By Michael Heilman

The Boston Pride visited the Tria Rink Saturday night to take on the Minnesota Whitecaps, looking to remain undefeated and move their record to twenty and zero.

The Whitecaps struck first with six minutes and thirty-nine seconds left in the first period as Amanda Boulier found Jonna Curtis, who shot the puck, but it bounced off of the Pride goalie Lovisa Selander. Curtis was able to rebound the puck and jam it into the net for the goal to put the Whitecaps up 1-0 with assists from Amanda Boulier and Allie Thunstrom. Boston would tie the game 1-1 with two minutes and ten seconds left in the first period as Lexie Laing passed the puck to Christina Putigna to create a two-on-one situation. Putigna then passed the puck to McKenna Brand for the open-net goal. The game was now tied 1-1 as the first period ended with Boston outshooting Minnesota nine to eight.

The Whitecaps, with ten minutes and nine seconds left in the second period, saw Stephanie Anderson retrieve the puck and pass it to Meghan Lorence for the breakaway. Lorence shot the puck under the legs of Pride goalie Lovisa Selander for a 2-1 lead the Minnesota crowd went crazy. Boston had a couple of chances to tie the game on the power play but couldn’t find a way to score. Minnesota remained in the lead 2-1 as the second period ended with Boston outshooting Minnesota fifteen to twelve.

Six minutes and twenty-one seconds into the third period, Boston tied the game up 2-2 as McKenna Brand pass the puck to Christina Putigna. Putigna retrieved the puck in the corner drawing a couple of Whitecaps players to her. Then she quickly made a backhand pass to Jillian Dempsey, who had the open-net goal. Minnesota kept their composure and continued to fight in this game.

The Whitecaps would regain the lead with eight minutes and thirty-six seconds left in the third period. Amanda Boulier passed the puck to Stephanie Anderson, who went around the goalie net and quickly passed the puck to Audra Richards, who scored to make it a 3-2 Whitecaps lead. The crowd was electric as they watched their team about to end Boston’s winning streak. Boston had other plans.

With less than a minute left in the game, Boston tied the game again 3-3 as Jillian Dempsey shot the puck, but it hit Whitecaps goalie Amanda Leveille, who was able to rebound the puck and finish the play for the goal with assists from McKenna Brand and Jenna Rheault. The crowd went silent after Dempsey’s goal. Seven seconds later, the Whitecaps regained the lead 4-3 as Allie Thunstrom fought off three Pride players and sprinted down the ice to make a top-shelf shot that went over the shoulder of Lovisa Selander and into the net for the goal. The home crowd was back on their feet, making a thunderous cheer for Thunstrom. Boston would pull Selander for the extra attacker, but the Whitecaps held on as they knocked off the last unbeaten team in the NWHL 4-3. The Whitecaps are now on a five-game winning streak.

Minnesota Whitecaps capped off the night with thirty-one shots on goal while the Pride had thirty-nine shots. The Whitecaps committed three penalties in the game, and Boston couldn’t capitalize on either one of them going zero for three on the power play. Whitecaps goalie Amanda Leveille saved thirty-six of thirty-nine shots allowing three goals while Pride goalie Lovisa Selander was twenty-seven of thirty-one saves allowing four goals.

The three stars of the game were Pride forward McKenna Brand with one goal and two assists, Pride forward Jillian Dempsey with two goals, and Whitecaps forward Allie Thunstrom with one goal and one assist. These two teams will go at it again for game two at the Tria Rink tomorrow at 2 pm.