By Michael Heilman

The Minnesota Whitecaps continued their homestand at the Tria Rink Saturday afternoon against the Connecticut Whale.

Allie Thunstrom got things rolling for the Whitecaps two minutes and two seconds into the first period scoring a goal to put Minnesota up 1-0 with assists from Lauren Barnes and Amanda Boulier. With a little over six minutes to play in the first period, the Whitecaps extended their lead 2-0 as Jonna Curtis backhanded a pass to Amanda Boulier, who scored the goal. Less than three minutes later, Jonna Curtis, with assists from Amanda Boulier and Meaghan Pezon, scored to make it a 3-0 Whitecaps lead. Both teams committed a tripping penalty in the first period as the Whitecap led 3-0 at the end of the first period.

The Whitecaps continued to pour it on the Whale’s three minutes and four seconds into the second period as Amanda Boulier scored her second goal of the game for a 4-0 Whitecaps lead with assists from Nicole Schammel and Audra Richards. Connecticut had a couple of chances on the power play to get back into this game but couldn’t find a way to put the puck in the net. With under three minutes left in the second period, Allie Thunstrom would get her second goal of the game, and the Whitecaps were now up 5-0 with assists from Jonna Curtis and Kelsey Cline. Connecticut would finally get on the board with forty-five seconds left in the second period as Emma Vlasic scored with assists from Grace Klienbach and Janine Weber to cut the Whitecaps lead 5-1 as the second period ended.

Unfortunately, Connecticut ran out of gas in the third period as the Whitecaps added another goal under seven minutes remaining in the game as Meaghan Pezon scored to make it a 6-1 Whitecaps lead with an assist from Nicole Schammel. The Minnesota Whitecaps would go on to defeat the Connecticut Whale 6-1.

The Whitecaps won the shots total with thirty-three, and the Whale’s had thirty-two. The Whitecaps went zero for four on the power play, and the Whale’s went zero for five. Whitecaps goalie Amanda Leveille almost had a shutout going thirty-one of thirty-two saves allowing one goal and Whale’s goalies Brooke Wolejko was fourteen of nineteen saves, allowing five goals and Cassandra Goyette went thirteen of fourteen saves allowing one goal. Both of these teams will go at it again Sunday at 4 pm from the Tria Rink.