PHF Weekend Pulse: November 20-21
November 22, 2021 - Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) News Release
*** Att Header - (Brooklyn, N.Y) - Week three of the 2021-22 Premier Hockey Federation season was the busiest one to date with all six teams in action playing a full slate of six games.
Here's a closer look at the results, top performers, and other notable highlights.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 20
Game 8
Connecticut Whale 1
Toronto Six 5
Michela Cava and Mikyla Grant-Mentis both delivered three-point performances to power Toronto to a historic victory in the first PHF game ever played on Canadian ice.
Game 9
Buffalo Beauts 4 OT
Metropolitan Riveters 3
Buffalo scored four unanswered goals to erase a 3-0 deficit and pick up their first win of the season courtesy of overtime heroics by Cassidy Vinkle.
Game 10
Boston Pride 0
Minnesota Whitecaps 2
Jonna Curtis scored both Whitecaps goals and Amanda Leveille shut the door to give Minnesota their first win of the season after two straight losses to Boston.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 21
Game 11
Connecticut Whale 2
Toronto Six 3
Mikyla Grant-Mentis scored a goal and an assist to lead Toronto to a weekend sweep and a perfect 3-0 start to the 2021-22 season.
Game 12
Boston Pride 2 OT
Minnesota Whitecaps 1
Defender Amanda Boulier scored the overtime winner against her former team to give Boston regular season bragging rights with three wins in four games against Minnesota.
Game 13
Buffalo Beauts 3
Metropolitan Riveters 5
Madison Packer and Rebecca Russo both scored twice as the Riveters debuted new red jerseys and picked up their first win back at Barnabas.
PHF 3 STARS OF THE WEEK
First Star: Mikyla Grant-Mentis made it a memorable weekend for the Toronto Six and their supporters. The reigning PHF MVP scored twice with three assists for five points in two games against Connecticut helping secure a pair of wins in the club's historic home ice debut north of the border. Her three-point performance in Saturday's 5-1 victory was highlighted by a buzzer-beating breakaway goal to end the second period, then her two-point effort in Sunday's 3-2 triumph included a top shelf snipe which held as the game-winner. The 23-year-old from Brampton, ON is second in PHF scoring with eight points through three games and is riding a nine-game point-streak that includes six consecutive multi-point contests counting her breakout 2021 campaign. The Merrimack College standout has 20 career points in 11 career regular season games for an impressive 1.8 point-per-game rate.
Second Star: Madison Packer led the way for the Metropolitan Riveters like she has throughout her seven-year career scoring twice with three assists for five points in two games as her club picked up four of six series points up for grabs at home to Buffalo. The captain produced a pair of assists in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss, then scored twice with an assist in Sunday's 5-3 bounce back win. Both goals were of the highlight reel variety including a wraparound on the power play and a spectacular shorthanded rush, toe-dragging the defender and burying the backhand. The 30-year-old from Birmingham, MI is tied for third in PHF scoring with seven points recorded across all four games so far this season. The University of Wisconsin graduate is climbing closer to a pair of century club milestones with 92 points in 91 games amassed thus far in her illustrious PHF career.
Third Star: Amanda Leveille was rock solid between-the-pipes for the Minnesota Whitecaps this weekend backstopping the club to four of a possible six points in their series with Boston. Nothing could beat her during Saturday's 2-0 win including a flurry of 16 third period shots to count her first win and shutout of the season. It was also the first time Boston has been shutout since January 5, 2019. She followed that with a 42-save performance in Sunday's 2-1 overtime loss which marks the highest single-game save total in the PHF so far this season. The 27-year-old from Kingston, ON re-writes the PHF records with every victory and shutout as her career totals climb to 46 and eight to lead both respective categories over six seasons. The University of Minnesota graduate is the reigning PHF Goaltender of the Year and currently carries a 2.24 goals-against-average that ranks third overall along with a .937 save percentage that ranks second.
STANDINGS TAKE SHAPE
A total of 13 games have been played so far in the 2021-22 PHF season ahead of the Thanksgiving break. Based on the new three-point game format that awards three points for regular season wins, two points for an overtime or shootout win, and a single point for an overtime or shootout loss, the standings are as follows. The Boston Pride lead with 10 points (2-2-0-2), followed by the Toronto Six with nine points (3-0-0-0), the Metropolitan Riveters at seven points (2-0-1-1) tied with the Connecticut Whale (2-0-1-3), the Minnesota Whitecaps with four points (1-0-1-2), and the Buffalo Beauts with two points (0-1-0-2).
RED HOT RUSSO
Rebecca Russo continues to stay red hot for the Riveters scoring three goals and one assist over the weekend and paces all PHF players with nine points in four games. The 27-year-old from Westport, CT is a fifth year veteran on track to shatter her previous career-high of 17 points in 16 games set during her sophomore 2017-18 season. In total, the Boston University graduate has produced 52 points in 57 games and will look to extend her four-game point-streak in December.
