Six teams play six games over three days in Buffalo, Connecticut, and Toronto
It’s the fifth week of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) regular season, and the schedule is packed with six teams in action. The Connecticut Whale drop the puck in Simsbury for their home opener at ISCC against the Minnesota Whitecaps, the Buffalo Beauts host the Boston Pride, and the Toronto Six welcome the Metropolitan Riveters in their second clash of the season.
Here’s a closer look at more of what’s in store for puck drop.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 9, 2022
7:00 PM ET – Minnesota Whitecaps (2-2-2) vs Connecticut Whale (1-1-1)
(ESPN+ & TSN.ca with Kelly Schultz and Erica Ayala)
The second Friday night game of the 2022-23 season features a special matchup in Simsbury, Connecticut where the Whale welcome the Whitecaps and PHF fans to their new home at ISCC. Both teams enter the weekend on high notes with Connecticut most recently claiming four of six points against Montreal, and Minnesota earning a perfect six-point sweep over Metropolitan. History between these two teams over the past four years is best told in two parts. From 2018-21, the Whitecaps won all 12 regular season meetings and outscored the Whale 56-12, then enjoyed a 7-0 triumph in the 2021 Isobel Cup semifinal. The tide turned during the 2021-22 campaign when Connecticut won all four games and outscored Minnesota 17-6, then earned a semifinal win of their own by a 4-2 score in March. The dynamic duo of Kennedy Marchment and Taylor Girard, who combined for six points last weekend in Sept-Îles, performed better against the Whitecaps than any other opponent last season with nine points each in four games including Girard’s first career hat-trick the last encounter in Connecticut on Dec. 5. Amanda Leveille missed the last two regular season meetings between the teams but was between-the-pipes for 11 of Minnesota’s 12 consecutive victories to start the all-time series and is fresh off her first two wins of the season.
SATURDAY DECEMBER 10, 2022
2:00 PM ET – Minnesota Whitecaps vs Connecticut Whale
(ESPN+ & TSN.ca with Joe Malfa and Kelly Schultz)
2:00 PM ET – Metropolitan Riveters (2-5-0) vs Toronto Six (4-1-1)
(ESPN+ & TSN.ca with David Gascon and Erica Ayala)
For the second time in four weeks, it’s the Riveters against T6 which represents the first complete season series on the 2022-23 schedule. They split their first meetings with a pair of three-goal decisions Nov. 19-20. Sarah Bujold had a breakout performance with two goals and one assist to give Metropolitan their first win by a 6-3 score, then Leah Lum and Tereza Vanišová both had three-point efforts in Toronto’s 5-2 rebound win. While head-to-head the teams scored and allowed an even eight goals apiece, they are on opposite sides of the spectrum overall. The Six have scored a league-leading 23 goals in six games for a 3.8 average, and the Riveters have given up 25 in seven games for a 3.6 average which is the league’s highest to date. Offensively, the Riveters have averaged a league-low 2.6 goals-per-game but have found success on special teams which has been the source of nine of their 18 tallies, including six power play and three shorthanded which are both league-high figures. It’s a homecoming for Mississauga’s Kelly Babstock, the seven-year veteran who was the first Canadian to ever score a PHF goal in 2015. She’ll try and change the luck for Metropolitan who look to become the first team to win in Toronto. The Six won 2-1, and 3-0 at home against the Riveters Dec. 11-12 last season with Elaine Chuli stopping 46/47.
7:00 PM ET – Boston Pride (5-1-0) vs Buffalo Beauts (1-0-1)
(ESPN+ & TSN.ca with Joe Malfa and Kelly Schultz)
Buffalo is back in action for the first time in five weeks and will be tested immediately by first place Boston who have won five of six games so far this season. The Beauts earned all four of their points in an opening weekend split at home against Montreal where they were led offensively by Claudia Kepler and Anjelica Diffendal who both had three points. Diffendal was also the hero the last time these two teams met in the regular season on Mar. 20 at Northtown Center, scoring the overtime winner in the 3-2 thriller. The Beauts won both home games over the Pride in OT last season, also emerging triumphant by a 2-1 score Mar. 19 which split the season series. It was Boston who ended Buffalo’s season a week later in the preliminary round of playoffs with a 6-0 shutout. Four members of this year’s Pride contributed two-point performances that night including Kali Flanagan, Christina Putigna, McKenna Brand, and Kaleigh Fratkin. When these two teams meet in Buffalo the outcomes are streaky. Season 7’s two wins for the Beauts followed four-straight by the Pride in Season 5. Before that, Buffalo won five-straight across Season’s 3 and 4, and Boston won five-straight in Season’s 1 and 2 which gives the visitors the 9-7 edge all-time. Consider it a home game for Pride newcomer Olivia Zafuto who hails from nearby Niagara Falls, NY.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 11, 2022
1:00 PM ET – Boston Pride vs Buffalo Beauts
(ESPN+ & TSN.ca with Joe Malfa and Kelly Schultz)
2:00 PM ET – Metropolitan Riveters vs Toronto Six
(ESPN+, TSN.ca with David Gascon and Erica Ayala)
WHALE CALL ISCC HOME
When the puck drops Friday night in Connecticut the count of new PHF facilities introduced in 2022-23 officially reaches three. The International Skating Center of CT (ISCC) in the Hartford County town of Simsbury becomes the permanent home of the Whale after the team played the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons at Danbury Ice Arena. The Whale will drop the puck in style with the unveiling of a new third jersey, plus opening night festivities that include members of the 8U CT Northern Lights Girls Hockey program on the ice during the national anthem that will be sung by former Connecticut State Troubadour Nekita Waller. A ceremonial puck drop will be performed by Governor Ned Lamont and First Selectman of Simsbury, Wendy Mack.
