The much anticipated Rivalry Series between Canada and the US kicks off tonight with a game in London, Ontario. Here are 7 takes.
1- The games will be another chapter in one of the best rivalries in sports, but the rosters will have a decidedly different look from the Olympics and the Four Nations Cup. Canada's roster has 14 2018 Olympians and 17 Four Nations Cup players, the US 14 and 12, respectively. The reasons for the roster changes are numerous: four women on maternity leave, six Olympians returned to college, an injury and some players who are taking time off, or who have perhaps played their last game for their country. Despite the ever fluid rosters, there are some huge names in the series, and with it being broadcast on television and without the distraction of blow out games vs other nations, the series is a recipe for great entertainment.
2- Who will play with Marie-Philip Poulin? Canada's best line in the Olympics was Meghan Agosta, Poulin, and Melodie Daoust. Agosta is on maternity leave and Daoust is rehabbing a knee injury from the fall, leaving two significant roster spots open. I'm curious to see who Coach Perry Pearn puts out with Canada's best player. My guess is we'll see fellow Canadiennes player Ann Sophie Bettez on one wing, and possibly Jillian Saulnier or Rebecca Johnston on the other wing. Poulin currently leads CWHL scoring with 49 points in 24 games, so she is by all accounts ready to go.
3- Ann Sophie who? I confess, I've only been really paying attention since 2017, and I haven't seen Ann Sophie Bettez play before. The 31 year old McGill alum, and Canadiennes player was in the mix with Hockey Canada in 2009, but hasn't been there since. However, she plugged away in the CWHL and is currently 2nd all time in points in that league, behind Caroline Ouellette and ahead of Jayna Hefford. She averages about 1.5 points per game in the CW, and is currently in 2nd place in scoring this year as well, with 44 points, just behind Poulin. I can't wait to watch her play.
4- Canada's D needs to rebound from the Four Nations final. Canada is 1-3-0 versus the US in its last four games. In the first game at the 2018 Olympics, Canada won 2-1 despite being badly outshot (Genevieve Lacasse had over 40 saves in net), and then lost the Olympic gold medal in a shootout of course. In the first game against the US in the Four Nations in the fall, the game was tied late in the third before US went ahead 2-1 late in the game and went on to win. Although, Canada lost two out of three of those games, they found a way to hang in there, and had a chance to win. No reason to think they can't put themselves in a similar situation in the rivalry series, and get some wins.
But first we need to talk about the Four Nations final. It was a nightmare for the Canadian D. They were missing Olympian Meghan Mikkelson to maternity leave, and former national team roster member Erin Ambrose was out with injury. Early in the game Knight scored on a rebound on a wrapound, later she got herself in front for a nice tip in on a one timer from the point. The American speed was on display on goals on the rush from Samoskevich and from Decker. Finally, the Canadians got victimized on a bad line change once again, and although Szabados made the first save, Coyne Schofield was there to tap in a rebound. In the highlights you could see the Canadian D gliding onto the scene after the fact. Not good, and possibly the number one thing they need to clean up in this series.
I don't know what to do to defend against the US, especially their speed. They are amazing. But I think you can't lose Hilary Knight in front of the net, you can't let her bang away at rebounds, or set up big screens because she will make you pay. She's been relatively quiet in the CW this year, 16 points in 21 games. But she had two goals in the Four Nations final, a power play goal in the Olympic final. Whether she's on a line with Decker and Coyne, or acting as the beneficiary of Dani Cameranesi's passing vision, Knight is dangerous and the Canadians need to do the job on her this series.
5- Who will play in net for Canada this series? Canada's go to has been Szabados for ages, and why not, she's a two time Olympic gold medalist. She's played well for them too. I don't fault her for the last outing against the US, as that game just wasn't a good one for Canada. Didn't get a good start, and never recovered. But with Canada's struggles of late, and considering Szabados played in the Olympics with an injury, you wonder when Canada might start a new goalie. Lacasse has the most recent win against the US, but she has only played 3 games this season with Les Canadiennes. Emerance Maschmeyer is the third Canadian goalie on Canada's roster for the Rivalry Series. I have to think she will get at least one, maybe two games. She's played 19 games for Les Canadiennes this year with a 0.935 save percentage and 1.47 GAA. I don't really care who plays goal for Canada to be honest, I just want to see them win, and I know Szabados won't be around forever, so I guess I'm curious what else Canada has.
6- Can't wait to see the kids While the Four Nations roster included some young Canadian college players with Sarah Fillier, Kristin O'Neill, Micah Zandee Hart and Jaime Bourbonnais, the Rivalry Series is without college players. Instead recent graduates Brittany Howard, Victoria Bach and Rebecca Leslie will join the senior National Team for Canada for the first time. Bach and Leslie are in top ten in scoring in their CW rookie campaigns and played together at BU in college. It will be interesting to see how much they are used, and what they can do versus the US.
On the American side Savannah Harmon and Hailey Scamurra will wear the red white and blue for the very first time. It's pretty amazing, in Harmon's case the defender is a two time National Champion for Clarkson and a Div I all American and rookie on the Buffalo Beauts. Scamurra is 24 years old, and has been working hard in the NW for years, finally getting her chance to wear a USA jersey. I love these stories so much, and like Bettez, I can't wait to watch these two play.
7- Gotta get back to work. Here's hoping for an amazing Rivalry Series. Go Canada!
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Friday, February 1, 2019
The Unexpected Grace in the Kendall Coyne Moment
I was nine years old when I heard about Manon Rheaume
playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning. It didn’t feel like a profound moment,
although I suspect it played a huge role in normalizing my experience, especially
as I got older. At the time, I was the only girl hockey player I knew of in
real life. There was also Amber, a girl people told me about but who I had
never met. She apparently played local minor hockey before I came along. So
there was me, Amber, and Manon. I was protected by a love of the game, innocence,
obliviousness, and lots of good people who made sure I had a good experience.
The most tangible things I got out of the Manon Rheaume
experience was a book about her. I had written multiple book reports about NHLers,
finally I had a book to read about a young woman. After that, I never really
thought about Manon again, until the ’98 Olympics, when hers was the only name
I knew. The main reason I didn’t think of Manon again, is because the visibility came and went, just like that (hopefully Kendall’s moment is different in this regard). But every girl who played hockey knew about Manon. There aren’t a lot of biographies about women hockey players; Manon’s
is one of two that I know of.
The innocence of childhood wears off. I choose to remember
minor hockey very positively, because overall it was. But society at large sent
messages that girls were terrible at sports, that sports were for boys. It’s a
tough thing for a kid to reconcile. In my case, I knew I was good at sports,
and I liked them, and this was how I spent my time. I settled on believing I
was somehow different from other girls, and as an adult I can say this hurt. As
a child though, you just cope. As I went through this, I am sure on some level,
the knowledge of the existence of Amber and Manon helped.
Times have changed, but girls still encounter this stuff
today. Tatiana Rafter, a former NW player who now plays in Russia, has a youtube
video out there from last year where she offers a supportive message to a young
girl in Winnipeg who plays hockey, and is told at school she can’t play with
the girls at a recess as a result. I watched the video, and it brought tears to
my eyes, that this is what boys and girls deal with for not following the
narrowly defined templates of acceptable behavior.
Eventually, I played hockey on girls and women’s team,
making the switch at age 14. It deepened my enjoyment of hockey, and more than
anything helped reinforce that girls play hockey, girls can be good at hockey, and
no one is less than for playing hockey. I can’t even explain how much fun it
was. It was the best.
There is no doubt that the knowledge of Manon’s existence touched
tens of thousands of girl hockey players lives, and inspired hundreds if not
thousands of girls to join hockey. Some kids may felt the profoundness of the
moment, but I didn’t, and in some ways that’s what was so great about it, just
a subtle little normalization that I needed.
Fast forward 26 years, to Kendall Coyne competing in the NHL
All Star Skills. Things have changed a lot. There are pro leagues, Olympics,
NCAA and USports Hockey. Almost 200,000 girls and women play hockey in the US in and Canada. Attitudes are imperfect,
but more accepting than ever. There’s this thing called the internet and if you
are tuned in to women’s hockey you know how to find it online. Women’s hockey and
sports in general though, are still not often on tv.
