Riveters Set to Take on Lulea in Champions Cup
September 26, 2018 - Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)
Metropolitan Riveters News Release
On Saturday, September 29 the first Champions Cup will be held in historic Hobey Baker Rink, pitting the NWHL Isobel Cup champion Metropolitan Riveters against Luleå Hockey, the champions from SDHL. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
The game will be broadcast live on Twitter, with Sam Fryman, Sherry Ross and Erica Ayala serving as the broadcast team.
For the Riveters, this will be their first game together as a group with a new coach (Randy Velischek).
Already six games into their season in Sweden, Luleå has yet to suffer a defeat and will be boasting a roster that represents five different countries. Michelle Karvinen has led the SDHL in points in each of the past three seasons and the 28-year-old winger already has 11 points (5g-6a) in her first five games. She is 14th all-time in points in the SDHL with 228 points (102g-126a) over 106 career games.
For the Riveters, last season forward Alexa Gruschow was voted MVP and led the NWHL in points (23), forward Madison Packer led the league in goals (10) and defender Courtney Burke was voted Defender of the Year and led the league in assists (17). Packer is the Rivs all-time leader in points (38) which is 7th all-time in the NWHL.
Hello, My Name Is: Five players will be hoping to make their NWHL/Riveters debut on Saturday: Lexi Slattery, Audra Richards, Fiona McKenna, Chelsea Ziadie, and Alexa Aramburu.
Homecoming: Riveters defender Kelsey Koelzer will be returning to the rink that she called home for four years and the blueline that she patrolled while playing for the Princeton Tigers (2013-17). Koelzer was named the captain for her senior season with the Tigers and was the first overall pick by the Rivs in the 2016 NWHL Draft. Rookie forward Fiona McKenna also played at Princeton from 2013-17 and was an alternate captain her senior season. Forward Kelly Nash has been an assistant coach for the women's hockey team since July 2017.
Homecoming Part Deux: Two players on the Riveters roster were born in the state of New Jersey - Rebecca Morse (Westfield) and Alexa Aramburu (Glen Rock).
Defenders of the Cup: The 2018-19 Riveters will be returning 15 players from their championship roster: Katie Fitzgerald, Kimberly Sass, Sarah Bryant, Michelle Picard, Courtney Burke, Jenny Ryan, Kelsey Koelzer, Kiira Dosdall, Madison Packer, Kelly Nash, Rebecca Morse, Miye D'Oench, Alexa Gruschow, Rebecca Russo, and Erika Lawler.
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Premier Hockey Federation Stories from September 26, 2018
- Riveters Set to Take on Lulea in Champions Cup - Metropolitan Riveters
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