Puck drop in Pittsburgh headlines five-game schedule
The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) regular season schedule reaches the halfway mark this weekend with five games that feature six teams. Pittsburgh, PA is the site of a neutral site game between the Connecticut Whale and Montreal Force in partnership with the Penguins, plus doubleheaders between the Minnesota Whitecaps and host Metropolitan Riveters, and the Buffalo Beauts and host Boston Pride.
Here’s a closer look at what’s on tap:
SATURDAY JANUARY 14, 2023
3:00 PM ET – Montreal Force (4-5-1) vs Connecticut Whale (4-4-1)
(ESPN+ & TSN+ with Donny Baarns and Maura Sheridan, TVA Sports 2)
The PHF is in Pittsburgh where the puck drops between Montreal and Connecticut at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, the practice home of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. Just two points separate the Force and Whale in the standings, and if this contest is anything like their first two meetings in Sept-Îles, Quebec Dec. 3-4 it will be a treat for the fans. Both games were one goal decisions with the Force victorious in the opener 4-3 as Catherine Daoust tied the game late and captain Ann-Sophie Bettez scored the shootout winner. The rematch was a 3-2 back-and-forth battle where Alyssa Wohlfeiler had two points and Kennedy Marchment scored the third period game-winner for the Whale’s first victory of the season. Connecticut is 3-3 since then but have found some offensive momentum, scoring six goals in two of their last three games including last Sunday’s 6-0 shutout over the Riveters. Montreal is 1-2-1 since last month’s head-to-head, salvaging a single point in two games last weekend against Toronto. The Whale’s seventh ranked power play could be challenged once again as they face the Force’s top ranked penalty kill.
3:00 PM ET – Minnesota Whitecaps (6-4-2) vs Metropolitan Riveters (4-8-0)
(ESPN+ & TSN+ with Josh Tolle and Alexis Pearson)
Minnesota makes their first trip to American Dream fresh off a weekend road sweep in Buffalo and meet the Metropolitan Riveters who are looking to bounce back from two weekend losses on home ice. The Whitecaps carry a 4-2 record in the Garden State since 2018 and swept this season’s first weekend series in Richfield Dec. 3-4 by 4-3 and 4-1 scores. The defense did the most damage for both teams offensively as Patti Marshall finished with four points on two goals and two assists, while Sidney Morin also helped the winning side with a goal and three assists in two games. Minttu Tuominen scored three goals and Anna Kilponen added three helpers despite the losses. Both teams converted three times with the advantage during the last series and power play units could once again be primed for a boost given how the Riveters and Whitecaps are currently ranked sixth and seventh on the penalty kill. The teams tangle this time at exactly the halfway mark of their respective seasons with Minnesota firmly entrenched in third place with 20 points compared to the Riveters’ 11 points in a fifth place tie with Montreal. Since their head-to-head last month, Minnesota is 4-2 and the Riveters are 2-3.
7:00 PM ET – Buffalo Beauts (1-6-1) vs Boston Pride (9-2-0)
(ESPN+ & TSN+ with Josh Tolle and Alexis Pearson)
The Beauts hit the road for the first time this season and visit the Pride who return to Warrior Ice Arena after five-straight away games. Two of those were in Buffalo Dec. 10-11 where Boston enjoyed a weekend sweep with 3-0 and 7-5 victories. Corinne Schroeder set the PHF single season shutout record with her fourth blank sheet of the year in the opener, then Loren Gabel tied a PHF single game record with six points and captain Jillian Dempsey produced her first career hat-trick in a five-point performance of her own in the rematch. To their credit, the Beauts showed no quit in that contest with three third period goals that tied the score, led by two tucks and an assist from Antonia Matzka, plus a goal and an assist from both Emma Nuutinen and Summer-Rae Dobson. Boston has an opportunity to take over first place in the overall standings as they sit just two points behind Toronto who have the weekend off. Buffalo is looking for their first win since opening weekend but haven’t won a game in Boston in five tries since Nov. 18, 2018. The Beauts power play has come alive lately and ranks first in the PHF, with the Pride penalty kill ranked second.