And so, with Kendall Coyne about to be on live television,
it’s this that prompted me to call my five year old in to watch. Coyne’s moment
is a big deal to me. I understand the significance and I was nervous for her
but I wasn’t going to miss it. And in a house where men’s sports blare from the
tv almost 365 days a year, I wanted my daughter to see this. She used to ask “are
these boys or girls” when we watched tv. She doesn’t ask anymore, in part I
think because she knows it’s boys 99% of the time.
So I called her in. Boys (men) on the screen. Then Kendall
Coyne. “Wait, is that a girl?” “Yes.” “Does she play with boys?” “Tonight she
does. She plays for Team USA, with
Hilary Knight.” (Hilary Knight is our number 1). And then we watched Coyne
skate. She did great. I exhaled. My daughter went back to whatever she was
doing. We didn’t make a big deal of it. I don’t want her to know it was a big
deal. I just want it to be there for her if she ever needs it.
A few days later it hit me. I show my daughter women in
sport as much as possible. Try to create a world for her where she is
represented, try to protect her from the realities of the world. There’s no
need to talk about inequalities, glass ceilings or the hate in some people’s hearts,
with a child. I can barely handle dealing with those things myself, to be
honest.
I let her watch the National Teams when they are rarely on
tv, we watch highlights on the amazing twitter handle @wsporthilites , we’ve gone to
college games and an NWHL game. The teams are all women. My daughter hadn’t
seen the “one girl on a team of boys” scenario, other than in the Mighty Ducks
movie which also contains the terrible storyline about a girl who plays hockey
and therefore must be bad at hockey.
Nonetheless, when it
came time for my daughter to start organized hockey, she was still one of just
two girls in the group. And she noticed. She announced it at dinner one night, the
day before hockey started. She had been to a drop in session, and was the only
girl. She was still excited to play hockey. At dinner, the day before her real
hockey started she announced “I’m going to be the only girl on my hockey team.”
We weren’t expecting it, and we did as you’d expect, fumble it along, try not
to make a big deal out of it. It’s hard for me to know exactly how she feels
about it, and I don’t want to plant seeds of trouble where there is none. I
told her I was the only girl on my hockey team for a long time too. It won’t be
like that forever I said. She seemed satisfied and we carried on. Hockey is
going great, and yes there’s even another girl.
And then there’s that other girl, Kendall Coyne. The one she
saw race against the boys, on tv. For me and thousands of other girls, the
image was of Manon Rheaume, alone in front of the net. Black Cooper pads, and a white
Tampa Bay Lightning jersey. For a
new generation of girls, the image is Kendall Coyne. A navy blue Team USA
jersey, blond pony tail flying, crossing the finish line, surrounded by NHL
players and an arena full of people ready to celebrate and respect.
I doubt my daughter will think of it often, but the image of
the girl on a boys team is there if she needs it. She is not the only one. For
me, this was the unexpected grace in Kendall Coyne’s moment. It’s a moment that
will have a tremendous legacy, in ways more numerous than this, just like Manon
Rheaume’s.
Friday, December 21, 2018
Memorable Moments in Hockey in 2018
Well hockey fans, 2018 is coming to a close.
Here are some moments in hockey that stuck out to me this calendar year, in chronological order. Some moments are bigger than others, some might only be big to me. I could never include everything. I know I'm missing the USports Championship by the University of Manitoba, Laura Stacey's Clarkson Cup winning over time goal for the Markham Thunder, and a very similar Isobel Cup winning goal by Alexa Gruschow of the Metropolitan Riveters, to name a few.
Despite what's missing, I hope you enjoy what's here.
February 13, 2018 Some moments look bigger in hindsight. Senior Tony Ann Miano held down the Boston College blueline last season, when three fellow defenders were centralized and then at the Olympics. Miano helped BC to a Hockey East regular season championship, and put up 43 points in 38 games, including this Beanpot winning OT goal versus Boston University. The second where she celebrates alone, looking like a Patty Kaz statue before throwing her stick and gloves in the air, is magic. The game was a thriller, with BC jumping out to a 2-0 lead, then trailing 3-2 deep into the third. Darryl Watts tied the game with less than five minutes to go, to send it to OT.
BC finished with a 30-5-3 record last year, with Miano on the blue line. She is now a rookie for the NWHL's Boston Pride. (3 minute video)
February 22, 2018 The image of Jocelyne Lamoureux scoring the fifth goal in the USA Canada shootout is iconic to the 2018 Olympics. Before the Olympics started I wondered who might make a name for themselves at these games. The answer? Veterans in their third Olympics.
The Lamoureuxs played their final three years of college hockey at University of North Dakota, and are known for their skill but also taking penalties, both averaging over 2 penalty minutes a game, in college. This carried into international play. In fact, although Jocelyne tallied an assist in the 2014 Olympic gold medal game, she was in the box when Marie-Philip Poulin scored in overtime to end it (so was Hillary Knight and Canada's Catherine Ward).
At the 2018 Olympics the Lams were on another level and on the score sheet in the best way: goal scoring. J Lam (and Dani Cameranesi) led all Americans with five points each in five games, while Monique had three points in five games.
It was in the 2018 Olympic gold medal game that the sisters made their most memorable mark to date on women's hockey. Monique tied the gold medal game in the third period, after a bad change by Canada. Jocelyne was the offensive hero in the shootout (We remember you too, Maddie Rooney).
Sweet redemption, in the biggest moment in women's hockey in 2018:
March 3rd, 2018 It's difficult to follow the Olympic moment, but someone has to do it. On March 3rd, Mercyhurst defeated regular season champion Robert Morris in the CHA Championship, earning an auto bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Lakers, backstopped by a 22 save performance by red shirt freshman Kennedy Blair, handed #9 ranked Robert Morris their 8th loss of the season. Nestled into the win was a first collegiate goal for one Laker, and a game changing three point performance for another. The win represented Mercyhurst's 12th CHA Championship. They celebrated by absolutely crushing their goaltender. Photo Credit: Omar Phillips
Burt's record stands at 121-15-10. Given the rarity of a four year starter, and at over 30 wins a year, I imagine that record is going to stick for quite some time. Burt is now the rookie goaltender for the Boston Pride, currently tied for first in NWHL standings. Photo credit: Michelle Jay
March 14, 2018 Last year's Frozen Four featured two teams who had never been there before - the Colgate Raiders and the Ohio State Buckeyes. This alone reflects the evolution in NCAA hockey.
The local Frozen Four media coverage of the Buckeyes reflected more change than that, though. Quality coverage, a female reporter (I believe it's Alison Lukan, whose main beat is the Blue Jackets), and Emma Maltais' (Burlington, Ontario) casual references to multiple female head coaches was striking to me.
OSU's Emma Maltais had a 40 point rookie season, winning the WCHA rookie of the year award.
March 18, 2018 Clarkson freshman Elizabeth Giguere's dominance in the NCAA Tournament was a thing to behold. She scored two overtime goals, and assisted another overtime goal in a three game tournament. In her freshman campaign she scored 71 points in 41 games (fourth in the nation in total points). This year, she is scoring at an even higher rate, and will be a Patty Kazmaier award contender. Good news for future international tournaments, Canada: She's Canadian.
Watch her NCAA Championship game overtime winner below.
July 31, 2018: In June the Hockey Hall of Fame Committee announced Jayna Hefford was being inducted into the Hall, in the player category. This image appeared on the Hall of Fame in July. The induction marks the first time that a woman has been inducted in back to back years, making Hefford the sixth inductee.
Hefford has 4 Olympic gold medals and 1 silver. She has one 7 World Championships, and only Hayley Wickenheiser has more points than Hefford's 291 in World Championship play. Hefford's 30 points in Olympic play tie her for 2nd all time. Her most famous goal is the game winner in the 2002 Olympic gold medal game, a breakaway goal with a second left in the second period. She played in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League, the old NWHL, and the CWHL. She is now the interim commissioner of the CWHL.
At her Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Hefford humbly described her story as a story of opportunity, inviting those who care about the game to continue to create opportunities for people to play.
September 25, 2018: Caroline Ouellette's essay announcing her retirement, penned to her daughter Liv was fantastic. In part, she wrote:
"Throughout my 16-year career with the national women’s team, I believe I embodied what it meant to be an everyday player. I loved it through the highs and always put in the effort to come back from the lows. I wanted to do it over and over again after every event! I participated in four Olympic Games and was part of incredible teams that brought Olympic gold to Canada each time."
She reflected on her time in minor hockey:
"For eight full seasons, Liv, I was the only girl on my team. It was not always easy and it didn’t help that I was so shy back then. But when you truly love something, you can overlook the darker sides in order to focus on all of the happiness it brings you."