BEARS TO LAUNCH IN BUFFALO
The Beauts are calling on fans to get into the holiday spirit on Saturday at Fort Beaut with the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss game. Fans are encouraged to bring unused teddy bears and other stuffed animals to the game to throw onto the ice when the Beauts score their first goal. The items will be collected and donated to WNY Heroes to support the children of local military veterans. The game will also be hosted by special guest sports analyst Amanda Vance.
T6 HOST DIABETES AWARENESS GAME
On Sunday in Toronto, the Six are raising funds and awareness for Diabetes Canada in partnership with Dexcom who will be matching all donations up to $2,500. Humboldt survivor Kaleb Dahlgren will be participating in the ceremonial puck drop alongside four-time Olympian and three-time gold medallist Becky Kellar-Duke. The puck drop will also include two kids that Dahlgren mentors as part of his ‘Diabeauties’ program. The game is also special for T6 forward and alternate captain Breanne Wilson-Bennett who, like Dahlgren, is Type 1 diabetic but has overcome adversity to live her best life on and off the ice.
BURT FINDS NEW HOME BETWEEN-THE-PIPES
Isobel Cup champion Katie Burt has returned to the PHF after signing a one-year contract to play for the Metropolitan Riveters the remainder of the 2022-23 season. The signing fills the void left by Rachel McQuigge who will be sidelined for some time with an injury. The 25-year-old from Lynn, MA was a member of the Boston Pride in 2018-19 and again in 2021-22 where she recorded a league-low 1.41 goals-against-average and a leading .958 save percentage. She also set a PHF record for longest shutout streak at 214:55 over a five-game period.
NEW DIGS FOR DOSDALL-ARENA
Another familiar face is back in the PHF. Defender Kiira Dosdall-Arena has signed a PTO with Connecticut and when she steps on the ice with the Whale will become the fifth player in PHF history to compete in each of the league’s eight seasons following teammate Shannon Turner, Boston’s Jillian Dempsey and Kaleigh Fratkin, and Metropolitan’s Madison Packer. The 35-year-old from Stamford, CT has appeared in 89 career games to date, all played as a member of the Riveters where she has recorded 27 points and captured an Isobel Cup title in 2018.
HOCKEY LEGACY AWARD FOR DEMPSEY
On Wednesday night The Sports Museum in Boston held its 21st annual fundraising gala, The Tradition. Among the honorees was Pride captain Jillian Dempsey who was recognized with the Hockey Legacy Award as part of the event’s Class of 2022 with Johnny Damon (Boston Red Sox), Bill Rodgers (Boston Marathon), Lawyer Milloy (New England Patriots), Chantè Bonds (Boston Renegades), M.L. Carr (Boston Celtics), and Mark Recchi (Boston Bruins). The three-time Isobel Cup champion is also the PHF’s all-time leader in games and points. Read more about Dempsey who is ‘living the dream’ in this Boston Globe piece by Kat Cornetta.
BOULIER GOES BACK TO HER ROOTS
It’s not the first time Amanda Boulier has been back home for hockey, but the Whitecaps defender from Watertown, CT might have some extra motivation in the tank ahead of her weekend series with the Whale. The team’s itinerary included a visit to Westminster High School to meet the girl’s hockey team and practice at her old rink. The six-year veteran and second all-time leading scorer at her position began her professional career with the Whale in 2017-18 and is amid her fourth season with Minnesota after playing the 2021-22 campaign in Boston.
