The Metropolitan Riveters made the trip to Minnesota for Girls’ Hockey Weekend and their two-game series with the Whitecaps. The team spent Friday and Saturday at the Girls’ Winter Classic, working with youth girls’ teams in clinics before taking the Whitecaps to a shootout Saturday evening and winning.
This is the second time these two teams have gone to overtime this season, and the first shootout in the league this year. Tatiana Shatalova, the league’s youngest player ever, scored the lone goal in the shootout for the Rivs and was even featured on MSG for it during last night’s Rangers game.
The Riveters lost to the Whitecaps on Sunday 5-2 and now head back east with a 4-7 record.
Game Summaries
Saturday’s game was an excitingly even matchup thanks to Kate Leary, who scored the Rivs’ two goals in regulation. Sam Walther also claimed the first star, posting a .952 save percentage on the game. The Whitecaps were able to stay in it, tying the game up late and forcing overtime.
Fast forward five minutes, and 20-year-old Tatiana Shatalova stood against one of the best goaltenders in the sport, Amanda Leveille, and put the puck behind her in the net. No one else scored in the shootout, giving the Riveters the win.
Sunday was very different. The Whitecaps scored five goals in the first half of the game, and it wasn’t until late in the third period that the Metropolitan team could even make a two-goal comeback.
The deciding factor in both of these games, and is the cause of most of the Riveters’ struggles, is the penalties. The Rivs only took three penalties each day, and that made them a much stronger team than when they let things get out of hand and sit most of the game in the box. Still, they lead the league in penalty minutes after this weekend.
As I’ve said previously, playing in a packed Minnesota house and coming away with a split series should be seen as an accomplishment. The team can look forward to a lot more home games in the next two months, which brings on a lot more breathing room.
Audra Richards, former Riveter, had a fantastic weekend against her former team, grabbing four points on the series, including two goals in Sunday’s game.
Looking Ahead
The Riveters’ next game will be the Buffalo Believes Classic, their first matchup against the Beauts this season. This game is also special because it’s the first-ever outdoor NWHL game. Both teams will be hungry to claim a win at the special event.
Considering the Beauts are just a few points ahead of the Riveters in the standings, and are probably the most easily comparable team this year, a two-game series in Buffalo could be big for either side.
The game at RiverWorks is on December 28, 2019, at 7:00 pm EST and will feature it’s own signature Beauts beer in partnership with Labatte Blue Beer Company and will have accompanying team meetups afterward.