Hockey Canada and Les Canadiennes released video tributes to honor the four time Olympic gold medalist, six time World Championship gold medalist, and four time Clarkson Cup winner.
Ouellette also won two NCAA Championships with University of Minnesota-Duluth, once as a player and once as an assistant coach. Today, she is the Head Coach of the second place Montreal Canadiennes. Les Canadiennes tribute:
October 13, 2018: This is a silly thing, that probably anyone who has played women's sports can relate to. The women of Minnesota, singing after a win in October. Emma May at the end yes, but don't miss the spin move by Amy Potomak mid video. Watch with sound and try not to smile, I dare you.
October 27, 2018 Mercyhurst's Emma Nuutinen scored a hat trick, including the OT game winner, defeating league opponent Penn State 5-4. In a conference won by two points or less the last three years, there's no such thing as a meaningless game. On the overtime goal (starts around 20 seconds in), stick taps to Maggie Knott for skating the length of the ice to be there as a screen for Nuutinen, and to McDonnell for stopping Penn State's final rush of the game which happened just before Nuutinen's rush, but isn't included below.
November 23rd and 24th, 2018 Wisconsin hosted Harvard for a rare non conference series. Harvard pushed #1 Wisconsin to overtime in both games, but in both games Wisconsin senior forward Annie Pankowski scored in overtime. Pankowski also had a short handed tally on the weekend. Two of her three goals ended up on Sports Center, and it was the first time a Badger had scored overtime goals in back to back games.
A little added drama for fans to enjoy: Pankowski was a final cut after being centralized for the 2014 Olympics. The coach of that Olympic team was Katey Stone, the longtime Harvard coach. The Wisconsin faithful have affection for Pankowski and relished seeing her succeed against Harvard, at one point breaking into a chant of "Annie! Annie!" during the second game.
The Badgers sit at 19-1-0 at the break, with their only loss being to number two ranked Minnesota. Watch Annie's OT goals, in two different tweets below.
These are the moments in sports, captured in social media that I thought of when reflecting on the year. I'm sure more year end recaps will come up in the next few weeks and I can't wait to read what stuck out to you.
Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas.
Here are some moments in hockey that stuck out to me this calendar year, in chronological order. Some moments are bigger than others, some might only be big to me. I could never include everything. I know I'm missing the USports Championship by the University of Manitoba, Laura Stacey's Clarkson Cup winning over time goal for the Markham Thunder, and a very similar Isobel Cup winning goal by Alexa Gruschow of the Metropolitan Riveters, to name a few.
Despite what's missing, I hope you enjoy what's here.
February 13, 2018 Some moments look bigger in hindsight. Senior Tony Ann Miano held down the Boston College blueline last season, when three fellow defenders were centralized and then at the Olympics. Miano helped BC to a Hockey East regular season championship, and put up 43 points in 38 games, including this Beanpot winning OT goal versus Boston University. The second where she celebrates alone, looking like a Patty Kaz statue before throwing her stick and gloves in the air, is magic. The game was a thriller, with BC jumping out to a 2-0 lead, then trailing 3-2 deep into the third. Darryl Watts tied the game with less than five minutes to go, to send it to OT.
BC finished with a 30-5-3 record last year, with Miano on the blue line. She is now a rookie for the NWHL's Boston Pride. (3 minute video)
Re-live last night's @womensbeanpot Championship game with all the goals and ups and downs ... especially the gloves and sticks going up and down at the very end! pic.twitter.com/eSZGGbijTN— BC Women's Hockey (@BC_WHockey) February 14, 2018
February 22, 2018 The image of Jocelyne Lamoureux scoring the fifth goal in the USA Canada shootout is iconic to the 2018 Olympics. Before the Olympics started I wondered who might make a name for themselves at these games. The answer? Veterans in their third Olympics.
The Lamoureuxs played their final three years of college hockey at University of North Dakota, and are known for their skill but also taking penalties, both averaging over 2 penalty minutes a game, in college. This carried into international play. In fact, although Jocelyne tallied an assist in the 2014 Olympic gold medal game, she was in the box when Marie-Philip Poulin scored in overtime to end it (so was Hillary Knight and Canada's Catherine Ward).
At the 2018 Olympics the Lams were on another level and on the score sheet in the best way: goal scoring. J Lam (and Dani Cameranesi) led all Americans with five points each in five games, while Monique had three points in five games.
It was in the 2018 Olympic gold medal game that the sisters made their most memorable mark to date on women's hockey. Monique tied the gold medal game in the third period, after a bad change by Canada. Jocelyne was the offensive hero in the shootout (We remember you too, Maddie Rooney).
Sweet redemption, in the biggest moment in women's hockey in 2018:
I just remembered how absolutely ruthless Jocelyne Lamoureux’s gold-medal winning shootout goal was. Undoubtedly one of the best sports highlights of 2018 pic.twitter.com/9wYqHWkQLs— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) December 21, 2018
March 3rd, 2018 It's difficult to follow the Olympic moment, but someone has to do it. On March 3rd, Mercyhurst defeated regular season champion Robert Morris in the CHA Championship, earning an auto bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Lakers, backstopped by a 22 save performance by red shirt freshman Kennedy Blair, handed #9 ranked Robert Morris their 8th loss of the season. Nestled into the win was a first collegiate goal for one Laker, and a game changing three point performance for another. The win represented Mercyhurst's 12th CHA Championship. They celebrated by absolutely crushing their goaltender. Photo Credit: Omar Phillips
March 10, 2018 Katie Burt, a four year starting goaltender at Boston College, salutes the crowd at Conte Forum one last time, after falling 2-0 to OSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. A Massachusetts native, she made 39 saves in her final game, and graduated as the all time wins leader for goaltenders in NCAA history (previous record holder was Minnesota alum Noora Raty).Mercyhurst players smothering @kennedyyblair pic.twitter.com/J574mvaMAB— Omar Phillips (@odp101) March 4, 2018
Burt's record stands at 121-15-10. Given the rarity of a four year starter, and at over 30 wins a year, I imagine that record is going to stick for quite some time. Burt is now the rookie goaltender for the Boston Pride, currently tied for first in NWHL standings. Photo credit: Michelle Jay
.@BC_WHockey’s Katie Burt salutes the BC fans, one last time pic.twitter.com/rQDyhzJrbe— Michelle Jay (@michelle_jay3) March 10, 2018
March 14, 2018 Last year's Frozen Four featured two teams who had never been there before - the Colgate Raiders and the Ohio State Buckeyes. This alone reflects the evolution in NCAA hockey.
The local Frozen Four media coverage of the Buckeyes reflected more change than that, though. Quality coverage, a female reporter (I believe it's Alison Lukan, whose main beat is the Blue Jackets), and Emma Maltais' (Burlington, Ontario) casual references to multiple female head coaches was striking to me.
OSU's Emma Maltais had a 40 point rookie season, winning the WCHA rookie of the year award.
Freshman Emma Maltais spoke about the excited, both within the team and from her old coaches, about her and the Buckeyes making the Frozen Four #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/xafJFLLS7j— Ohio State Women's Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY) March 14, 2018
March 18, 2018 Clarkson freshman Elizabeth Giguere's dominance in the NCAA Tournament was a thing to behold. She scored two overtime goals, and assisted another overtime goal in a three game tournament. In her freshman campaign she scored 71 points in 41 games (fourth in the nation in total points). This year, she is scoring at an even higher rate, and will be a Patty Kazmaier award contender. Good news for future international tournaments, Canada: She's Canadian.
Watch her NCAA Championship game overtime winner below.
These NASTY moves by Elizabeth Giguere seals the win in OT, and the @CUKnights are natty champs for the second consecutive year! #FrozenFour— Women's Hockey News (@WoHoNews) March 18, 2018
(VC: @NCAAIceHockey)pic.twitter.com/SVrlJiikgX
July 31, 2018: In June the Hockey Hall of Fame Committee announced Jayna Hefford was being inducted into the Hall, in the player category. This image appeared on the Hall of Fame in July. The induction marks the first time that a woman has been inducted in back to back years, making Hefford the sixth inductee.
Hefford has 4 Olympic gold medals and 1 silver. She has one 7 World Championships, and only Hayley Wickenheiser has more points than Hefford's 291 in World Championship play. Hefford's 30 points in Olympic play tie her for 2nd all time. Her most famous goal is the game winner in the 2002 Olympic gold medal game, a breakaway goal with a second left in the second period. She played in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League, the old NWHL, and the CWHL. She is now the interim commissioner of the CWHL.
