NEW YORK AND TORONTO – A better take a look at on- and off-ice highlights from across the Skilled Girls’s Hockey League (PWHL) heading into the vacation break.
100TH PWHL GAME TO BE PLAYED DEC. 27
When the puck drops between Boston and Toronto on Friday night time following the vacation break it is going to be the a hundredth recreation in PWHL historical past. The 99 video games performed up to now replicate 72 in the course of the inaugural common season, 13 within the playoffs, and 14 within the 2024-25 marketing campaign. Whole attendance via all 99 PWHL video games is 569,367 – a median of 5,751 per recreation. This season’s attendance via 14 video games is 85,837 – a median of 6,131 per recreation.
FROST STAY IN FIRST PLACE IN PWHL STANDINGS
The Minnesota Frost (3-1-1-0) sit alone atop the general standings with 12 factors. They prolonged their successful streak to 4 straight video games with a 5-2 victory at dwelling towards the Ottawa Cost on Thursday, adopted by a 4-3 shootout win on the street towards the New York Sirens on Sunday in a battle for first place. The reigning PWHL champions, who’re an ideal 3-for-3 all-time in shootouts, have scored a league-high 20 targets, and are the one group within the league and not using a regulation loss this season. Regardless of the loss to the Frost, the Sirens (2-1-1-1) keep in second place with 9 factors, having earned 4 factors in two video games final week, together with a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Sceptres on Wednesday at Prudential Middle within the group’s dwelling opener. Click on here to see PWHL standings.
MONTRÉAL AND BOSTON CARRY WIN STREAKS INTO THE BREAK
The Montréal Victoire (1-2-0-1) have gained two straight video games following a 4-3 additional time street victory on Saturday towards the Sceptres. The win was Montréal’s first towards Toronto in six all-time conferences and featured an OT purpose by Laura Stacey together with a highlight-reel purpose by Abby Boreen that made the SportsCenter Top-10. The Boston Fleet (2-0-0-2) additionally enter the vacation break with a two-game successful streak following a 3-2 victory at dwelling towards Ottawa final Tuesday. The second consecutive win matches the group’s longest regular-season win streak, which they achieved 5 instances in the course of the inaugural season. Ottawa (1-0-1-3) and Toronto (1-0-1-3) are on three and four-game dropping streaks respectively. Click on here to see PWHL scores and schedule.
LOVE AND SUPPORT FOR ERICA HOWE
The Sceptres, Victoire, and all followers in attendance on Saturday at Coca-Cola Coliseum confirmed that some issues are larger than the sport. Toronto alumna Erica Howe, who retired from skilled hockey within the offseason and was recognized with breast most cancers in the summertime, addressed the crowd and was embraced by members of each groups earlier than a gaggle photograph on the ice. The Most cancers Consciousness Recreation raised greater than $20,000 and over 500 ‘Howie’ toques have been offered by the Mississauga Hearth Division to assist fundraising initiatives – surpassing the purpose of $27,000 on Howe’s Hockey Fights Most cancers assist page. The sport additionally featured a bra toss the place, along with PWHL companion Bravado Designs, $60,000 value of bras have been donated to ladies in shelters throughout Toronto.
THOMPSON TIES SINGLE-GAME POINTS RECORD
Minnesota defender Claire Thompson turned simply the second participant in PWHL historical past to report a four-point efficiency, with a purpose and three assists in Thursday’s 5-2 win over Ottawa. The third total choose within the 2024 draft equaled the efficiency by Montréal defender Erin Ambrose (4A) on April 18 in a 4-3 victory towards Minnesota.
LEAGUE LEADERS
Thompson (1G, 6A) leads all defenders in scoring and is tied for the general lead with New York forwards Alex Carpenter (4G, 3A) and Sarah Fillier (2G, 5A), every with seven factors in 5 video games. Thompson leads all gamers with six assists, Carpenter’s 4 targets are probably the most within the PWHL, and Fillier, the Sirens’ first total choose within the 2024 draft, is the league’s high scoring rookie. Minnesota captain Kendall Coyne Schofield (3G, 3A) and the Frost’s 2023 first total choose, Taylor Heise (1G, 5A), spherical out the top-5 with six factors in 5 video games. In purpose, Montréal netminder Elaine Chuli (2-0-0) and Minnesota’s Maddie Rooney (3-0-0) stay undefeated and carry league-best goals-against-averages of two.00. Boston’s Aerin Frankel leads the league with a .934 save proportion. Click on here for participant stats.
