In their last meeting, the Connecticut Whale beat the Riveters which broke their two-season long 25-game losing streak. They have not won since, but have continued to add players to their roster. This convinces me that they will have a much better second half of the season.
The Riveters are currently 7-9 and would love to head into the All-Star break at .500 by sweeping this weekend. While the chase for Minnesota in the standings is a long stretch, the Riveters are only two points ahead of the Buffalo Beauts. And they should try to solidify their spot in the standings by jumping ahead of them, as they don’t play this weekend.
Whale Look Fierce With New Additions
This week the Whale made a new signing in former Riveter, Alexa Aramburu. The New Jersey native had three points in eleven games with the Riveters last season, but was dominant on her SUNY Oswego team in college prior to that.
An interesting note about Aramburu is that she is the second player to sign with an NWHL team this season after already participating in a PWHPA showcase. She was even slated to participate in their upcoming Philadelphia showcase next month. “I respect everyone who is trying to build women’s hockey. I’m ready to play,” she said in a league press release. Aramburu has reportedly been practicing with the team for a while and will made her debut this season against the Riveters this weekend.
While she does not have the flashiest numbers, she can definitely provide more depth for a Whale team that needs it. This, along with newer additions to the team in Brinna Dochniak and Janine Weber, the Whale are not a team to sleep on anymore.
Players To Watch
Tatiana Shatalova
Coming into the season, she had a lot to prove as the youngest signed player in league history. After a rocky start, she’s certainly come into her own and seems a lot more comfortable on the ice. She’s notched some game-winning goals, shootout goals, and honestly just ‘dangles for days’. Excluding the top line, Shatalova has the most shots on goal on the team and no one should take that lightly.
Brooke Avery
She has had a breakout month in January. She only had four points on the season, but three of those have come in the last two weeks. And the caliber of the goals she’s scoring – those being when it counts most – should be considered. She plays a big-bodied-defensive game but when she shoots, she scores and I know she will more.
Madison Packer
Jillian Dempsey of the Pride is coming dangerously close to the first NWHL player in history to reach 100 points. And the way I see, as long as she’s around to push, Madison Packer will be chasing her down the stretch.
Predictions
Since the additions they’ve made to their team and the confidence with one win under their belt, I cannot write the Whale off any longer. I think the Riveters split the weekend taking the first game 3-1. The Whale will take them to a shootout again on Sunday and win 5-4.
Both games can be streamed on the NWHL Twitch channel at 6:30 pm on Saturday and 4:30 pm on Sunday.