At her Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Hefford humbly described her story as a story of opportunity, inviting those who care about the game to continue to create opportunities for people to play.
There are some new faces in town! #HHOF2018 pic.twitter.com/MmLX0Ian22— Hockey Hall of Fame (@HockeyHallFame) July 31, 2018
September 25, 2018: Caroline Ouellette's essay announcing her retirement, penned to her daughter Liv was fantastic. In part, she wrote:
"Throughout my 16-year career with the national women’s team, I believe I embodied what it meant to be an everyday player. I loved it through the highs and always put in the effort to come back from the lows. I wanted to do it over and over again after every event! I participated in four Olympic Games and was part of incredible teams that brought Olympic gold to Canada each time."
She reflected on her time in minor hockey:
"For eight full seasons, Liv, I was the only girl on my team. It was not always easy and it didn’t help that I was so shy back then. But when you truly love something, you can overlook the darker sides in order to focus on all of the happiness it brings you."
Hockey Canada and Les Canadiennes released video tributes to honor the four time Olympic gold medalist, six time World Championship gold medalist, and four time Clarkson Cup winner.
Ouellette also won two NCAA Championships with University of Minnesota-Duluth, once as a player and once as an assistant coach. Today, she is the Head Coach of the second place Montreal Canadiennes. Les Canadiennes tribute:
Merci pour tout, chère Caroline. / Thank you for everything, dear Caroline. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/NTLzeqsso1— Les Canadiennes (@LesCanadiennes) September 26, 2018
October 13, 2018: This is a silly thing, that probably anyone who has played women's sports can relate to. The women of Minnesota, singing after a win in October. Emma May at the end yes, but don't miss the spin move by Amy Potomak mid video. Watch with sound and try not to smile, I dare you.
This will never get old. Wait for it... @EmmaMay31. 🎶💃😍 #PlayThatSong #WinSong #GWH pic.twitter.com/J8H8OnDTLf— Minnesota W Hockey (@GopherWHockey) October 14, 2018
October 27, 2018 Mercyhurst's Emma Nuutinen scored a hat trick, including the OT game winner, defeating league opponent Penn State 5-4. In a conference won by two points or less the last three years, there's no such thing as a meaningless game. On the overtime goal (starts around 20 seconds in), stick taps to Maggie Knott for skating the length of the ice to be there as a screen for Nuutinen, and to McDonnell for stopping Penn State's final rush of the game which happened just before Nuutinen's rush, but isn't included below.
HUGE team win. Everyone did their part tonight. But check out @nuutinenn ridiculous hat trick to complete the come back against @PSUwIceHockey Down 4-1.. to a 5-4 OT win @CHAWomensHockey #legit @Buccigross #CawlidgeHawkey pic.twitter.com/KFIFPlFT8A— Mercyhurst W. Hockey (@HurstWHockey) October 27, 2018
November 23rd and 24th, 2018 Wisconsin hosted Harvard for a rare non conference series. Harvard pushed #1 Wisconsin to overtime in both games, but in both games Wisconsin senior forward Annie Pankowski scored in overtime. Pankowski also had a short handed tally on the weekend. Two of her three goals ended up on Sports Center, and it was the first time a Badger had scored overtime goals in back to back games.
A little added drama for fans to enjoy: Pankowski was a final cut after being centralized for the 2014 Olympics. The coach of that Olympic team was Katey Stone, the longtime Harvard coach. The Wisconsin faithful have affection for Pankowski and relished seeing her succeed against Harvard, at one point breaking into a chant of "Annie! Annie!" during the second game.
The Badgers sit at 19-1-0 at the break, with their only loss being to number two ranked Minnesota. Watch Annie's OT goals, in two different tweets below.
Winner, winner 🦃 dinner!@anniepank scored her second of the game and gave the #Badgers a thrilling 3-2 👐 in OT! pic.twitter.com/MVRipRhtzB— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) November 24, 2018
✌️ games.— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerWHockey) November 25, 2018
✌️ overtime game-winners for #Badgers @anniepank against Harvard pic.twitter.com/6o15OJdVx6
These are the moments in sports, captured in social media that I thought of when reflecting on the year. I'm sure more year end recaps will come up in the next few weeks and I can't wait to read what stuck out to you.
Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas.
Sunday, December 9, 2018
My women's hockey Christmas wish list
As a kid, one of the hallmark gifts of Christmas was some sort of hockey gear. Ice hockey gear, road hockey gear, books about hockey, you name it. I remember getting navy blue, leather Hespeler gloves one year. There was a bit of a lull in my minor hockey schedule around Christmas, but I really wanted to wear my new gloves. So, I wore them while playing shinny on an outdoor rink in Northern Canada, when I really should have worn like, snowboarding mitts (or not been out at all). My hands froze of course, and I cried while they thawed when I came back inside.
Great gloves though. It was surely worth it.
Alas, I am no longer a ten year old minor hockey player, and have no need for hockey gear for Christmas. Here is what I want instead:
1- Who's Who in Women's Hockey
This 162 page book is a self published (blurb.ca) player-by-player statistical timeline from modern women's elite hockey leagues, including the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) and National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). It also includes stats from defunct leagues the Western Women's Hockey League, (old) National Women's Hockey League and Central Ontario Women's Hockey League.
This book looks amazing. Huge kudos to the author Richard Scott. As much as I follow women's hockey, beyond college I don't have a great grasp on people's body of work. This should help tremendously, as it contains data on over 2,000 players.
2- Behind The Bench stickers. Behind The Bench is a website that chronicles the history of coaching staffs by team. They've got NWHL and CWHL covered, and I look forward to seeing NCAA women's hockey one day as well. The sell Behind the Bench logo stickers (tie and no tie versions) via paypal. I could go for one of each. They are $2 each and sold via paypal at this link: https://www.paypal.me/behindthebenches
4- Two Mercyhurst wins over Ohio State. What? The best things in life aren't things. Next weekend Mercyhurst travels to Ohio State for a pair of non conference games. According to collegehockeystats.net it's the only Division 1 games happening that weekend, as all other teams will be in holiday mode. Last year, the Lakers split with Ohio State when the Buckeyes traveled to Erie in late December. It was one of Mercyhurst's best wins of the year.
Ohio State versus Mercyhurst is one of my favorite non conference series. In terms of Athletic Department clout it's a bit of a David vs Goliath, yet the Lakers have represented themselves well over the years, going 4-2-0 lifetime. The 12-6-0 Ohio State Buckeyes were off this weekend, while the 8-7-2 Lakers split with Bemidji State. Common opponents to date include Minnesota and Bemidji State. Hurst split with Bemidji and got swept by Minnesota. Ohio State split with Minnesota and got swept by Bemidji State.
5- The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL Taking on creating, growing and running a league is an enormous endeavor, as fans of CWHL and NWHL have observed, and as those running those leagues surely know. Sometimes, you just need to laugh at the bizarre stuff that happens, and probably vaguely refer to "the process." Turns out, it's no different than the NHL. The subtitle of Down Goes Brown's History is "the world's most beautiful sport, the world's most ridiculous league" and it is promoted as a lighthearted, informative look at NHL Hockey history.
I wish there was a new tome about women's hockey for readers to devour, but it's not the case so McIndoe's irreverent NHL book will do instead. If you really want to read about women's hockey though, two books from the nineties I recently read include On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History and Crashing the Net. One is written from an American perspective and one Canadian. If you are a long time women's hockey fan, maybe you've already read them. Certainly dated in some ways, could have been written yesterday in other ways, if you are a die hard women's hockey fan, you will appreciate these books.
That's all the hockey stuff I want for Christmas. What about you?
Great gloves though. It was surely worth it.
Alas, I am no longer a ten year old minor hockey player, and have no need for hockey gear for Christmas. Here is what I want instead:
1- Who's Who in Women's Hockey
This 162 page book is a self published (blurb.ca) player-by-player statistical timeline from modern women's elite hockey leagues, including the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) and National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). It also includes stats from defunct leagues the Western Women's Hockey League, (old) National Women's Hockey League and Central Ontario Women's Hockey League.
This book looks amazing. Huge kudos to the author Richard Scott. As much as I follow women's hockey, beyond college I don't have a great grasp on people's body of work. This should help tremendously, as it contains data on over 2,000 players.