BEAUTS D DO DAMAGE
Nobody scored more on opening weekend than the Beauts, which is great news for the team that averaged the fewest goals during the 2021-22 season. Even more impressive is that five of their seven goals in two games came from new offensive sources on the blue line. Whitney Dove scored her first two career goals in her first PHF games since the shortened 2021 season, returnee Allison Attea also tallied for the first time in her 18th career game, plus newcomers Antonia Matzka and Maddie Truax scored in their professional debuts which bodes well for the league’s most inexperienced defensive corps.
TALLIES FROM TORONTO’S TBAY TANDEM
Leaving Boston with four out of six points was a successful road trip for the team, and individually for a pair of T6 players from Thunder Bay who are used to finding the back of the net. Brooke Boquist got her first goal of the season on Nov. 26 after producing five in 20 games last season, and Michela Cava followed suit on Nov. 27 with her first two tucks of the year after chipping in four over 11 games in her first PHF experience. It’s a welcome boost for an already powerful Toronto attack that has received offensive production from a league-high 18 players so far through six games.
CREASE CUTS
Fresh off a two-win weekend, expect to see Amanda Leveille back in the Whitecaps crease when they visit Connecticut. The Minnesota netminder has started all six games for the team to date, carrying a goals-against-average of 2.84 and save percentage of .907 into battle. In the PHF rankings, those figures stand next to the Whale’s Abbie Ives who picked up the team’s first win last Sunday. Her GAA of 3.00 is behind Leveille for fourth, but her .923 SV% is one spot better at third. Meeri Räisänen also made her season debut for the Whale and stopped 23 of 26. Eveliina Mäkinen started both games for the Riveters last weekend and through three appearances has one win along with a 3.04 GAA and .894 SV%. With Rachel McQuigge sidelined, Katie Burt is signed and primed to make her season debut. At the other end, Toronto’s Elaine Chuli has had a slower start to the season statistically but has still won three times in five games despite a 3.16 GAA and .891 SV% which are below her career averages. Boston’s Corinne Schroeder still tops the charts with five wins in six games, a 1.69 GAA, and a .953 SV%. She was pulled in her last game against T6 to give Lovisa Selander her first action of the season where she turned aside 22 of 26. Fellow Swede Lovisa Berndtsson started Buffalo’s season opener and is still looking for her first PHF win but could concede action to newcomer Kassidy Sauvé who returns from injury and is ready to make her PHF debut.
STATS SNAPSHOT
Toronto’s Brittany Howard and Metropolitan’s Sarah Bujold both have eight points on the heels of Montreal’s Jade Downie-Landry who leads the league with nine. Her 1.5 points-per-game average is tied with Buffalo’s Anjelica Diffendal and Claudia Kepler for the highest in the league, followed by Howard (1.3) tied with Boston’s Loren Gabel, T6 forward Leah Lum (1.2), and Bujold (1.1). Howard leads the league with seven goals, and Riveters defender Anna Kilponen leads with six assists. Team shots on goal leaders are Bujold with 33, Howard with 29, Minnesota’s Sidney Morin with 26, Boston’s Christina Putigna with 23, Connecticut’s Kennedy Marchment with 12, and Buffalo’s Mikyla Grant-Mentis and Jenna Suokko with five each. Three players have a plus-minus rating of plus-5 including Pride defenders Aneta Tejralová and Kali Flanagan, and Whitecaps forward Jonna Albers. Faceoff leaders by winning percentage are Grant-Mentis (.633), the Whale’s Emma Vlasic (.611), the Riveters’ Kelly Babstock (.600), Minnesota’s Sydney Brodt (.568), Toronto’s Shiann Darkangelo (.561), and Boston’s Taylor Wenczkowski (.542).
SCURTO NAMED AMONG TULSANS OF THE YEAR
Tulsa World Magazine has included Andy Scurto among its Tulsans of the Year. The member of the PHF Board of Governors and NLTT Hockey Ventures Inc. which owns the Beauts and Whitecaps was recognized for his commitment to sports and sports fans in the Tulsa metro area. Scurto purchased the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers in September 2021 and pledged his dedication to the team, its fans, and professional sports community. Among his notable contributions since then, the Northern California native brought the first professional women’s hockey game to the state of Oklahoma when the Beauts and Whitecaps inspired thousands of new fans during an exhibition game on April 2 at the BOK Center. Read more about Scurto and the rest of the honorees.
Fans in the United States can enjoy live PHF action all season long exclusively on ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). In Canada, live coverage of the PHF is available to TSN subscribers through the network’s five television feeds as well as live streaming via TSN.ca and the TSN app. PHF games that are part of the ESPN International distribution network may be available in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa via ESPN Player, in Latin America via Star+, the Caribbean through ESPN Player via the ESPN App, and Oceania through Watch ESPN via the ESPN App. All Montreal Force games are available in French exclusively on TVA Sports.
