Following the announcement of the All-Star rosters, the players had to turn their attention back to the business of hockey. It was one for the goalies this week as both Boston and New York recorded shutouts. Boston cemented their number one spot at the table, while the Whale slid to the bottom of the pile following their third straight loss.
Results:
New York Riveters 3 – 0 Buffalo Beauts
Boston Pride 4 – 0 Connecticut Whale
Three Stars:
3rd Star – Alex Carpenter (Boston Pride, 1G 2A)
Alex Carpenter recorded a three point night as she extended her point streak to three games. Her goal came midway in the second, Boston all the momentum heading in the third and dealing a devastating blow to the Connecticut Whale’s power play. Carpenter now leads the league in goals and points.
2nd Star – Katie Fitzgerald (New York Riveters, 29 Saves)
On any other weekend, Fitzgerald would have been the first star with this exceptional shut out performance to propel the Rivs into 2nd place in the standings. Along with registering her second career shutout, she also passed the 200 saves mark for the season: the first goaltender to do so.
https://twitter.com/PatMacPhotog/status/820811653587628032
1st Star – Brittany Ott (Boston Pride, 37 Saves)
With Ott on the ice, you don’t expect many shots to end up in the back of the net. On target to win best goaltender of the year once again, Brittany Ott notched up her third shutout of the year along with now having a GAA of just 0.98. This consistency is a key contributor to the Pride’s 20 game winning streak in the league.
Honourable Mentions:
Jillion Dempsey netted two goals against the Whale, meanwhile Hillary Knight got a goal for herself on her return to the team after being out since the start of the season.
L👀k who's back! #ThePack pic.twitter.com/c3LhSzEOov
— Boston Pride (@TheBostonPride) January 15, 2017
Janine Weber recorded a goal and an assist to get her above the point per game mark, and is now tied for 4th in points league wide.
New York’s power kill was 5 for 5 against Buffalo.
Not So Honourable Mentions:
The Whale’s power play continues to be unimpressive as they went 0 for 4 against a strong Boston side. It is clear to see why they are bottom of the standings with their special teams failing to produce the goods.
Now 2 time all-star, Megan Bozek, was -2 in the Beauts’ 3-0 loss to New York.
Connecticut and Buffalo will have some time to mull over their goalless performances as they have a week off while the top two sides, Boston and New York, will face off in Newark. Most people’s money will be on Boston extending their league winning streak to 21 games but with the recent performances from the Rivs, there might just be an upset around the corner.