SUNDAY JANUARY 15, 2023
2:00 PM ET – Minnesota Whitecaps vs Metropolitan Riveters
(ESPN+ & TSN+ with Josh Tolle and Alexis Pearson)
2:00 PM ET – Buffalo Beauts vs Boston Pride
(ESPN+ & TSN+ with Joe Malfa and Maura Sheridan
PITTSBURGH PUCK DROP
Pittsburgh and UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex are hosting their fourth PHF event following the 2017 All-Star Game and a pair of neutral site events in 2018. The Whale will don retro-inspired jerseys, shells, and socks to honor the Pittsburgh Pennies, a trailblazing group of women who championed the growth of women’s hockey in Western Pennsylvania. Alleghany County Executive Rich Fitzgerald will be present to declare January 14, 2023, as Pittsburgh Pennies Women’s Ice Hockey Day. Six original members of the Pennies including Jean Lombardi (#15), Barb Deshong Greil (#3), Patti Gaab (#12), Kathleen Berg (#17), Shelley Starkey (#10), and Stephanie Strauch St Legar (#2) will be in attendance and participate in a ceremonial puck drop. For more about the game and the Pennies, here’s a feature that aired on Pittsburgh Today Live.
Members of both the Whale and Force attended Friday’s NHL game between the Penguins and Winnipeg Jets at PPG Paints Arena. Emma Vlasic and Ann-Sophie Bettez were interviewed in-house by Celina Pompeani-Mathison, while Melissa Samoskevich joined Dan Potash of AT&T SportsNet PIT for a first intermission interview.
WHALE BACK IN THE BURGH
Both of the PHF’s previous neutral site games in Pittsburgh featured Connecticut. The Whale played Buffalo and lost 4-3 on this day, Jan. 14, 2018, then beat the Riveters 4-2 on Dec. 2, 2018. Captain Shannon Turner scored a goal and an assist in that game, Kateřina Mrázová scored a goal, and Meeri Räisänen recorded her first career shutout with a 31-save performance. The Finnish netminder is also familiar with the area having spent the 2010-11 season at Robert Morris University.
LAGANIERE MEETS PETRY
A special Pittsburgh moment for Force newcomer Brigitte Laganière who had the opportunity to meet her favorite NHL player, Jeff Petry following Friday’s Penguins and Jets game. The 26-year-old wears the same number 26 inspired by the veteran NHL defender. The Force also spent time interacting with some familiar faces from Quebec including Pittsburgh defender Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Winnipeg forward Pierre-Luc Dubois.
RIVETERS RAISING MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
It’s Mental Health Awareness weekend for the Riveters who are hosting a series of activities and partnerships to advance the discussion around mental health. Representatives from Baker Street Health and Human Services will be in attendance for a ceremonial puck drop on Saturday, and Mightier co-founder and CEO Craig Lund will make a speech and drop the puck on Sunday. Baker Street’s mission is to help provide the Riveters with medical support, behavioral health services, and mental skills training. Mightier is a digital game company with games that help children to learn, practice, and apply lifelong emotional coping skills through play. The Rivs will wear special ‘Let’s Talk About Mental Health’ themed jerseys for both games.
PACKER CONTINUES USING PLATFORM
Riveters captain Madison Packer is a committed mental health advocate who regularly uses her platform to talk openly and help break the stigma. The eight-year veteran was a Foundation Award recipient in 2022 and in partnership with Principal Financial Group made a $10K donation to the Kyle Pavone Foundation, named in memory of her childhood friend who passed away in 2018 to an accidental overdose. Packer shared a thoughtful mental health message on social media in advance of this weekend’s game, and in the first episode of a new Riveters digital series titled Take a Breath.
MORIN PUTS PUCKS ON NET
Minnesota’s Sidney Morin is tied for the PHF lead in shots on goal with 55 which is also leaps and bounds over everyone else at her position. The next defenders in the category are tied with 30 and include teammate Sydney Baldwin. The Olympic gold medalist has averaged six shots on net in her last four games which has translated into three goals in that time. She also leads defenders with five goals in the season.
