By Michael Heilman

The Minnesota Whitecaps dominated the Connecticut Whale 7-2 Saturday afternoon from the Danbury Ice Arena in Danbury, CT.

Minnesota struck first in the first period as the Whitecaps went on a power play when Whale’s defender Elena Orlando was called for tripping. The Whitecaps took advantage of the power play when Meghan Lorence scored to put Minnesota up 1-0. Amanda Boulier and Audra Richards assisted in Lorence’s goal. This would be the only goal scored as the Whitecaps headed to the locker room with a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period.

Connecticut would tie the game up 1-1 five minutes and forty-seven seconds into the second period when Grace Klienbach passed the puck to Emma Vlasic, who slid and scored. Grace Klienbach assisted in Vlasic’s goal.

Minnesota would retake the lead 2-1 with under ten minutes left to play in the second period as Nicole Schammel shot the puck to the upper left corner past Whale’s goalie Sonjia Shelly. Two minutes later, the Whitecaps would go on another power play and capitalize on it as Nicole Schammel would get her second goal of the game to extend Minnesota’s lead 3-1. Jonna Curtis and Sydney Baldwin assisted in Schammel’s goal.

Two minutes and ten seconds later, Connecticut would cut the Whitecaps lead 3-2 as Kaycie Anderson beat one of the Whitecaps defenders and scored. Shannon Doyle and Erin Hall assisted on Anderson’s goal. As time wound down in the second period, the Whitecaps would go back up by two goals as Nicole Schammel passed the puck to Sydney Baldwin, who then passed to Haylea Schmid and Schmid scored to put Minnesota up 4-2. Sydney Baldwin and Nichole Schammel assisted in Schmid’s goal. The second period came to an end with Minnesota leading Connecticut 4-2.

Minnesota would continue to extend the lead thirty-seconds into the third period as Sydney Baldwin shot the puck that went to the lower right side of the goal net to give Minnesota a 5-2 lead. Meghan Lorence and Haylea Schmid assisted in Baldwin’s goal.

Minnesota added another goal two minutes and twelve seconds later as Brooke White-Lancette scored with a backhand shot, and the Whitecaps were now up 6-2. Kelsey Cline and Sydney Baldwin assisted in Lancette’s goal. The Whale’s then changed goalies as Brooke Wolejko was substituted for Sonjia Shelly.

With time winding down in the third period, the Whitecaps Jonna Curtis scored as she spun and lifted the puck that went over Wolejko’s shoulder and into the top upper left corner to give the Whitecaps a 7-2 lead. Allie Thunstrom and Lisa Martinson assisted in Curtis’s goal. When the final horn sounded, the Minnesota Whitecaps defeated the Connecticut Whale 7-2. The Whitecaps had thirty-five shots for the game while the Whale’s had twenty-five.

Minnesota Whitecaps goalie Amanda Leveille made twenty-three saves out of twenty-five, allowing two goals while Whale’s goalies Sonjia Shelly made twenty-four saves out of thirty, allowing six goals and Brooke Wolejko made five saves out of six giving up one goal.

These two teams will go at it again Sunday afternoon at 1:30 pm from Danbury Ice Arena. The game will be on the NWHL Twitch channel.