PHF Weekend Pulse: January 22-23

Published on January 24, 2022 under Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) News Release

The Minnesota Whitecaps picked up their first weekend sweep of the Premier Hockey Federation season defeating the host Buffalo Beauts to climb into a fourth place tie with the Metropolitan Riveters who split their weekend series with the Boston Pride.

Here's a closer look at the results, top performers, and other notable highlights.

SATURDAY JANUARY 22

Game 28

Metropolitan Riveters 1

Boston Pride 3

Boston scored three shorthanded goals including a last-minute game-winner off the stick of captain Jillian Dempsey who finished with two tallies set-up both times by McKenna Brand.

Game 29

Minnesota Whitecaps 3

Buffalo Beauts 1

Minnesota snapped a five-game losing streak with their first road win of the season powered by a two-goal performance from Allie Thunstrom and three assists from Patti Marshall.

SUNDAY JANUARY 23

Game 30

Minnesota Whitecaps 6

Buffalo Beauts 1

The Whitecaps scored six-straight goals including pairs from both Jonna Curtis and Allie Thunstrom who finished with four and three points respectively to complete the weekend sweep.

Game 31

Metropolitan Riveters 4

Boston Pride 3

Kendall Cornine scored two goals including the game-winner and Kelly Babstock had three assists to end the Riveters five-game losing skid and earn their first victory in Boston since October 27, 2018.

PHF 3 STARS OF THE WEEK

First Star: Allie Thunstrom had an impressive week with and without the Whitecaps. Not only did she record five points over two games in Minnesota's weekend road sweep in Buffalo, but just days before she represented the PHF in the ECHL All-Star Classic in Jacksonville. The 33-year-old from Maplewood, MN scored a goal for the ECHL All-Stars in last Monday's 14-7 win over the host Icemen and recorded an impressive time of 13.75 seconds in the event's Fastest Skater competition. On Saturday she scored twice in a 3-1 win over the Beauts, then tallied two more times on Sunday including her seventh of the season plus an assist as part of the 6-1 victory. The back-to-back multi-point performances gives the Boston College graduate nine points in 10 games to lead the Whitecaps and boost her career totals to 57 points in 54 games including 37 goals which ranks third all-time. Thunstrom will return to Buffalo next weekend to serve as a captain in Saturday's PHF All-Star Showcase.

Second Star: Brooke Wolejko put together arguably her two best starts of the season between-the-pipes for the Metropolitan Riveters facing a difficult test in Boston. She stopped 32 of 34 shots on Saturday night despite a 3-1 loss to the Pride, then got the start again on Sunday afternoon where she produced a season-high 39 saves including 17 in a first period that set the tone for the 4-3 triumph. The 25-year-old from South Windsor, CT became the first goaltender to beat the Pride at Warrior Ice Arena since the 2018-19 season. Wolejko's weekend improved her season stats to two wins in seven appearances with a goals-against-average of 2.57 and save percentage of .924. The SUNY-Plattsburgh graduate signed with the Riveters as a free agent after playing two seasons in Connecticut.

Third Star: Patti Marshall recorded four assists over two games for the Whitecaps to lead all defenders in weekend scoring. The newcomer had the best game of her young PHF career on Saturday by serving all three primary helpers in Minnesota's 3-1 victory over Buffalo. She also contributed a secondary set up in the 6-1 win against the Beauts on Sunday. The 23-year-old from Thief River Falls, MN has five assists in 10 games so far this season and was selected by PHF coaches to compete in next week's All-Star Showcase. Marshall was originally a second round pick by the Whitecaps in the 2020 draft after serving as captain at the University of Minnesota. She spent last season in the SDHL.

MIDWAY MARK STANDINGS

The 2021-22 PHF regular season schedule has officially cleared the midway mark threshold with 31 of its 60 games played to date. The Toronto Six (9-1-1) and Connecticut Whale (8-3-1) remain at the top of the standings with 28 and 25 points having won all of their games in regulation. The Boston Pride (7-3-0) are still in third place but gained some ground with a fourth regulation win to bring their total to 18 points. The Minnesota Whitecaps (3-6-1) climbed into a fourth place tie with the Metropolitan Riveters (3-6-1) as both teams have 10 points in as many games. The Buffalo Beauts (1-8-0) sit in sixth place with two points.

WHITECAPS WAKE UP OFFENSE

Minnesota scored a season-high six goals on Sunday to better resemble the Whitecaps standard for offense that has been among the most potent and reliable since their PHF debut in 2018-19. Sunday's game saw new season high point totals for Jonna Curtis with two goals and two assists, defender Taylor Turnquist who had three assists, and both Haley Mack and Audra Morrison who had a goal and an assist apiece. The team's nine goals over two games is a clip that far exceeds the 11 they produced over their first eight contests. Special teams was also a factor for what was the PHF's weakest power play as Minnesota converted three times in Buffalo marking their first goals with an advantage since opening night in Boston.

