This was the final week of games before the all-star game hits Pittsburgh. With the announcement of a shorter season to give the players a chance to play for their respective countries in the IIHF World Cup, points in the standings are becoming a rare commodity. For New York and Buffalo as they continue their tightly contested battle for 2nd place, every point counts.
Results:
Buffalo Beauts 2 – 3 New York Riveters
Connecticut Whale 2 – 5 Boston Pride
Three Stars:
3rd Star – Amanda Kessel (New York Riveters, 2A)
In a crucial matchup, Amanda Kessel turned up and delivered the goods. She registered two primary assists in the first period to give the Rivs a 2-0 lead, which turned out to be crucial as Buffalo really came back with a vengeance in the second period. Kessel now has at least a point in every game she has played this season, bringing her tally up to 11 points with a consistency that we have come to expect from her.
2nd Star – Alex Carpenter (Boston Pride, 1G 2A)
It seems that Carpenter makes it onto my three stars almost every single week. She got a goal and two assists as Boston managed to escape registering their first loss of the season. She now has 21 points this year, putting her way out in front for the scoring race.
1st Star – Meghan Duggan (Boston Pride, 2G 1A)
Carpenter may have complete control at the top of the overall points race but the goal scoring leader board is a whole other story. With two goals on Saturday- one being the game winner- Duggan shot to join Skarupa with 10 goals at the top of the list.
Honourable Mentions:
Katie Fitzgerald made 22 saves to give her the best stats out of the four goalies this weekend, with a 0.917% save percentage.
Tatiana Rafter and Haley Skarupa both had goals following their hat tricks from last weekend.
It’s been a great season for Boston, which is reflected by the fact that 3 of the top 5 points scorers are on the Pride’s roster in Carpenter, Duggan and Decker.
Not So Honourable Mentions:
Kelly Steadman. In the Kessel v Steadman battle many would have expected a bit more from the Buffalo Beaut. She managed 7 shots on goal but couldn’t help the team on the board as Buffalo fell to the Rivs 3-2.
Connecticut have now lost 6 games in a row and allowed 4 goals without answer to blow their 1 goal lead going into the third against Boston.
The teams will now have a week off as we are once again treated to the Kessel v Steadman matchup, but this time at the all-star game in Pittsburgh. New York now have a 4 point lead over Buffalo in the standings, but if Buffalo can cash in with their two games in hand over New York then the battle for second place will be back on.