SCORING STREAKS
Carpenter has recorded some extent in all 5 video games for the Sirens and is one in all three gamers to hold a season-opening level streak. Toronto defender Renata Quick (5A) has 5 factors in 5 video games for the Sceptres and Boston captain Hilary Knight (2G, 2A) has 4 factors within the Fleet’s first 4 video games. Heise (1G, 5A) holds the following longest lively streak with six factors recorded over 4 straight video games. Carpenter was one in all 5 gamers who recorded a six-game level streak in the course of the inaugural season together with Ottawa’s Emily Clark and Kateřina Mrázová, and Toronto’s Natalie Spooner and Blayre Turnbull.
FIRST CAREER PWHL GOALS
Eight gamers recorded their first PWHL targets this previous week, together with Montréal rookie Lina Ljungblom, who turned the primary participant from Sweden to attain a purpose within the PWHL. The 23-year-old from Skövde was the ultimate choose within the inaugural draft. 5 gamers chosen within the 2024 draft additionally scored for the primary time within the PWHL together with Thompson, New York third rounder Noora Tulus and sixth rounder Emmy Fecteau, Ottawa sixth rounder Anna Meixner, and Boston sixth spherical choose Shay Maloney. Sirens veteran defender Micah Zandee-Hart scored her first purpose in her twenty third profession recreation and Cost veteran ahead Shiann Darkangelo scored her first purpose in her twenty eighth recreation. To date this season, there have been 54 totally different purpose scorers throughout the PWHL, together with 13 rookies.
TRIO OF ROOKIE GOALTENDERS MAKE PWHL DEBUTS
All three goaltenders chosen within the 2024 PWHL Draft acquired their first style {of professional} motion final week. Ottawa third spherical choose Gwyneth Philips stopped 35 pictures on Thursday and, regardless of the 5-2 loss, set a PWHL report for many saves in a primary profession recreation. The 35 saves have been matched on Saturday by Toronto seventh rounder Raygan Kirk in a 4-3 additional time loss to Montréal. Kirk made her debut in Toronto’s earlier recreation, on Wednesday in New York, the place she stopped all 9 pictures towards in third interval reduction. Sirens fifth rounder Kayle Osborne additionally made her debut in reduction, coming into Sunday’s recreation within the second interval and proceeded to cease 18 of 19 pictures in a 4-3 shootout loss to Minnesota.
FROST VISIT MINNESOTA GOVERNOR
The Frost have been honored to go to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s residence with the Walter Cup to have a good time the inaugural season’s championship. Governor Walz made a particular proclamation declaring Wednesday, December 18, 2024 as ‘Minnesota Frost Day’ in recognition of the group and their impression throughout the State of Hockey. Click on here to look at highlights.
BEST FASHION STATEMENT
The PWHL acquired a Sports activities Enterprise Journal 12 months-Finish Award for Finest Trend Assertion for PWHL and Molson’s “See My Title” marketing campaign. The important thing initiative occurred on Worldwide Girls’s Day for a recreation between Toronto and Montréal that featured the gamers’ nameplates on their jerseys beneath the numbers to make sure they wouldn’t be coated up by gamers’ lengthy hair. Molson positioned its personal emblem above the numbers, the place it could be partially obstructed by gamers’ hair. Click on here to learn extra from SBJ.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
The PWHL schedule resumes with three video games after Christmas, starting Friday night time when Toronto hosts Boston at 7:00 p.m. ET at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Up subsequent, Minnesota hosts Montréal on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET at Xcel Vitality Middle, adopted by New York internet hosting Ottawa at Prudential Middle on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. ET. All three video games are a part of the PWHL’s Unity Recreation calendar, recognizing Group Heroes in Toronto and Minnesota and Psychological Well being Consciousness in New York.
Friday, December 27, 2024
7:00 p.m. ET – Boston Fleet at Toronto Sceptres (Coca-Cola Coliseum)
TSN 3, NESN+
Saturday, December 28, 2024
2:00 p.m. ET – Montréal Victoire at Minnesota Frost (Xcel Vitality Middle)
FanDuel Sports activities Community North, CBC, ICI TÉLÉ and ICI TOU.TV
Sunday, December 29, 2024
1:00 p.m. ET – Ottawa Cost at New York Sirens (Prudential Middle)
MSG/MSGHD, TSN 2
