Gaus)
Stats Preview
1:00 PM ET - Toronto Six vs Boston Pride
(ESPN+, ESPN International & TSN Direct with Josh Eastern & Kaylyn Kyle)
Stats Preview
FLASHBACK TO MARCH
Both weekend series mirror the semifinal matchups that took place on March 26 when Season 6 action returned at Warrior Ice Arena in front of national television audiences. Boston paved the way to their second Isobel Cup title by defeating Toronto 6-2. McKenna Brand, Jillian Dempsey, and Christina Putigna were among five Pride skaters with two-point performances, while Mikyla Grant-Mentis collected two points for the Six. On the other side, it was all Minnesota with a 7-0 shutout win over Connecticut with Amanda Leveille in goal and Audra Morrison scoring a hat-trick in a four-point effort. Current Whitecaps Jonna Curtis, Meaghan Pezon, and Allie Thunstrom also had two points each.
FLANAGAN READY TO FLY
All eyes will be on World and Olympic champion defender Kali Flanagan who is poised to make her PHF debut after officially signing a free agent contract with the Pride on Thursday. It'll be a homecoming welcome for the Massachusetts native who attended Boston College and reunites with coach Paul Mara who shared gold medal success with Team USA in PyeongChang, 2018.
A TALE OF TWO 'SPECIAL TEAMS'
Special teams could be a factor between Boston and Toronto as both clubs are on polar opposite sides of the PHF spectrum through three weeks. The Six lead the league (3/10) for a .300 power play percentage averaging a goal per game with the advantage, while the Pride have had success just once in 28 opportunities (.036). The Six also boast a perfect 11/11 penalty kill while the Pride are 20/23 which is fourth best overall (.870).
TWO PAIRS OF PRIMARY SCORERS
Through three weeks the majority of Minnesota's offense has been driven by forwards Jonna Curtis and Allie Thunstrom with three and two goals respectively. The pair have provided five of the Whitecaps league-low seven goals scored and unsurprisingly continue to climb the all-time charts in that category with 32 for Thunstrom and 26 for Curtis which rank third and eighth overall. Connecticut snipers may not share the same career achievements but Kennedy Marchment and Alyssa Wohlfeiler both have four goals apiece which together accounts for half of the club's 16 in total through six games.
STREAKS TO WATCH
Kennedy Marchment will look to continue her 2021-22 PHF leading five-game point-streak that she's used to compile her four goals and three assists for Connecticut. That's the longest active streak so far this season. A trio of Toronto players have produced in all three of their games played including Michela Cava who has amassed three goals and three assists, Shiann Darkangelo with two goals and three assists, and Mikyla Grant-Mentis with two goals and six assists. She's tallied in nine straight games counting last season's results.
TOP TWO TENDERS TANGLE
The top two goaltenders in the PHF from a statistical standpoint could go toe-to-toe this weekend with Boston's Katie Burt owning a league-best goals-against-average of 1.31 and save percentage of .956. In three starts she has two wins including one shutout. Toronto counters with Elaine Chuli who is a perfect 3-0-0 through three starts and carries a goals-against-average of 2.00 that's right behind Burt, plus a save percentage of .919 that ranks third among netminders.
BATTLE OF BUSIEST BETWEEN-THE-PIPES
The two busiest backstoppers in the PHF so far this season could also do battle on opposite ends of the ice. Minnesota's Amanda Leveille leads the league with 148 saves through four starts and just became the first goaltender in PHF history to surpass 2,000 for her career. Her lone victory this season is a shutout and has four blank sheets all-time against the Whale. Abbie Ives has started five of Connecticut's six games this season to lead the PHF with 282:46 minutes played. She trails only Leveille with 105 saves.
GRANT-MENTIS IN FORBES UNDER 30
Mikyla Grant-Mentis received some noteworthy recognition this week as part of the Forbes Under 30 Sports Class of 2022. One of just two women's hockey players among the list of 30 individuals, the 23-year-old is the first Black player to win a PHF MVP title and did so while also earning Newcomer of the Year honors and the Foundation Award for contributions to her home community of Brampton, Ontario. She certainly fits the criteria as an all-star who is pushing the game forward by making hockey more inclusive and accessible. Read more at https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2022/sports.
PUTIGNA ON HOMETOWN HOCKEY
Since 2014, the Rogers Hometown Hockey tour has been visiting communities across Canada to celebrate the game from coast-to-coast with a two-day festival and live NHL broadcast on Sportsnet. On Monday the tour stopped in Grimsby, Ontario which is home to Pride star forward Christina Putigna who holds the PHF single season record by a Canadian with 29 points in 2019-20. She joined hosts Ron MacLean and Tara Slone with fellow Grimsby native and NHL alumn Kevin Bieksa for a virtual interview. Watch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hometownhockey_/status/1465481337637412867.
STATS SNAPSHOT
The top seven players in the shots on goal category are in action this weekend including McKenna Brand (33), Christina Putigna (29), Kennedy Marchment (28), Taylor Wenczkowski (27), Taylor Girard (22), Jonna Curtis (21), and Allie Thunstrom (19). The Connecticut trio of Shannon Turner (9), Girard (6), and Allie Munroe (5) lead the PHF in blocked shots. Boston's Amanda Boulier and Toronto's Saroya Tinker both have five. Munroe (18), Turner (17), Boston's Lauren Kelly (13), Jillian Dempsey (12), and Mallory Souliotis (12) are tops in takeaways. Dempsey continues to lead the league in faceoffs with 76 wins and a .598 winning percentage, followed by Connecticut's Emma Vlasic with 70 wins and a .579 success rate. Toronto's best on draws is Shiann Darkangelo (.520) while Ashleigh Brykaliuk (.476) leads the way for Minnesota.
Premier Hockey Federation Stories from December 3, 2021
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