MARCHMENT MAKES HISTORY
The PHF's first ever goal scored on northern ice wasn't produced by a member of the host Toronto Six, but it was fittingly scored by a Canadian. Kennedy Marchment from Courtice, ON found the back of the net for the Connecticut Whale at 10:13 of the first frame to open Saturday's scoring at Canlan York. The PHF newcomer scored again on Sunday and is tied for second overall with seven points in six games with a league-leading five-game point-streak.
CAVA IS CLUTCH
Michela Cava first introduced herself to the Toronto Six by scoring the game-winner in her regular season debut, and now her name will forever be linked to PHF history as the team's first goal scorer on home ice. The Thunder Bay, ON native tallied her first of two contest goals at 6:04 of the second period to send the sellout crowd into a frenzy. The newcomer also picked up an assist for her first career three-point performance and has five points through three games.
FIRST CAREER PHF GOALS
Seven players scored their first career PHF goals on the weekend headlined by a dramatic overtime winner by Cassidy Vinkle who delivered Buffalo's first win of the season in style. The free agent acquisition was one of four Beauts to net a milestone marker along with fellow newcomers Anjelica Diffendal and Emilie Harley. Both draft picks and RMU grads actually produced a pair with Diffendal's deuce coming on Saturday in her second career game, and Harley's on Sunday in her third career game. Dominique Kremer also found the back of the net for the first two times in her PHF career scoring in both weekend games which were her eighth and ninth as a Beaut. Catherine Crawley also picked up her first for Connecticut in her sixth game, while Toronto first round picks Maegan Beres and Taylor Davison also scored on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
FIRST CAREER WIN FOR COAD
Buffalo's overtime dramatics were also a historic first for head coach Rhea Coad who earned her first PHF victory behind the bench. The Wheatfield, NY native was appointed to the position in March after joining the club as an assistant coach in 2018 and serving as an associate for Pete Perram last season. The SUNY-Canton graduate also has coaching experience with Nazareth College in addition to various development camps for USA Hockey.
STILL STREAKING
Kennedy Marchment's five-game point-streak for the Whale is the longest active stretch so far in the 2021-22 PHF season but eight players remain in hot pursuit with points in every one of their own games to date. The Riveters trio of Kendall Cornine, Madison Packer and Rebecca Russo are all at four games, while Beauts Taylor Accursi and Cassidy MacPherson are both at three games, as are the Toronto Six trio of Michela Cava, Shiann Darkangelo and Mikyla Grant-Mentis.
FRATKIN PLAYS 100TH GAME
On Sunday afternoon Kaleigh Fratkin of the Boston Pride became the first defender and just the second skater in PHF history to play in 100 career regular season games. She joins teammate Jillian Dempsey in the prestigious career century club. The 29-year-old from Burnaby, BC is a PHF original splitting time with a trio of teams over her seven-year tenure. Her first 18 games were spent with Connecticut, followed by 18 with Metropolitan, and the last 74 with Boston. The back-to-back Defender of the Year award recipient also holds the PHF's all-time record for points at her position with 71 and counting.
BIG GOAL FOR BOULIER
The third overtime goal of the PHF season must have felt good for Amanda Boulier coming against her former team. The new Boston Pride defender spent the last three seasons in Minnesota helping the Whitecaps win the Isobel Cup in 2019 and then reach consecutive finals. The Watertown, CT native began her career with the Whale back in 2017-18. Boulier leads all PHF defenders in scoring in the early stages of the season with four points and trails only Kaleigh Fratkin on the all-time list with 52 in 56 games which puts her 10th overall among all skaters.
CLAIMING THE CREASE
Amanda Leveille is one of three PHF goaltenders to start every single one of her team's games so far this season. She's at four starts while Elaine Chuli of the Toronto Six and Carly Jackson of the Buffalo Beauts are at three apiece. Chuli's got the lone perfect record along with a goals-against-average of 2.00 that trails only Katie Burt of the Boston Pride who tops the charts at 1.31 in three starts, while her .919 save percentage is third behind Burt's .951 and Leveille's .937. Jackson got her first win of the season on Saturday with 34 stops against the Riveters.
ONE START ONE WIN
Sunday saw two netminders make their first starts of the season and earn their first wins in the process. Boston's Victoria Hanson made 25 saves in a 2-1 victory over Minnesota, while Brooke Wolejko also turned aside 29 shots in her official Riveters debut resulting in a 5-3 win over Buffalo.
WHEN WILL THEY MEET AGAIN?
Through three weeks the Boston Pride and Minnesota Whitecaps have already completed their season series with the defending champions earning eight of a possible 12 points while holding a 9-7 overall advantage in goals scored. Both clubs represent the Isobel Cup finalists the last two seasons and if they reconnect in 2021-22 the stakes would once again be high.
The PHF returns to action the weekend of December 4-5 with two series between Metropolitan and Connecticut, while Toronto visits Boston. 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 22, 2021
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