CWHL Weekend Wrap Up: Boston Earns Split, Calgary Sweeps Toronto
Calgary sweeps Toronto in weekend series (@InfernoCWHL/Twitter)
Game 1: Calgary Inferno def. Toronto Furies 5-1
Game 2: Calgary Inferno def. Toronto Furies 3-1
TORONTO - As the first half of the CWHL season wrapped up this weekend, the Calgary Inferno and the Toronto Furies met in Toronto for a weekend series. Calgary with a chance to surpass the idle Les Canadiennes de Montreal this weekend needed to pick up a few points against the Furies.
In game one, the Inferno used a four goal third period to pull away from the Furies and claim the first victory in the series. Calgary and Toronto battled through a scoreless first period, where the Inferno outshot the Furies 11-9.
In the second period, Calgary increased their defensive pressure and started to attack the net. It paid off when Bailey Bram notched her sixth goal of the season to put the Inferno ahead, 1-0. Calgary outshot Toronto 13-3 in the second period.
The third started quickly, just 29 seconds into the frame, Bram scored off a fantastic feed from Sarah Davis to double the Inferno lead. Less than a minute later, Iya Gavrilova got in on the fun and put away right past Toronto goaltender, Christina Kessler. After Tanis Lamoureux got the Furies on the board to make it 3-1, on a Inferno power play, Gavrilova added her sixth goal of the season to cap off a four goal flurry in the first five minutes of the third.
Davis added a late goal to make it 5-1, and Delayne Brian made 22 saves to shutdown the Furies in game one.
After game one, Toronto needed to respond with a better performance than they did the night before. However, the Inferno had different plans, Bram started the scoring with her eight goal just beyond midway through the first. The Furies responded with shutdown defense and quality offensive opportunities. Both teams went into the locker room at the first intermission tied in shots at 10 a piece but the Inferno held a 1-0 lead.
In the second, Calgary for the second time in two days scored within 30 seconds of the start of the period to put Toronto on their heels. Sarah Davis doubled the Inferno lead when she took a Bram pass and put it in the net for her third goal of the season. Emily Fulton brought the Furies back in it with her fourth goal of the season cutting the deficit to one. At the intermission, both teams remained tied in the shot count at 17 a piece but Calgary again held on to a one goal lead.
The third period became a goaltending battle with Emerance Maschmeyer shutting the door a couple of Toronto chances. Christina Kessler was pulled with less than two minutes left for the extra skater, but Louise Warren took a loose puck and scored her first goal of the season on the empty net to preserve the win for Calgary. The Inferno improves to 12-2-0, while the Furies drop to 7-6-2-0-1. Calgary will welcome Brampton after the break. Toronto will have an extended bye following the break.
Boston and Brampton split on the weekend (@BostonCWHL/Twitter)
Game 1: Boston Blades def. Brampton Thunder 4-3
Game 2: Brampton Thunder def. Boston Blades 8-0
BRAMPTON - After picking up a win against Toronto last weekend, the Boston Blades were riding high and brought that momentum into the series with Brampton this weekend. Step by step the young Blades team has grown through an up and down season. This weekend, the Blades earned their first regulation win since the 2014-15 season, making up some ground in the CWHL Clarkson Cup race.
In game one Boston and Brampton was locked in a battle, the teams exchanged leads throughout the game. Kayla Tutino notched her second goal of the season when she connected with Meghan Grieves just 91 seconds into the game to give Boston a 1-0 lead. The Thunder responded with a goal midway through the period to even the game at 1. Jamie Lee Rattray took a Jenna McParland pass and found a hole past Lauren Dahm for the equalizer.
The second started just as the first, this time it was Brampton with the early goal, as Jess Jones scored her seventh goal of the year just over a minute into the period. The Thunder held the lead until Melissa Bizzari scored her first professional CWHL goal to bring Boston back even with Brampton.
Midway though the period, Laura Stacey took a penalty to give Boston the power play where they would capitalize on the advantage. Dakota Woodworth and Tutino combined to find Kate Leary for her fifth goal of the season. However, a few minutes later, Dru Burns was assessed a roughing penalty to give Brampton their own advantage. Jones converted for the Thunder to level the game at 3-3.
In the third period, Brampton outshot Boston 10-6 but could not find the back of the net. Boston would take the lead midway through the third when Sadie St. Germain found Erin Kickham for the go ahead goal. Dahm would shut the door on the Thunder and Boston would claim their first regulation win in two years.
To say Brampton was unhappy with their performance in game one is an understatement and the team wanted to make a point on Sunday. In game two of the series, Brampton used a five goal first period to runaway with a blowout win over Boston. Jess Jones started the scoring in the first with her ninth goal of the year giving the Thunder a 1-0 lead two minutes into the game. A minute later, Courtney Birchard doubled the Brampton lead after creating a turnover receiving a pass from Sarah Edney. The Boston defense struggled throughout the period letting Brampton score six goals on eight shots. Jenna McParland notched the fifth goal of the period at 15:16, which resulted in Dahm being replaced by Jetta Rackleff.
Boston played much better offensively but could not find the back of the net in this contest. Liz Knox made 20 saves in the shutout win for Brampton and made some big saves in the first to set the tone throughout the game. Becca King and Kristen Richards added second period goals, and Laura Stacey added her seventh goal of the season in the third to give Brampton the 8-0 victory.
Brampton will travel to Calgary following the break, while Boston will play host to Montreal.
