Sound Tigers and NWHL Make History Today

Photo by Michelle Jay

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers are proud to host the first ever doubleheader between the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL) to kick off Hockey Weekend in Connecticut at Webster Bank Arena. The Connecticut Whale will face the Boston Pride in the 2 p.m. NWHL matchup on Saturday, Feb. 22.

In addition, make sure to stick around following the game for an autograph session with the entire Whale team!

The Matchup:

The two teams played each other just one week ago in Boston, with the Pride picking up a 4-1 win in a game that showed the physicality of the two squads. The Whale held the Pride scoreless in the first period for the first time all season, and played a strong defensive game to keep things close.

Late in the second period, the Pride opened the scoring with a goal from rookie Lexie Laing and never looked back. Kaycie Anderson was the lone scorer for the Whale. With the playoffs just a few weeks away, the two teams are in very different positions coming down the stretch.

The Pride have been an unstoppable force in nearly every category you look at. Their captain, Jillian Dempsey, leads the NWHL in points and assists. They have a goal differential of +69 through 22 games and rookie goaltender Lovisa Selander leads in wins, save percentage and goals against average.

Boston began the season with 19 consecutive wins, a new league record, and secured the number 1 seed for the NWHL playoffs with multiple games to spare. They know that the target is upon them, yet they have no intentions of slowing down before their postseason push.

On the other side, it’s been a season of adversity for Connecticut. They didn’t record their first win of the year until Jan. 11, breaking a winless streak that dated back to the tail end of last season. Despite the poor record they have consistently gotten better with veterans returning and an improved back end led by captain Shannon Doyle and goalie Brooke Wolejko.

The Whale certainly know how to stay in games. They’ve taken every team in the league past regulation at least once, including taking the Pride to their first ever shootout. Connecticut has lost 11 games this season by two goals or less and they will be keen to pull an upset in an AHL rink.

What and Who to Look For:

Emma Vlasic (CT): The cousin of San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc Eduard has proven to be quite the goal scorer and faceoff specialist for the Whale. She is just one goal shy of becoming just the fifth player in Whale history to score 10 or more goals in a season. Vlasic will also be making a welcome return to the Connecticut area as she is a recent graduate of Yale University.

Brooke Wolejko (CT): Whale head coach Colton Orr has seemingly tapped Wolejko as his star between the pipes for the final stretch of the season. Last weekend in Boston, she stopped 46 of 49 shots against a Pride team that loves to pepper the opposition with near 50 shots a game. She comes into Saturday with a .912 save percentage, fourth best in the league.

Jillian Dempsey (BOS): The Pride captain and five-year veteran of the NWHL recently became the first player in league history to score 100 points for her career. She has been held off the score sheet in only two games this entire season and leads all players in points, assists and points per game.

Mallory Souliotis (BOS): Another Yale product returns to the Connecticut area as one of the top offensive defenders in the NWHL. Souliotis has been on a point per game pace through her last four contests and trails only Kayleigh Fratkin for the most multi point games by a Boston defender this season.

Fans are welcome to Webster Bank Arena to catch this game and the Sound Tigers’ 7 p.m. contest against the Hershey Bears with a package that starts at just $25. Fans who are unable to attend can watch all of the action live on Twitch TV on any computer or mobile device: twitch.tv/nwhl.