The NWHL hiatus is finally over and the Metropolitan Riveters are back in action today against the Connecticut Whale.

The Whale come into today’s game as the only winless team in the league, while the Riveter’s last game was a win against the Boston Pride. They will be looking to improve upon that as they face Connecticut three consecutive times starting today.

There will not be a better opportunity to get back into the standings race than these next three weeks. It is difficult to establish who the superstar player on the Whale might be. Speaking of superstars, forward Miye D’Oench is making her season debut for Metropolitan, she had missed the first six games due to work. Expect her to make a big impact immediately, it could be the boost the Riveters need to recover the season.

This is also a great opportunity for Katie Fitzgerald to regain her confidence in net and grab a couple of wins and maybe even some shutouts. She has certainly struggled to start the season but playing the last team in the league for three in a row can be a morale boost for anybody. Especially for coach Randy Velischek. If he can come away with a win here today it shows some hope for the next two games and faith can be restored for the defending champs.

Overall, this game is going to be interesting to see. I will predict that the Riveters do pick up a decisive win against the Whale today. Give Fitzgerald the shutout and two goals from D’Oench in a 4-0 victory.

Game can be seen at the Barnabas Health Hockey House or on the NWHL Twitter at 2PM.