2- Behind The Bench stickers. Behind The Bench is a website that chronicles the history of coaching staffs by team. They've got NWHL and CWHL covered, and I look forward to seeing NCAA women's hockey one day as well. The sell Behind the Bench logo stickers (tie and no tie versions) via paypal. I could go for one of each. They are $2 each and sold via paypal at this link: https://www.paypal.me/behindthebenches
3- Just about anything from the CWHL Team Store that relates to the Furies, Inferno, Thunder or Canadiennes. Since I don't have a local team, I am just waiting for my heart to be pulled to a team. The thing is, all those teams have storylines and players or management I like. Even on the logos if I have to pick a best, it's tough. I think...the Furies have a slight lead in my heart, having listened to Sami Jo Small, and read some interviews with her, plus the fact that they stream all their home games now. A Furies toque, sweatshirt, coffee mug, or Clarkson Cup Championship might be nice.And we got our Benches 2.0 stickers in to represent women in the hockey community! Get yours for $2 (https://t.co/vu15vCbn9P) and all proceeds will be donated to @RAINN pic.twitter.com/Gzyl8TcwMZ— Behind The Benches (@BenchBosses) November 21, 2018
4- Two Mercyhurst wins over Ohio State. What? The best things in life aren't things. Next weekend Mercyhurst travels to Ohio State for a pair of non conference games. According to collegehockeystats.net it's the only Division 1 games happening that weekend, as all other teams will be in holiday mode. Last year, the Lakers split with Ohio State when the Buckeyes traveled to Erie in late December. It was one of Mercyhurst's best wins of the year.
Ohio State versus Mercyhurst is one of my favorite non conference series. In terms of Athletic Department clout it's a bit of a David vs Goliath, yet the Lakers have represented themselves well over the years, going 4-2-0 lifetime. The 12-6-0 Ohio State Buckeyes were off this weekend, while the 8-7-2 Lakers split with Bemidji State. Common opponents to date include Minnesota and Bemidji State. Hurst split with Bemidji and got swept by Minnesota. Ohio State split with Minnesota and got swept by Bemidji State.
5- The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL Taking on creating, growing and running a league is an enormous endeavor, as fans of CWHL and NWHL have observed, and as those running those leagues surely know. Sometimes, you just need to laugh at the bizarre stuff that happens, and probably vaguely refer to "the process." Turns out, it's no different than the NHL. The subtitle of Down Goes Brown's History is "the world's most beautiful sport, the world's most ridiculous league" and it is promoted as a lighthearted, informative look at NHL Hockey history.
I wish there was a new tome about women's hockey for readers to devour, but it's not the case so McIndoe's irreverent NHL book will do instead. If you really want to read about women's hockey though, two books from the nineties I recently read include On the Edge: Women Making Hockey History and Crashing the Net. One is written from an American perspective and one Canadian. If you are a long time women's hockey fan, maybe you've already read them. Certainly dated in some ways, could have been written yesterday in other ways, if you are a die hard women's hockey fan, you will appreciate these books.
That's all the hockey stuff I want for Christmas. What about you?
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
7 Takes: Hockey Hall of Fame and Four Nations Edition
It was a huge week in women's hockey. Let's get at it, with seven takes.
1- Jayna Hefford was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame. For the first time in my life, I sat down and watched most of the induction on TV, especially enjoying Hefford, O'Ree, and St. Louis's speeches. Not surprisingly, Hefford spoke to the importance of creating opportunities for everyone:
3- The occasion of Hefford going into the Hall of Fame resulted in press and questions for her in her capacity as interim CWHL commissioner. Some of Hefford's comments, as reported in the Toronto Star: “Everybody says they want to support the game and they want to support women’s hockey. But we really need to see it in a tangible way.” It's a message I am seeing more often, and one I am glad to see.
I think for the longest time the focus was on getting girls to play hockey. Now we need to add everything else, and a huge part of that is fans. Personally I never received any messaging that I should be a fan of women's sports. I think there is a real culture of you (meaning us women) play the game until you're done with it, whenever that might be, then you follow NHL if anything, maybe getting into coaching your own kids one day, and that's it. I feel self conscious sometimes, being a fan of women's sports and it's certainly not accessible to me the way men's sports are. But I love following it, and I'm drawn to it and the accessibility is growing. So, bravo to Hefford for inviting people to be fans, inviting people to find a way to support women's hockey, if that is important to them.
4- Today it was announced that Cassie Campbell-Pascal will join the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee. She is the first woman to hold this position, an Olympian with expert knowledge on women's hockey. Women's hockey fans will look to Cassie to be a champion for women deserving to be in the hall. Hopefully she will have the continued assistance of her peers on the committee - to date they have already inducted six players. Cassie has her work cut out for her though, as she is only able to nominate one individual per year. As Eric Duhatscheck, a former selection committee member, has explained, sometimes it takes years to build a case to get someone in the Hall.
This gives Cassie some things to think about. Should she risk not having any woman be inducted, and devote years to building a case for a lesser known but perhaps deserving European player? Next year Wickenheiser is expected to be a slam dunk to be first ballot inductee; is there someone on the committee who will nominate Wick, while Campbell builds a case for someone else? Who will be the champion for American female hockey players? There is lots for fans to debate now, lots for Cassie to consider. Today is exciting, and I commend the Hall of Fame people for putting Cassie on the committee.
As for who should go in next (other than Wickenheiser), it's the builders that I think of. Shannon Miller should go in one day, for her contributions at the minor hockey level, Hockey Canada level, and NCAA level. In terms of NCAA Championships, no head coach has won more than her five, though that record won't stand forever. She's now coaching pro with the Calgary Inferno.
I also think Katie King could in, either as a player or as a builder. She is a three time Olympian, and now a successful college coach at Boston College. Then there is Cassie herself. Her points and length of playing career were not on par with Hefford or Wickenheiser. Her contribution will dwarf most peoples' though, because of the inroads she made with the NHL as a broadcaster, and the way she has used those relationships to advocate for and bring visibility to women's hockey.
Regardless of which women go in the Hall of Fame and when they go, following women's hockey just got more interesting, with today's Hall of Fame committee announcement.
5- I guess we should talk about the Four Nations tournament. It's no surprise that the USA won, they were favored and had won every major tournament going as far back as 2015. I'm not sure any of us expected the US to look as better than Canada as they did in that final though. The hand wringing is on for Canadian women's hockey fans. The good news, if you're looking for spin and good news (I am) is this: Canada played badly in that gold medal game. Playing badly left them at down 2-1 after one, then the Americans broke it open in the second with two goals very close together in the second to make it 4-1. They tied the third period. Hockey Canada will look at that and say, if we play our best we can win.
More good news is that I think the six month residency period that precedes an Olympics would help the Canadians be better prepared to face the Americans in 'the big one,' the Olympics.
The bad news is that wow, there seems to be no end to pipeline of highly talented young US players. The Americans beat Canada 5-2 in a Championship game without both Lamoureux twins (maternity leave, plan on returning), and without Carpenter and Stack (USA Hockey has moved on from them). Just a year and a half ago, USA needed all four of those players to beat Canada in OT in the 2017 Women's Worlds. Watching the Four Nations gold medal game, I didn't once think about those four players. But I thought Canada was really missing Agosta and Mikkelson, Canada's oldest players, who are both currently on maternity leave but aspire to return to the team.
Canada has its work cut for it and until they win again, every tournament is the big one. I don't know if it's an issue of player selection, coaching, or just depth of the pool of players. My gut says it's a minor hockey issue. The US is getting something right Canada isn't right now, good luck figuring that out. Regardless, the narrative has shifted; it's still one of the greatest rivalries in sports, but the games aren't the coin toss they once were. The new narrative, is how and when will Canada get back on top?
But about those dynamic young American players. I'm not going to go hunt for comprehensive stats (Hilary Knight led the tournament in points, 3 goals 4 assists in four games), but here is who looks scary good on USA to me: Decker, Coyne, Knight, Cameranesi, Keller, somewhat Brandt and Kessel. Samoskevich who I had never even heard of before this tournament had an impact, scoring multiple goals, as did Brodt. That's nine players. On Canada's roster really it was Poulin and Daoust who consistently shone for Canada on forward. Canada's other lines were amazing, but not on the level of the US. Gold medal hightlights here, if you haven't seen.
