The Metropolitan Riveters hosted the Minnesota Whitecaps for the first time this season, and just like their two trips to the state of hockey, they came away with a split series. 

Riveters’ goaltender Sam Walther made her case even stronger for an All-Star game roster spot, with an 88-save weekend, and Colleen Murphy was able to net her first NWHL goal as the game-winner against Minnesota on Sunday. 

After this weekend and Boston sweeping Buffalo, the Riveters sit at 7-8 but have passed the Beauts to take sole possession of third place in the standings. They are just four points behind the Whitecaps as well, so it is still a tight race to the end. 

Game Summaries

In Saturday’s game, the Riveters put up a huge battle but were still shutout by the Whitecaps 2-0. Both goals were well earned by the Minnesota team and came few and far between. Shots were 34-27 in favor of Minnesota, but it was fairly obvious that the Riveters were dominating possession later in the game. It’s a true testament to just how good Minnesota goalie Amanda Leveille is.

The Riveters have learned to steady themselves and not take as many penalties, which is really keeping them in contention with good teams, and it was proven on Saturday.

In New Jersey, they are beginning to learn that the Whitecaps tend to play vastly different on Sunday than they do on Saturday. That was no different this weekend, as the Riveters took the second game 3-1. Goalie Sam Walther took the title of first star, with an incredible 61 saves and a .984 save percentage.

Madison Packer, who had a three-point weekend, took the second star. Followed by Colleen Murphy, who scored the game-winner with her first NWHL goal in a bounce-back game, after having a rough start on Saturday. 

Packer also netted her eleventh goal of the season, which sets a new franchise record for goals in a single season, and draws her even closer to the all-time goals record. She is now just one goal behind Pride captain, Jillian Dempsey, who has 41 career goals. 

Looking Ahead

The Riveters have a rare one-game weekend next week, where they will take on the Connecticut Whale on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 pm and will not play again until a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup against the Boston Pride on Jan. 20. Each will be streamed on the NWHL Twitch channel.

While the Pride are still undefeated and show no signs of slowing down, the Riveters should set their focus on grabbing another win against the Whale and begin chasing the Whitecaps for second place in the standings.