2021 NWHL Season Thread

[JMCx4]

NWHL Announces Plan for Season and Isobel Cup Playoffs at Lake Placid's 1980 Rink-Herb Brooks Arena

November 25, 2020
by NWHL MEDIA

The National Women’s Hockey League today announced a plan to present the upcoming season and 2021 Isobel Cup Playoffs at the 1980 Rink-Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, NY between January 23 - February 5, 2021. ...

The competition in Lake Placid will feature the NWHL’s six teams – Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, Minnesota Whitecaps, and first-year expansion club the Toronto Six – and will be played without fans in attendance. ...

The teams will arrive separately in Lake Placid in a staggered schedule on Jan. 21 and 22. Beginning Jan. 23, they will each play five games (one against each team in the league), followed by a playoff round that will determine the four teams advancing to the Isobel Cup Semifinals. The single-game Semifinals will feature the top-seeded team against the fourth-place team, with the teams, ranked second and third facing each other. The winners of the Semifinals will advance to the Isobel Cup Final on Friday, Feb. 5. ...

All of the professional players who signed contracts this year for the NWHL season will be compensated in full, despite the condensed game schedule. Players were given the opportunity to opt-out of the tournament and still receive their complete salaries. At this date, more than 95 percent of the players have committed to the competition, giving each team a full playing roster for Lake Placid – the site of the iconic “Miracle on Ice” by the U.S. Olympic Team in 1980. Following local and national health guidelines, NWHL teams began voluntary workouts in September and started official practices and workouts in October.

The complete schedule, broadcast information, and additional details will be made available in the weeks leading up to the season. ...

Read more at: NWHL Announces Plan for Season and Isobel Cup Playoffs at Lake Placid's 1980 Rink-Herb Brooks Arena

Click to read more...

 

[JMCx4]

NWHL 2021 Team Previews from The Hockey Writers ...

• Minnesota Whitecaps 2021 Season Preview
• Buffalo Beauts 2021 Season Preview
• Boston Pride 2021 Season Preview
• Connecticut Whale 2021 Season Preview
• Toronto Six 2021 Season Preview
• Metropolitan Riveters 2021 Season Preview

 

[JMCx4]

Confirmed by "GamerDoc" (aka, Dr. Lindsey Migliore) on NWHL Open Ice: The regular season games of 2021 NWHL "bubble hockey" play in Lake Placid, as well as the preliminary playoff rounds, will be live streamed on Twitch. The Isobel Cup Semifinals & Championship Final will be carried by NBCSN as announced earlier.

 

[JMCx4]

Participate in the 2021 NWHL fan experience by being a Virtual Supporter ...

 

[JMCx4]

From: The National Women's Hockey League > News

Regular Season and Isobel Cup Playoffs Schedule Announced for 2021 NWHL Season in Lake Placid
... by Mario Forno

January 14, 2021 – The National Women’s Hockey League today announced the game schedule for the upcoming season and 2021 Isobel Cup Playoffs taking place Jan. 23 - Feb. 5 at the 1980 Rink-Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York.

The season opens with tripleheaders starting at 1 p.m. ET on both Saturday, Jan. 23, and Sunday, Jan. 24. The first game on Saturday features the debut of the Toronto Six, the newest NWHL expansion franchise and the first Canadian team to join the league, against the Metropolitan Riveters.

The Six-Riveters game will be followed by a showdown between the two teams that advanced to the 2020 Isobel Cup Final – the Minnesota Whitecaps and Boston Pride. The day of action concludes with the Buffalo Beauts taking on the Connecticut Whale. ...

2021 National Women’s Hockey League Schedule
(all times ET, all games in Lake Placid)

Regular Season
Saturday, Jan. 23
1 p.m. - Toronto Six at Metropolitan Riveters
4 p.m. - Boston Pride at Minnesota Whitecaps
7 p.m. - Connecticut Whale at Buffalo Beauts
Sunday, Jan. 24
1 p.m. - Minnesota Whitecaps at Toronto Six
4 p.m. - Metropolitan Riveters at Connecticut Whale
7 p.m. - Buffalo Beauts at Boston Pride
Tuesday, Jan. 26
5:30 p.m. - Minnesota Whitecaps at Metropolitan Riveters
8:30 p.m. - Toronto Six at Boston Pride
Wednesday, Jan. 27
5:30 p.m. - Boston Pride at Connecticut Whale
8:30 p.m. - Metropolitan Riveters at Buffalo Beauts
Thursday, Jan. 28
5:30 p.m. - Buffalo Beauts at Toronto Six
8:30 p.m. - Connecticut Whale at Minnesota Whitecaps
Saturday, Jan. 30
12:00 p.m. - Connecticut Whale at Toronto Six
3:00 p.m. - Minnesota Whitecaps at Buffalo Beauts
6:00 p.m. - Boston Pride at Metropolitan Riveters

