The Riveters lost to the Boston Pride yesterday, 5-0. This game finished the Pride’s regular season and clinched the third seed for the playoffs.
With heavy lineup changes and injuries, it was very likely that the Riveters would lose the game. But all they needed was a win, as the Buffalo Beauts lost earlier that day, to ensure they would avoid a play-in game.
The Boston Pride finished their season 23-1, with the one loss to the Minnesota Whitecaps. They also had a massive team goal differential of +77 on the season. The playoffs are always a struggle, but it would be hard to bet against Boston taking it all. With a win, Boston would be the first team in NWHL history with two Isobel Cup championships.
Game Summary
Boston got off to a quick start scoring two goals less than seven minutes into the game. Captain Jillian Dempsey collected her 39th point of the season with the opening goal, and then later assisted McKenna Brand’s goal to hit the magic number 40. This made her the first NWHL player in history to reach 40-points in a season. Fitting that it was against the Riveters.
Mary Parker notched two goals early in the game, but was not able to complete the hat trick. The only goal scored after the first period was that of rookie Carlee Toews very late in the second. No goals were scored in the third period proving that Riveters goalie, Dana DeMartino had settled down. Unfortunately, it was not enough as Lovisa Selander was perfect in net facing 29 shots for the Riveters.
Per usual, a big issue for the Riveters were penalties. There weren’t as many, but they gave up two power play goals by taking congruent avoidable penalties and playing the Pride 5-on-3. This is something no one ever wants to do.
Looking Ahead
The Riveters have just one more series remaining against the Buffalo Beauts, as they will host them at home on February 29 and March 1. As stated earlier, these games do not matter for the standings but surely will count for bragging rights and momentum before heading into the playoffs.
The Beauts will host the Connecticut Whale in a quick turnaround on March 6 for the play-in game. The winner of that will head to Boston on March 8 for the second of two semi-final games. After, the Riveters face off against the Whitecaps in Minnesota.
The Metropolitan team’s biggest issue headed into these games is their own roster, unfortunately. Their star goalie Sam Walther, and leading scorer Kate Leary are out indefinitely with injuries. Unless they return in full form soon, making it to the Isobel Cup final seems like a slim chance.
All of these games can be streamed on the NWHL Twitch channel.