It will be fascinating to watch this play out, and I am already excited to watch them play again in a three game series in February, before Worlds in April. (h/t @kmtwhelan)
6- Ok, let's switch it up. Face it women's hockey fans, one day there is going to be one league. Until then, and after, we'll hear more and more about Gary Bettman. Might as well get to know him. Enjoy (no seriously, it's good) this Gary Bettman interview with 31 Thoughts the Podcast. No women's hockey talk, just FYI.
7- And lastly, I thought this Jill Saulnier Player's Own Voice Podcast episode was good too. Did you know she blew her knee out in the Olympics? I didn't. But she's back, and she played in the Four Nations and CWHL fans will know she plays for Les Canadiennes, too.
That's all I got, guys.
1- Jayna Hefford was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame. For the first time in my life, I sat down and watched most of the induction on TV, especially enjoying Hefford, O'Ree, and St. Louis's speeches. Not surprisingly, Hefford spoke to the importance of creating opportunities for everyone:
2- If you haven't read this profile by Eric Duhatschek at The Athletic on Jayna Hefford, you can enjoy it now, unlocked, no subscription required. I think my favorite part of it was how positive Hefford was about her minor hockey experience, and positive about facing the challenges of growing the sport today. Also, the ringette to hockey comparison. "This isn't hockey." Poor ringette.We're with you, @J16H 🙌— Women's Hockey Life (@WHLOfficial) November 13, 2018
Congrats to Jayna Hefford on being the sixth woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame!
Watch her full speech here: https://t.co/aQtSwWqquW#WomensHockey pic.twitter.com/BMkSsI2FcJ
3- The occasion of Hefford going into the Hall of Fame resulted in press and questions for her in her capacity as interim CWHL commissioner. Some of Hefford's comments, as reported in the Toronto Star: “Everybody says they want to support the game and they want to support women’s hockey. But we really need to see it in a tangible way.” It's a message I am seeing more often, and one I am glad to see.
I think for the longest time the focus was on getting girls to play hockey. Now we need to add everything else, and a huge part of that is fans. Personally I never received any messaging that I should be a fan of women's sports. I think there is a real culture of you (meaning us women) play the game until you're done with it, whenever that might be, then you follow NHL if anything, maybe getting into coaching your own kids one day, and that's it. I feel self conscious sometimes, being a fan of women's sports and it's certainly not accessible to me the way men's sports are. But I love following it, and I'm drawn to it and the accessibility is growing. So, bravo to Hefford for inviting people to be fans, inviting people to find a way to support women's hockey, if that is important to them.
4- Today it was announced that Cassie Campbell-Pascal will join the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee. She is the first woman to hold this position, an Olympian with expert knowledge on women's hockey. Women's hockey fans will look to Cassie to be a champion for women deserving to be in the hall. Hopefully she will have the continued assistance of her peers on the committee - to date they have already inducted six players. Cassie has her work cut out for her though, as she is only able to nominate one individual per year. As Eric Duhatscheck, a former selection committee member, has explained, sometimes it takes years to build a case to get someone in the Hall.
This gives Cassie some things to think about. Should she risk not having any woman be inducted, and devote years to building a case for a lesser known but perhaps deserving European player? Next year Wickenheiser is expected to be a slam dunk to be first ballot inductee; is there someone on the committee who will nominate Wick, while Campbell builds a case for someone else? Who will be the champion for American female hockey players? There is lots for fans to debate now, lots for Cassie to consider. Today is exciting, and I commend the Hall of Fame people for putting Cassie on the committee.
As for who should go in next (other than Wickenheiser), it's the builders that I think of. Shannon Miller should go in one day, for her contributions at the minor hockey level, Hockey Canada level, and NCAA level. In terms of NCAA Championships, no head coach has won more than her five, though that record won't stand forever. She's now coaching pro with the Calgary Inferno.
I also think Katie King could in, either as a player or as a builder. She is a three time Olympian, and now a successful college coach at Boston College. Then there is Cassie herself. Her points and length of playing career were not on par with Hefford or Wickenheiser. Her contribution will dwarf most peoples' though, because of the inroads she made with the NHL as a broadcaster, and the way she has used those relationships to advocate for and bring visibility to women's hockey.
Regardless of which women go in the Hall of Fame and when they go, following women's hockey just got more interesting, with today's Hall of Fame committee announcement.
5- I guess we should talk about the Four Nations tournament. It's no surprise that the USA won, they were favored and had won every major tournament going as far back as 2015. I'm not sure any of us expected the US to look as better than Canada as they did in that final though. The hand wringing is on for Canadian women's hockey fans. The good news, if you're looking for spin and good news (I am) is this: Canada played badly in that gold medal game. Playing badly left them at down 2-1 after one, then the Americans broke it open in the second with two goals very close together in the second to make it 4-1. They tied the third period. Hockey Canada will look at that and say, if we play our best we can win.
More good news is that I think the six month residency period that precedes an Olympics would help the Canadians be better prepared to face the Americans in 'the big one,' the Olympics.
The bad news is that wow, there seems to be no end to pipeline of highly talented young US players. The Americans beat Canada 5-2 in a Championship game without both Lamoureux twins (maternity leave, plan on returning), and without Carpenter and Stack (USA Hockey has moved on from them). Just a year and a half ago, USA needed all four of those players to beat Canada in OT in the 2017 Women's Worlds. Watching the Four Nations gold medal game, I didn't once think about those four players. But I thought Canada was really missing Agosta and Mikkelson, Canada's oldest players, who are both currently on maternity leave but aspire to return to the team.
Canada has its work cut for it and until they win again, every tournament is the big one. I don't know if it's an issue of player selection, coaching, or just depth of the pool of players. My gut says it's a minor hockey issue. The US is getting something right Canada isn't right now, good luck figuring that out. Regardless, the narrative has shifted; it's still one of the greatest rivalries in sports, but the games aren't the coin toss they once were. The new narrative, is how and when will Canada get back on top?
But about those dynamic young American players. I'm not going to go hunt for comprehensive stats (Hilary Knight led the tournament in points, 3 goals 4 assists in four games), but here is who looks scary good on USA to me: Decker, Coyne, Knight, Cameranesi, Keller, somewhat Brandt and Kessel. Samoskevich who I had never even heard of before this tournament had an impact, scoring multiple goals, as did Brodt. That's nine players. On Canada's roster really it was Poulin and Daoust who consistently shone for Canada on forward. Canada's other lines were amazing, but not on the level of the US. Gold medal hightlights here, if you haven't seen.
It will be fascinating to watch this play out, and I am already excited to watch them play again in a three game series in February, before Worlds in April. (h/t @kmtwhelan)
6- Ok, let's switch it up. Face it women's hockey fans, one day there is going to be one league. Until then, and after, we'll hear more and more about Gary Bettman. Might as well get to know him. Enjoy (no seriously, it's good) this Gary Bettman interview with 31 Thoughts the Podcast. No women's hockey talk, just FYI.
7- And lastly, I thought this Jill Saulnier Player's Own Voice Podcast episode was good too. Did you know she blew her knee out in the Olympics? I didn't. But she's back, and she played in the Four Nations and CWHL fans will know she plays for Les Canadiennes, too.
That's all I got, guys.
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Mercyhurst loses to Lindenwood, falls to 5-6 on the season
Eleven games into the season the Mercyhurst Lakers are 5-6-0 (CHA 5-2-0). They are 25th in goals for per game, at 2.18, and are 6th worst in goals against per game, averaging 3.45 against. The power play is 21st in the nation at 16.07%, and the penalty kill hovers around 80%. They sit atop the CHA rankings, leading by a point over Robert Morris and having played one more game than Robert Morris as well.
Last year the Lakers averaged 2.54 goals per game, 2.00 against, had a power play of 12.82%, and the penalty kill came in at 86.78%.
Whether it's too early to compare stats like the above to last year, I really don't know. But I do know that coming into this weekend the Lakers had won five out of their last six, and if they swept the 1-6-1 Lindenwood Lions on the road, they probably would have been ranked tenth in the country, possibly helped their pairwise ranking, and definitely would have brought momentum into next week's non conference match up versus #6 Cornell.
The Lakers dropped game one against the Lions though, and so the outlook changes. Today they will work to earn a split and bring home two league points from the weekend. If the Lakers can earn a split, their road trip to Lindenwood will have gotten the same results as last year's.