Regular Season Round Robin
Sunday, Jan. 31
2:00 p.m. - Seed 4 at Seed 3
5:00 p.m. - Seed 6 at Seed 2
8:00 p.m. - Seed 5 at Seed 1
Tuesday, Feb. 2
5:30 p.m. - Seed 6 at Seed 1
8:30 p.m. - Seed 4 at Seed 2
Wednesday, Feb. 3
7:00 p.m. - Seed 5 at Seed 3

Isobel Cup Semifinals (Teams re-seeded in order of best records after the 7 games )
Thursday, Feb. 4
5:30 p.m. - Fourth-Place Team at Regular Season Champions
8:00 p.m. - Third-Place Team at Second-Place Team

Isobel Cup Final
Friday, Feb. 5
7 p.m. - Winners of the Semifinals

 

[GindyDraws]

Participate in the 2021 NWHL fan experience by being a Virtual Supporter ...

... think we all know which team I'm not supporting.

 

[JMCx4]

... think we all know which team I'm not supporting.

The girls team?

 

[GindyDraws]

The girls team?

What team is named after a mammal from order Cetacea that I bitched about endlessly for being not good... and then they somehow won a playoff game?

 

[JMCx4]

What team is named after a mammal from order Cetacea that I bitched about endlessly for being not good... and then they somehow won a playoff game?

You've been waiting for YEARS to use the word "Cetacea" in a hockey post, haven't you? Congratulations!

BTW, if you read the THW team previews above, you'll see that your un-favorite underdog (under-mammal?) is poised to breach rising sea levels inside The Bubble. Even matching last season's victory total would put them at a respectable .400 Win% going into the Round Robin Round (say THAT five times fast). It's anybody's Cup from there ... literally ... look at the play-in schedule.

 

[JMCx4]

The NWHL Bubble Season starts @ 1 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. Here are a few warmup articles for fans to get in the mood ...

• Sports Are From Venus blog: 2021 NWHL Season Preview
• The Score: What you should know about the NWHL's 2021 bubble season
• WTOP.com: Women’s bubble hockey: NWHL season will be a 2-week sprint

Team previews from The Hockey Writers are linked in this post above.

 

[JMCx4]

From: The Hockey Writers > Women's Hockey

Meet the NWHL’s EBUG: Mariah Fujimagari

by Dan Rice | JANUARY 22ND, 2021

... Last season in the NWHL Mariah Fujimagari was a goaltender for the Buffalo Beauts. Before that, the 26-year-old Markham, Ontario native had played professionally in the CWHL (Worcester) as well as in Slovakia (EWHL).

This upcoming season the NWHL has compressed their schedule into a two-week span (Jan. 23-Feb.5) in Lake Placid, New York. A few teams will be carrying more than two goalies on their roster, but the majority will have just two.

So what happens if someone tests positive for covid while in Lake Placid? What happens if a goalie gets hurt in a game and is unable to play in the remainder of their team’s games? What happens if both goalies get hurt? These are all real possibilities in a world filled with more unknowns than we have ever encountered before.

Enter Fujimagari. ...

Read more at: https://thehockeywriters.com/nwhl-meet-the-ebug-mariah-fujimagari/

 

[JMCx4]

Bubble Game #1 is in the books, with the Metropolitan Riveters shutting out the Toronto Six 3-0. Both goaltenders - Sonjia Shelly for the Rivs and Elaine Chuli for the Six - played very well, and the compete level for both teams was high. The Riveters just looked more organized in this opening match of the NWHL 2021 ir-regular season. Riveters defender Leila Kilduff scored two goals to lead her team to their first 2021 victory.

Twitch webcast quality was pretty good, with just a few rough spots, and the stream chat throughout the game was very active (a key feature of the Twitch media product). Play-by-play & color analysis was handled remotely from a studio in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and was very smooth. Two more games today @ 4 PM & 7 PM Eastern.

 

[JMCx4]

I spoke too soon about the Twitch stream quality. Late in the 1st period of Game #2 ...

 

[JMCx4]

Back to the steady stream. Minnesota Whitecaps defender Winny Brodt-Brown scored her first NWHL goal in the 2nd period of Game #2 vs. the Boston Pride. Some NWHL Trivia: Brodt-Brown is the oldest player in the League @ 42 years of age (she'll be 43 in mid-February), and has been with the Whitecaps since their 2002-2003 Western Women's Hockey League season after playing four years of NCAA DI hockey (one year for New Hampshire, then 3 years with the Minnesota Golden Gophers).

