Rivs' Kate Leary Named VEDA Player of the Week
February 18, 2020 - Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)
Metropolitan Riveters News Release
Metropolitan Riveters' All-Star winger Kate Leary is the VEDA Player of the Week.
"It's certainly an honor to be recognized for my contributions, but most importantly our team had a good weekend to come out of it with three of a possible four points," said Leary.
Leary stepped up her game for the Riveters last weekend by scoring goals in back-to-back games against the rival Buffalo Beauts. Her scoring touch helped earn the Riveters three crucial points in the standings, bringing them within striking range of securing third place with just two weekends left in the 2019-20 regular season.
Leary, the NWHL's Player of the Month for December 2019, scored her 13th goal of the season on Saturday in the Riveters' 6-5 shootout loss. Less than 24 hours later, Leary led the Riveters' offense with two goals in the first period, including a highlight-reel goal that gave her team a 2-0 lead.
She finished Sunday's game leading all skaters with eight shots on goal, giving her 11 shots and an iKSt (individual Steady) of 12 for the weekend. Always in the center of the action, Leary was also on the ice for five of the Riveters' eight even strength goals during the weekend.
As a result of her three-goal weekend, Leary now leads the Riveters with 15 goals in 20 games - a new single-season record in Riveters' franchise history. She also became just the second Riveter in NWHL history to hit the 25-point milestone in a single season - the other is her linemate and team captain Madison Packer.
Leary and the Riveters return to action on Sunday, Feb. 23 for a crucial showdown against the Boston Pride. The Riveters have just three games left in the regular season and need to secure points if they want to secure a third-place finish in the standings. Tickets for that game and all Riveters' home games are available at riveters.nwhl.zone/tickets.
"The last three games will be important for our team to really set the stage and tone and get us ready for playoffs," said Leary. "We want to hit the playoffs playing our best hockey of the year."
THE VEDA NWHL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK FOR 2019-20
October 8: Lenka ÃÅurmová, Beauts
October 15: Lexie Laing, Pride
October 22: Lovisa Selander, Pride; Brooke Stacey, Beauts
October 31: Sydney Baldwin, Whitecaps
November 19: Kelsey Neumann, Beauts
November 26: Taylor Accursi, Beauts
December 3: Sam Walther, Riveters
December 10: Kendall Cornine, Riveters; Alyssa Wohlfeiler, Pride
December 17: Audra Richards, Whitecaps
December 24: Allie Thunstrom, Whitecaps
December 31: Madison Packer, Riveters
January 7: Amanda Leveille, Whitecaps; Sam Walther, Riveters
January 14: Kendra Broad, Whale
January 22: Amanda Boulier, Whitecaps; Mallory Souliotis, Pride
January 30: Allie Thunstrom, Whitecaps
February 18: Kate Leary, Riveters
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