100TH POINT FOR PACKER

Riveters captain Madison Packer made history on Saturday recording her 100th point in all-time PHF play. Her milestone marker was an assist at 4:20 of the third period when she backhanded a pass out front to Emily Janiga who buried her shot past Boston's Katie Burt. The 30-year-old is one of only five players to compete in all seven PHF seasons since 2015-16, and just the second ever to reach the century club for points following Pride captain Jillian Dempsey. Packer's totals consist of 95 regular season points over 97 games including 47 goals and 48 assists, plus another five points accumulated over eight playoff contests.

RIVS' DEPTH DELIVERS

Sunday's 4-3 victory for Metropolitan in Boston was a big three points in the standings, but perhaps an even bigger boost of confidence for the squad's secondary scorers. The Riveters won for the first time this season without top point producers Rebecca Russo or Madison Packer on the scoresheet. Instead it was Kendall Cornine who found the back of the net twice, with Emily Janiga and Theresa Knutson adding singles. All three have contributed to recent offensive outputs with Janiga scoring in two-straight games, and Cornine and Knutson responsible for the club's lone goals last Sunday in Connecticut.

SHORTHANDED HISTORY

There have been 13 shorthanded goals scored through the first half of the 2021-22 PHF season, but Jillian Dempsey stands alone when it comes to single game production in that category. The Boston captain counted two in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Metropolitan, which oddly enough featured a third tally down a skater by defender Kaleigh Fratkin into the empty-net. Limited PHF data can't confirm if two in one game is a record, however there are just 11 other players who have produced two or more during a single season. Five are still active players including Jonna Curtis who also has two this season, fellow Whitecaps Meghan Lorence and Allie Thunstrom both had two shorty's in 2019-20, Janine Weber had two with the Riveters in 2016-17, and Kelly Babstock had a pair with the Whale in 2015-16 (per theirhockeycounts.com).

ONE FOR THE JUDGE

Ahead of puck drop on Saturday, Boston defender Kaleigh Fratkin posted an emotional message on Twitter sharing that her Father, Ron Fratkin, affectionately known as 'The Judge' had passed away earlier this month. He was surely watching when the Pride won and Kaleigh scored the game's insurance marker, especially as the puck crossed the line with 13 seconds remaining. The Fratkin family has actively supported HEROS which stands for Hockey Education Reaching Out Society that teaches life skills and empowers marginalized youth through hockey. Donations in honor of Ron Fratkin can be made at heroshockey.com.

FIRST CAREER PHF GOALS

Two players celebrated first career PHF goals on Saturday in Buffalo. First up was newcomer Claudia Kepler of the Beauts who opened the scoring 2:17 into the middle frame when she slammed home a rebound in her third career game. It was also the first career point for the 26-year-old who joined the Beauts on a free agent contract signed during the holiday break. Later on it was Whitecaps newcomer Ashleigh Brykaliuk who got her first goal on a power play deflection which held as the game-winner 1:52 into the third period. The fellow 26-year-old previously had an assist in her PHF debut before scoring as part of a two-point performance in her ninth game. She added another assist on Sunday to bring her season total to four points.

TWO WINS FOR LEVEILLE

The PHF's busiest backstopper was rewarded with back-to-back victories for the first time this season. Amanda Leveille, who has started all 10 games for the Whitecaps in 2021-22, made 59 total saves in a little over 50 minutes of action against the Beauts. Her career win total is now at 48 while her season save total stands at 349 which is 147 more than the next closest netminder. Her goals-against-average of 2.54 and save percentage of .933 both improved through her performances in Buffalo. Minnesota's 2021 fourth round draft pick Jenna Brenneman made her PHF debut on Sunday playing in the last half of the third period.

BURT GETS BETTER

It's hard to imagine Katie Burt's already stellar statistics having room for improvement but the Boston goaltender showed again on Saturday why she's a PHF All-Star. Her fifth start of the season produced a fourth victory with 34 saves on 35 shots by the Riveters in the 3-1 decision. The outcome lowers her goals-against-average to 1.38 which ranks second overall in the PHF, and raises her save percentage to .957 which is back on top of the category.

PRIDE JERSEYS AND TEDDY BEARS AT FORT BEAUT

Both weekend games in Buffalo featured something extra special for fans in attendance at Fort Beaut. On Saturday the club wore specially designed jerseys for Pride Night and on Sunday the team held a Teddy Bear Toss. Look for the game-worn sweaters to be made available for online bidding with PHF partner meigrayauctions.com. As for the bears, over 150 were collected when Autumn MacDougall made the fur fly scoring her third of the season to benefit families in need through WNY Heroes.

Next up on the PHF schedule is the 2022 All-Star Showcase on Saturday, January 29 at 5:30 p.m. ET. Catch the action live on ESPN+ in the United States and on ESPN international affiliates including coast-to-coast on TSN in Canada.

Premier Hockey Federation Stories from January 24, 2022

• PHF Weekend Pulse: January 22-23 - PHF
• Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report - OSC Original by Dan Krieger

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