 

[JMCx4]

Game #2 goes to Minnesota, with a 2-1 victory over last season's regular season champs Boston. These two teams were scheduled to face-off for the Isobel Cup championship game in 2020, but COVID won instead to leave MIN the defending NWHL champs for this compressed season. The Whitecaps had the edge in team speed for this Bubble Game, and they used that edge to keep offensive pressure on the Pride in transitions. BOS had almost 2 minutes of a power play advantage at the end of the 3rd period, but the Caps clogged the middle in front of their goaltender Amanda Leveille to keep the Pride from tying the match. Whitecaps forward Audra Richards assisted on both of her team's goals.

 

[JMCx4]

An NHL connection in Bubble Game #3: First-year Buffalo Beauts defender Alyson Matteau is the daughter of former NHL journeyman Stéphane Matteau. Alyson's brother Stéfan Matteau currently is property of the Columbus Blue Jackets in his 9th pro hockey season.

 

[JMCx4]

Rookie goalies make the headlines for Game #3 in Lake Placid: Abbie Ives for the CT Whale & Carly Jackson for the BUF Beauts. The game was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, so play proceeded to a 4-on-4 OT period and then a 3-round shootout. Connecticut forward Katelynn Russ scored the only S/O goal, and Day 1 in The Bubble wrapped up with a 2-1 final score.

Very competitive & entertaining hockey inside the Herb Brooks Arena 1980 Rink, to begin the NWHL's 2021 Condensed Season. Games #3 thru #6 tomorrow, again free streamed on Twitch.

 

[JMCx4]

What team is named after a mammal from order Cetacea that I bitched about endlessly for being not good... and then they somehow won a playoff game?

Don't look now, @JDogindy, but your favorite Cetacea are 1-0 inside The N-Bubble. Every Whale has its day.

 

[JMCx4]

Toronto vs. Minnesota starts Day #1 of N-Bubble Hockey, and the Six's defender Lindsay Eastwood scores the franchise's inaugural goal to give them a 1st period 1-0 lead.

ETA: And Toronto goes up 2-0, with forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis scoring a 4-on-4 goal. The Six have gone from tentative during yesterday's opening game to whole-team aggressive today.

 

[JMCx4]

And within the minute after TO takes the 2-goal lead, the Whitecaps get robbed of a legit goal with a 3-on-4 shorthanded no-goal call. And now Minnesota takes another penalty.

 

[JMCx4]

End of one period, newcomer Toronto leads defending champ Minnesota 3-1. Eight minor penalties were called in that period, which seemed excessive. Let 'em play, refs.

 

[JMCx4]

Period 2 ends with Toronto leading 5-3, with Minnesota scoring 2 goals in the final minute. It had started looking like a Six blowout before that, but now the 3rd period has a chance of being worth watching.

 

[JMCx4]

Minnesota forward Audra Richards scores the 4th Whitecaps goal with 7 minutes left in the game (shorthanded), then Caps forward Meaghan Pezon ties the game 5-5 with a PP marker with just over 5 minutes left in regulation. ETA: Game going to 4-on-4 OT. The teams should be used to open ice, after the game the referees have called so far.

 

[JMCx4]

Day 2, Game 1, 5 minutes of OT followed by a 5-round shootout … Final Score = Minnesota Whitecaps 6 - Toronto Six 5. Whitecaps forward Haley Mack scored one in regulation plus the game winner to wrap up the shootout & Minnesota's second victory. Six forward Breanne Wilson-Bennett led her team offensively with two goals in regulation, with defender Sarah Steele contributing 2 assists, but Toronto could not hold on to their lead & are still seeking their first franchise victory.

Underlying the Whitecaps’ incredible comeback (down 5-1 in the 2nd), they spent almost as much time in the box as they did in the dressing room between periods. That's gotta change as they move forward.

10 goals in regular play of this match, after just 8 goals total scored by the 6 teams on Saturday.

Next up (quickly) are the Metropolitan Riveters vs. the Connecticut Whale, followed by the Buffalo Beauts vs. the Boston Pride to wrap up the first weekend of the N-Bubble condensed season. Monday is a day of rest for the ladies, then games will be played on Tuesday thru Thursday before next Saturday's "triple header" ends the very short NWHL 2021 regular season. Lots of good hockey in 8 days - games of attrition.

 

[Roadhog]

6-5 shootout win for MIN. Amazing 180 by TOR from yesterday to today, I fully expected they would get blown out in every game. Brampton Beast coach Spiros Anatasos is an assistant with the 6ix.