PHF Weekend Pulse: Nov 13-14
Published on November 15, 2021 under Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) News Release
Week two of the Premier Hockey Federation season featured a two-game series between the Boston Pride and the host Connecticut Whale.
Here's a closer look at the results, top performers, and other notable highlights.
Saturday November 13:
Game 6
Boston Pride 4 OT
Connecticut Whale 3
Christina Putigna tied the game with 40 seconds to play in regulation, then scored the overtime winner to lift Boston to their third straight victory to open the 2021-22 season.
Sunday November 14:
Game 7
Boston Pride 1
Connecticut Whale 3
The Whale scored three straight goals and never looked back as Abbie Ives made 20 saves for her first victory of the season securing a four-point weekend for the Pod on home ice.
PHF 3 STARS OF THE WEEK:
First Star: Kennedy Marchment is making an early case for Newcomer of the Year following a four-point weekend for the Whale. The 24-year-old free agent acquisition from Courtice, ON scored her first two career PHF goals during the second period of Saturday's game after assisting on Connecticut's first of the series. On Sunday she assisted on the club's second goal which held as the game-winner. The St. Lawrence University star was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2016-17 and was selected second overall by the Buffalo Beauts in the 2017 Draft. Marchment spent the past three seasons competing in the SDHL including the past two years with HV71 where she amassed 136 points in 70 games. She's currently tied for the PHF lead in scoring with five points over four games and leads the Whale in shots on goal with 19 including 13 accumulated this weekend.
Second Star: Christina Putigna was the hero for the Pride on Saturday scoring a pair of clutch goals including the game-tying tally with under a minute to play and the overtime winner to cap a three-point performance. These were the first points of the season for the reigning PHF scoring champion who finished the shortened 2021 year with 12 total points over nine games. This was the first two-goal game for the Grimsby, ON native over her three-year career and fourth three-point effort. The previous three were each produced during her debut 2019-20 campaign that reached 29 points for the highest-scoring season ever recorded by a Canadian skater. The 24-year-old Providence College graduate now has 40 points in 35 PHF games.
Third Star: Emma Vlasic continues to be a difference maker for the Whale finishing the weekend series with a goal and two assists, while also leading the club with 31 faceoff wins. The third-year Connecticut veteran and alternate captain contributed both helpers in Saturday's contest then scored the game-winner on Sunday. The 25-year-old Yale University graduate from Wilmette, IL is now tied for the PHF lead in scoring with five points in four games to match teammates Alyssa Wohlfeiler and Kennedy Marchment, plus Rebecca Russo of the Metropolitan Riveters who has five points in two games. Vlasic's two goals and three assists this season bring her career totals to 12 goals and six assists for 18 points in 32 games.
FLUKE SCORES FIRST
Whale forward Emily Fluke was first on the board for the Pod in both weekend games that also counted her first two goals of the season. The last time the five-year veteran scored in consecutive PHF games was during her original tenure in Connecticut when she tallied to close 2018-19 regular season competition on March 3 then popped one in during the play-in game later that week. Her career totals now stand at 19 goals and 53 points in 64 games split between the Whale, Toronto Six, and Pride. She's one of 11 PHF players with two goals on the year trailing Wohlfeiler with four.
SCORING STREAKS
Marchment and Vlasic have now recorded points in three-straight games which equal the longest active streaks so far in the 2021-22 PHF season. Pride forwards Jillian Dempsey and McKenna Brand both had their three-game streaks snapped on Sunday, leaving Sammy Davis and Taylor Wenczkowski to share the team's longest active streak at two games. As a team, Connecticut continues scoring in bunches. Following a record six-goal outburst last Sunday against Metropolitan, they scored three-straight goals in a second period stretch on Saturday and put three-in-a-row on the board again on Sunday.
BURT WINS AGAIN
Katie Burt was solid between-the-pipes once again for the Pride making consecutive starts in her return to the PHF. Last Sunday she posted her first career shutout then earned the win on Saturday with 31 saves. She leads the PHF with a 1.46 goals-against-average and a .951 save percentage. Lovisa Selander made 23 saves in Sunday's loss.
IVES STAYS BUSY
Abbie Ives played both weekend games for the Whale making her the busiest PHF goaltender so far through two weeks. In three games she's faced 75 shots and stopped 50 directed her way against the Pride including 30 on Saturday and 20 on Sunday. Ives carries a goals-against-average of 2.63 that trails only Burt, while her save percentage of .893 ranks third overall.
SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS
Marchment scored a power play goal on Saturday with Wohlfeiler capitalizing with the advantage on Sunday as the Whale converted on two of their six total chances. Connecticut continues to be the PHF's most penalized team incurring nine minor penalties over the last two games, however managed to successfully kill all of the Pride's opportunities bringing their PK% to .955 on the season.
DEBUT OF 3-ON-3 OT
Saturday's game was the first to require extra time so far in the 2021-22 season and showcased the PHF's new 3-on-3 overtime format. The change was introduced to create more scoring opportunities to decide games ahead of a shootout. During the 2021 season, both games that were tied after regulation were settled in a shootout, while four of the eight tied games in 2019-20 were won in overtime and four by shootout. The last OT winner was scored by Whale forward Kendra Broad on January 11, 2020 in a 4-3 triumph over the Riveters.
WHALE WIN IN 100TH GAME
Sunday's contest marked the 100th regular season game in Connecticut Whale history. The founding four member of the PHF won 29 of those games including 13 in their inaugural 2015-16 season that began with eight straight victories. The club is still in pursuit of their first Isobel Cup.
OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION COMPLETE
The field is set for women's hockey at the Winter Olympics in Beijing, 2022 following a trio of weekend IIHF tournaments to determine the final three qualifiers. Czech Republic, Sweden, and Denmark all emerged victorious in their respective events and will compete among Japan and China in Group B action come February. Group A consists of the United States, Canada, Finland, ROC, and Switzerland. Whale forward Janine Weber finished with three goals and an assist in four games in Austria's bid to qualify. Janka Hlinka and Riveters forward Romana Kosecka each had a point for Slovakia who also featured Rivs defender Lenka Curmova. Lisa Haley, the PHF's Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations, coached Hungary to a second place finish losing their qualification bid to a Czech Republic team that featured former Riv Sammy Kolowrat who scored twice in three games.
A full slate of PHF action is on the schedule for next weekend, November 20-21. Connecticut makes a trip for two games in Toronto, Buffalo will battle Metropolitan for two, and Boston will play a pair in Minnesota. All games will stream live on ESPN+ in the United States, while international viewers can catch select action on Twitch and ESPN affiliates including TSN Direct in Canada.
Premier Hockey Federation Stories from November 15, 2021
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