Last year the Lakers dropped game one 3-2, then demolished Lindenwood 6-1 the next day. Over four games last year the Lakers outscored Lindenwood 16-5. It's that goal differential that suggests the Lakers really are the better team. Watching yesterday though, it wasn't the case. The shots were in Mercyhurst's favor, but Lindenwood scored on their chances when the Lakers did not. The Lakers failed to keep former Mercyhurst player Nicole Guagliardo off the scoresheet. She had a goal and an assist, playing an inspired game, that included one play where she skated through several Hurst players and getting yet another scoring chance.
In the first period the Lakers controlled the play, outshooting Lindenwood 13-8, but also appeared satisfied with just keeping the puck in the Lions zone, at a ho hum pace of play. When Guagliardo got the go ahead goal for Lindenwood, I thought it might spark the pace of play to a level Lindenwood couldn't maintain. To no avail. In the second period some sloppy play in the Lions zone led to a Lions two on one and goal. At that point it's a two nothing deficit against a team with a capable goalie, on the road, without your leading goal scorer. The Lakers could not dig their way out and fell to 3-1 in the third, and 4-1 with the eventual empty net goal.
It was a bad outing for the Lakers, and all they can do is move forward. Inconsistent play is a feature of college hockey (it is even a feature of NHL hockey). But good teams are consistent at playing near the top of their ability game in and game out, and the more consistent you are at that, the closer you get to great.
In thinking of teams that are ranked in the top ten, one can think they destroy the best teams week in and week out. They don't, really. Mostly, good teams show up and beat most the teams that are on their schedule, regardless of circumstances. The Lakers are still learning how to do that.
The Lions and Lakers meet again today at 1:30. Yesterday Laker fans were hoping for a departure from last year's result of a split. Today, we'd be happy to get one.
Last year the Lakers averaged 2.54 goals per game, 2.00 against, had a power play of 12.82%, and the penalty kill came in at 86.78%.
Whether it's too early to compare stats like the above to last year, I really don't know. But I do know that coming into this weekend the Lakers had won five out of their last six, and if they swept the 1-6-1 Lindenwood Lions on the road, they probably would have been ranked tenth in the country, possibly helped their pairwise ranking, and definitely would have brought momentum into next week's non conference match up versus #6 Cornell.
The Lakers dropped game one against the Lions though, and so the outlook changes. Today they will work to earn a split and bring home two league points from the weekend. If the Lakers can earn a split, their road trip to Lindenwood will have gotten the same results as last year's.
Last year the Lakers dropped game one 3-2, then demolished Lindenwood 6-1 the next day. Over four games last year the Lakers outscored Lindenwood 16-5. It's that goal differential that suggests the Lakers really are the better team. Watching yesterday though, it wasn't the case. The shots were in Mercyhurst's favor, but Lindenwood scored on their chances when the Lakers did not. The Lakers failed to keep former Mercyhurst player Nicole Guagliardo off the scoresheet. She had a goal and an assist, playing an inspired game, that included one play where she skated through several Hurst players and getting yet another scoring chance.
In the first period the Lakers controlled the play, outshooting Lindenwood 13-8, but also appeared satisfied with just keeping the puck in the Lions zone, at a ho hum pace of play. When Guagliardo got the go ahead goal for Lindenwood, I thought it might spark the pace of play to a level Lindenwood couldn't maintain. To no avail. In the second period some sloppy play in the Lions zone led to a Lions two on one and goal. At that point it's a two nothing deficit against a team with a capable goalie, on the road, without your leading goal scorer. The Lakers could not dig their way out and fell to 3-1 in the third, and 4-1 with the eventual empty net goal.
It was a bad outing for the Lakers, and all they can do is move forward. Inconsistent play is a feature of college hockey (it is even a feature of NHL hockey). But good teams are consistent at playing near the top of their ability game in and game out, and the more consistent you are at that, the closer you get to great.
In thinking of teams that are ranked in the top ten, one can think they destroy the best teams week in and week out. They don't, really. Mostly, good teams show up and beat most the teams that are on their schedule, regardless of circumstances. The Lakers are still learning how to do that.
The Lions and Lakers meet again today at 1:30. Yesterday Laker fans were hoping for a departure from last year's result of a split. Today, we'd be happy to get one.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
7 Quick Takes: Tuesday Night Edition
They are not quick takes, but there are seven.
1- The Mercyhurst Lakers hosted conference rival Robert Morris this past weekend, earning a split and bringing both teams' records to 3-5-0. Both teams take solace in at least getting a win, but a sweep for either team would have been huge. There has not been a sweep in this rivalry since October 2016, when RMU beat Mercyhurst twice. The teams meet again at the end of February. Shots were fairly even in game two, 23-21 in favor of RMU, but the score was 5-1 bad guys. Friday's score was 4-2 Lakers. Friday Hurst highlights are below, RMU’s Saturday highlights are here.
Next up, the Lakers host Penn State, who are coming off of a split with Providence this weekend.
2- Separate from the college scene, USA Hockey released their women's hockey roster for the Four Nations Tournament taking place in Saskatoon, on November 6-10. The roster can be found here. As far as I am aware USA Hockey has not announced their coaching staff for this tournament. None of the 2018 Olympic coaching staff was a part of the national team evaluation camp that occurred last month. The Four Nations Tournament is less than three weeks away, so surely a coaching announcement is coming soon. The US drew some criticism for having no women on the Olympic coaching staff; hopefully an all male staff is not the case for the Four Nations. Canada's Four Nations coaching staff includes Head Coach Perry Pearn, with assistants Doug Derraugh, and Caroline Ouellette.
3- Two notable USA Olympians not on the Four Nations team include Meghan Duggan, and goaltender Nicole Hensley. 31 year old Duggan quashed the requirement question when interviewed by Fox Sports Wisconsin at the Wisconsin Badgers game on Friday night. She is not playing professionally or with Team USA right now, but said in regards to playing professionally and with the Olympic team in the future: "Yeah certainly, that's the plan. Once you get that itch, it's hard to walk away." So, it appears she is taking some time off. Duggan was a third/fourth liner in her third Olympics, and earned two assists in that tournament. A three time NCAA champion, a Patty Kazmaier winner, Clarkson Cup Champion, and Olympic gold medal winning Team USA captain, Duggan is one of the most accomplished women's hockey players all time.
4- 24 year old Nicole Hensley is younger than Duggan so no retirement questions surfaced in her case, but her absence is noteworthy. It could be Hensley was a Robb Stauber goalie, and with Stauber seemingly out, so too are his preferred players, at least for this tournament. Hensley's most high profile international game was the 2017 World Championship gold medal game that USA won, in overtime. It could also be she's not one of the best three USA goalies right now, or that USA Hockey simply wants to get fresh looks. The other goalie I thought we might see on the senior team at some point is recent BC grad, Katie Burt, who holds the record for most wins all time in NCAA history, recently beating Noora Raty's mark.
The USA goalies on the Four Nations team include: Emma Polusny (St. Cloud State University), Alex Rigsby (Calgary Inferno), Maddie Rooney (University of Minnesota Duluth).
5- As you can see with the goalies above, the Four Nations tournament will impact college rosters. In the case of Mercyhurst they do not have any Canadians or Americans in the tournament, although it is possible Tanskanen and Nuutinen will play for Finland.
The weekend of the tournament, Mercyhurst hosts Cornell. Cornell's Micah Zandee-Hart, Jaime Bourbonnais and head coach Doug Derraugh will all be representing Canada. The medal games are played on the tenth so that trio will miss the first game of the series, and I would be surprised if they make it back for the second game of the series, although it's possible. With multiple teams and series affected by the tournament, at the college level it's a weekend ripe for upsets. Cornell is a top ten ranked team, and was picked to win the ECAC this year. Regardless of who dresses for the games, it's a huge opportunity for Mercyhurst.
6- A couple weeks ago, I went to my first Beauts game, their home opener versus the Connecticut Whale. I went with my husband, four year old, and two year old. My parents and brother from Ontario met us there, too. HarborCenter is great, as advertised. My favorite features were the size (seats on both sides, cozy but not cavernous) and the glass panels they have that show the decals of whatever is going on there that weekend. The hockey was as expected, good, but a blowout. Attendance was also as expected, good, but not a sellout.
I'd seen very few of these women play live, and the highlight was watching Dani Cameranesi distribute the puck. Seeing a little girl in a Pfalzer Team USA jersey and seeing the incredible pre game hype video kind of got my emotions a bit; I'd never seen anything like it. Other than that, it was a typical hockey game, the atmosphere kind of reminded me of going to hockey games in my youth to see our local junior B and men's senior teams.