NEW BREW IN BOSTON
The Pride have announced a fun new partnership with Dorchester Brewing Company to launch ‘All In’ Golden Lager and ‘Hear Me Roar’ Prickly Pear Hard Seltzer cans that will be sold at home games starting Saturday. This is one of three partnerships of this kind across the PHF this season following Minnesota’s ‘Hat Trick Triple Berry Sour’ by 9 Mile Brewing that will be on tap for Whitecaps games when they return to Richfield. Also in Connecticut, the Whale collaborated with Paddle Creek Brewing on the design and creation of ‘Whale Ale’ and brought it to their new home at ISCC.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KLIMASOVA
Buffalo has signed forward Iveta Klimášová to a professional tryout offer for Saturday’s game against Boston which coincides with her 25th birthday. She’s been part of the team since training camp and a familiar face for PHF fans having played 30 regular season games with the Beauts in 2019-20 and 2021. The five-time member of the Slovakian women’s national team shares the team record for most assists in a single season with 15.
SUPER SAVES FOR SCHROEDER
Corinne Schroeder leads the PHF with a .941 save percentage but perhaps what’s most impressive for the Boston backstop is that she’s faced more shots that anyone else so far this season. Her 354 saves are the most in the league which works out to an average of over 32 per game. The Pride for their part have been outshot six times this season including the last four-straight games where the newcomer has still managed to collect three wins.
CREASE CUTS
Meeri Räisänen’s shutout last week for Connecticut lowered her goals-against-average to 2.70 which ranks third among PHF starters. She’s expected to start today’s game in Pittsburgh opposite Marie-Soleil Deschênes who ranks second in the PHF with a 2.22 GAA and .927 SV% despite having just one win in four starts. Minnesota’s Amanda Leveille should see action this weekend with a .908 SV% that ranks fourth and a 2.74 GAA that is fifth best. The Riveters have been splitting time between Eveliina Mäkinen and Katie Burt who have comparable SV% figures at .896 and .889. Boston’s Corinne Schroeder continues to lead the way with a 2.13 GAA in addition to her .941 SV%. Buffalo counters with the tandem of Lovisa Berndtsson and Tera Hofmann who carry .857 SV% and .900 SV% respectively.
STATS SNAPSHOT
Boston’s Loren Gabel has 18 points in nine games with an opportunity to pull ahead in the PHF’s scoring race over Toronto’s Brittany Howard who has the weekend off. Other team top scorers include Connecticut’s Taylor Girard with 14 points while riding a league-leading eight-game point-streak, Montreal’s Jade Downie-Landry who has 13 points, Minnesota’s Natalie Snodgrass with 13 points, the Riveters’ Sarah Bujold with 11 points, and Buffalo’s Claudia Kepler with nine. Shots on goal leaders by teams in action are Minnesota’s Sidney Morin (55), Gabel (53), Bujold (50), Connecticut’s Kennedy Marchment (39), Downie-Landry (37), and Buffalo’s Mikyla Grant-Mentis (31). Faceoff leaders include Sydney Brodt (.600) of the Whitecaps, Kelly Babstock (.578) of the Riveters, Emma Vlasic (.569) of the Whale, Cassidy MacPherson (.553) of the Beauts, Laura Jardin (.550) of the Force, and Taylor Wenczkowski (.514) of the Pride.
WATCH THE PHF ON NEW TSN+ PLATFORM
TSN+ is a new direct-to-consumer streaming product available on TSN.ca and the TSN app. It is available now for a limited-time free preview, streaming exclusively on mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs, and rolling out across platforms including Android TV, Apple TV, Xbox One, Roku TV, LG Smart TV, Samsung SmartTV, and Amazon Fire TV/Stick in the coming days. TSN+ lets fans go deeper into the sports they love from Canada’s Sports Leader, featuring live streaming-only coverage from a multitude of marquee sports properties including the PHF.
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+ available on 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.
