Whale Show Heart, But Brilliant Lev Breaks It in 2-1 Win for Whitecaps
December 22, 2019 - Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)
Minnesota Whitecaps News Release
Despite the heroic efforts of the gritty and gutty Connecticut Whale and their goaltender Sonjia Shelly, Allie "Thunder" Thunstrom, Amanda Leveille and the Minnesota Whitecaps completed the weekend sweep in Danbury with a 2-1 victory.
"That was a hard-fought team victory," said Whitecaps GM and co-head coach Jack Brodt. "And give a lot of credit to Lev. She was fantastic in goal for us."
After getting a natural hat trick in the third period of the Whitecaps' 3-0 win on Saturday, Thunstrom opened the scoring just 2:29 into the game on an assist from Audra Richards, whose play seems to get better each week in her first season with Minnesota.
With just over five minutes left in the period, Connecticut's Emma Vlasic tied the score. Vlasic - almost certain to be named an All-Star based on her superb play in her rookie season - was assisted by Kayla Meneghin, who celebrated her birthday today.
But at 17:54 of the first, Minnesota took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Haylea Schmid.
Amazingly, despite breathless action throughout the final 40 minutes, Schmid's goal would be the last of the game. Shelly gave the Whale a fantastic effort, stopping 42 of 44 shots.
The Whale swarmed the Minnesota net in the final ten minutes of regulation and had several quality chances. But Leveille, the perennial all-star, two-time Isobel Cup champion, and winner of NWHL Goaltender of the Year, made several astonishing stops. Leveille finished the game with 32 saves on 33 shots.
As champions do, the Whitecaps found a way to win. Minnesota improved to 7-3-2 on the season and are in second place in the NWHL.
"We played well offensively, and we weathered the storm defensively at the end of the game when Connecticut was pressuring us hard to tie the game," said Whitecaps center Lauren Barnes. "Going forward, we need to continue to drive the net and get gritty goals, especially when the games get very physical."
Credit also goes to the Whale. Injuries limited them to having just four defenders this weekend, with games less than 24 hours apart. And yet they battled from start to finish, and only the otherworldly goaltending of Leveille prevented Connecticut from earning at least a point.
"We are finding our strides in terms of what kind of team we want to be and the level of play we expect of ourselves," said Whale captain Shannon Doyle. "Our record is clearly not a reflection of the kind of games we've been playing - one-goal games that could go either way. I'm proud of the relentless effort of our group."
The Whale host the undefeated Boston Pride next weekend at Danbury on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET. The Whitecaps are back on the road on Jan. 4-5 against the Riveters.
Tickets for all games are available at NWHL.zone/tickets.
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Premier Hockey Federation Stories from December 22, 2019
- Boston Pride Now 13-0 After 4-2 Victory in Buffalo - Boston Pride
- Whale Show Heart, But Brilliant Lev Breaks It in 2-1 Win for Whitecaps - Minnesota Whitecaps
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