What made the day special was being with my family. My daughter was afraid of the loud music, and my son was afraid of Sabre Tooth the mascot, but both relaxed as the day wore on. My favorite parts were watching my four year old dance to the music at intermission, playing bubble hockey with her and seeing her warm up to Sabre Tooth. I loved seeing my son make friends with two little boys who sat in front of us. My son thought they were so cool, kept cuddling up to them, but they genuinely didn't mind. My husband, not a hockey guy, got in the spirit and bought our four year old a Beauts shirt, and both kids mini sticks. In the case of my two year old, it's his first hockey stick, and it's perfect for him.
Now, my daughter is already a hockey fan. Before her first birthday, she watched the Olympics, saw the Lakers in the Frozen Four, watched me play summer hockey, and went to Erie for her first college game. She identifies as a hockey player even though we mostly just play in the driveway, so far. Women's hockey players doing their thing is completely normal for her, so she didn't bat an eye at attending a Beauts game.
My two year old though, he is a little boy who sleeps on football themed bed sheets, with Cleveland Browns stuff animals and baseball, basketball, and football decals on his walls. He loves sports but relatively speaking, the hockey exposure has been lacking. A few weeks ago when the Browns finally won on a Sunday, my husband added a football to our son's crib, just for one night.
But since the Beauts game, when I rock my son at night and he sleepily and nonsensically goes through his various phrases, I'm hearing about the "hockey stick" almost as much as I hear about "football game." It probably is just a phase but just in case, after I put him in his crib, I occasionally put his Beauts mini hockey stick in there too. After all, hockey is for everyone.
7- Playing bubble hockey! Our first NWHL game was a success. I'm not sure I'll have another chance to watch a game this year, but in a perfect world I'd take my daughter to the neutral site game in Pittsburgh in early December I think, and take myself to the Beauts Whitecaps game at HarborCenter on December 30th.
1- The Mercyhurst Lakers hosted conference rival Robert Morris this past weekend, earning a split and bringing both teams' records to 3-5-0. Both teams take solace in at least getting a win, but a sweep for either team would have been huge. There has not been a sweep in this rivalry since October 2016, when RMU beat Mercyhurst twice. The teams meet again at the end of February. Shots were fairly even in game two, 23-21 in favor of RMU, but the score was 5-1 bad guys. Friday's score was 4-2 Lakers. Friday Hurst highlights are below, RMU’s Saturday highlights are here.
Check out the recap from yesterday’s game! Beautiful goals from @emilyypinto19 @alexa_vasko7 @SamFieseler @sarahhine7 Game 2 today at 3pm at the MIC #LAKERPRIDE pic.twitter.com/N0G9Mp1QUH— Mercyhurst W. Hockey (@HurstWHockey) October 20, 2018
Next up, the Lakers host Penn State, who are coming off of a split with Providence this weekend.
2- Separate from the college scene, USA Hockey released their women's hockey roster for the Four Nations Tournament taking place in Saskatoon, on November 6-10. The roster can be found here. As far as I am aware USA Hockey has not announced their coaching staff for this tournament. None of the 2018 Olympic coaching staff was a part of the national team evaluation camp that occurred last month. The Four Nations Tournament is less than three weeks away, so surely a coaching announcement is coming soon. The US drew some criticism for having no women on the Olympic coaching staff; hopefully an all male staff is not the case for the Four Nations. Canada's Four Nations coaching staff includes Head Coach Perry Pearn, with assistants Doug Derraugh, and Caroline Ouellette.
3- Two notable USA Olympians not on the Four Nations team include Meghan Duggan, and goaltender Nicole Hensley. 31 year old Duggan quashed the requirement question when interviewed by Fox Sports Wisconsin at the Wisconsin Badgers game on Friday night. She is not playing professionally or with Team USA right now, but said in regards to playing professionally and with the Olympic team in the future: "Yeah certainly, that's the plan. Once you get that itch, it's hard to walk away." So, it appears she is taking some time off. Duggan was a third/fourth liner in her third Olympics, and earned two assists in that tournament. A three time NCAA champion, a Patty Kazmaier winner, Clarkson Cup Champion, and Olympic gold medal winning Team USA captain, Duggan is one of the most accomplished women's hockey players all time.
4- 24 year old Nicole Hensley is younger than Duggan so no retirement questions surfaced in her case, but her absence is noteworthy. It could be Hensley was a Robb Stauber goalie, and with Stauber seemingly out, so too are his preferred players, at least for this tournament. Hensley's most high profile international game was the 2017 World Championship gold medal game that USA won, in overtime. It could also be she's not one of the best three USA goalies right now, or that USA Hockey simply wants to get fresh looks. The other goalie I thought we might see on the senior team at some point is recent BC grad, Katie Burt, who holds the record for most wins all time in NCAA history, recently beating Noora Raty's mark.
The USA goalies on the Four Nations team include: Emma Polusny (St. Cloud State University), Alex Rigsby (Calgary Inferno), Maddie Rooney (University of Minnesota Duluth).
5- As you can see with the goalies above, the Four Nations tournament will impact college rosters. In the case of Mercyhurst they do not have any Canadians or Americans in the tournament, although it is possible Tanskanen and Nuutinen will play for Finland.
The weekend of the tournament, Mercyhurst hosts Cornell. Cornell's Micah Zandee-Hart, Jaime Bourbonnais and head coach Doug Derraugh will all be representing Canada. The medal games are played on the tenth so that trio will miss the first game of the series, and I would be surprised if they make it back for the second game of the series, although it's possible. With multiple teams and series affected by the tournament, at the college level it's a weekend ripe for upsets. Cornell is a top ten ranked team, and was picked to win the ECAC this year. Regardless of who dresses for the games, it's a huge opportunity for Mercyhurst.
6- A couple weeks ago, I went to my first Beauts game, their home opener versus the Connecticut Whale. I went with my husband, four year old, and two year old. My parents and brother from Ontario met us there, too. HarborCenter is great, as advertised. My favorite features were the size (seats on both sides, cozy but not cavernous) and the glass panels they have that show the decals of whatever is going on there that weekend. The hockey was as expected, good, but a blowout. Attendance was also as expected, good, but not a sellout.
I'd seen very few of these women play live, and the highlight was watching Dani Cameranesi distribute the puck. Seeing a little girl in a Pfalzer Team USA jersey and seeing the incredible pre game hype video kind of got my emotions a bit; I'd never seen anything like it. Other than that, it was a typical hockey game, the atmosphere kind of reminded me of going to hockey games in my youth to see our local junior B and men's senior teams.
What made the day special was being with my family. My daughter was afraid of the loud music, and my son was afraid of Sabre Tooth the mascot, but both relaxed as the day wore on. My favorite parts were watching my four year old dance to the music at intermission, playing bubble hockey with her and seeing her warm up to Sabre Tooth. I loved seeing my son make friends with two little boys who sat in front of us. My son thought they were so cool, kept cuddling up to them, but they genuinely didn't mind. My husband, not a hockey guy, got in the spirit and bought our four year old a Beauts shirt, and both kids mini sticks. In the case of my two year old, it's his first hockey stick, and it's perfect for him.
Now, my daughter is already a hockey fan. Before her first birthday, she watched the Olympics, saw the Lakers in the Frozen Four, watched me play summer hockey, and went to Erie for her first college game. She identifies as a hockey player even though we mostly just play in the driveway, so far. Women's hockey players doing their thing is completely normal for her, so she didn't bat an eye at attending a Beauts game.
My two year old though, he is a little boy who sleeps on football themed bed sheets, with Cleveland Browns stuff animals and baseball, basketball, and football decals on his walls. He loves sports but relatively speaking, the hockey exposure has been lacking. A few weeks ago when the Browns finally won on a Sunday, my husband added a football to our son's crib, just for one night.
But since the Beauts game, when I rock my son at night and he sleepily and nonsensically goes through his various phrases, I'm hearing about the "hockey stick" almost as much as I hear about "football game." It probably is just a phase but just in case, after I put him in his crib, I occasionally put his Beauts mini hockey stick in there too. After all, hockey is for everyone.
7- Playing bubble hockey! Our first NWHL game was a success. I'm not sure I'll have another chance to watch a game this year, but in a perfect world I'd take my daughter to the neutral site game in Pittsburgh in early December I think, and take myself to the Beauts Whitecaps game at HarborCenter on December 30th.
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