The Minnesota Whitecaps finally broke Corinne Schroeder’s historic 105-save shutout streak to start the season, but it wasn’t enough to get their first win. The Boston Pride’s Sammy Davis had two goals, including the overtime winner, as the Whitecaps lost a roller-coaster 5-4 contest in overtime.
2020’s first-overall draft choice had gone without a point through three games for Boston but came up huge tonight to keep their four-game winning streak intact.
The Pride are 4-0-0 and have 11 out of a possible 12 points through four games. Minnesota, however, remains winless and sits with just two points, only ahead of the Connecticut Whale (who have played just one game).
Unlike last night’s contest, the first period started with a bang. Despite solid games from both on Friday, head coach Ronda Engelhardt swapped out Denisa Křížová with Jonna Albers at left wing on a line with Liz Schepers and Sydney Brodt. The move paid off immediately, with Brodt capitalizing on net-front chaos to end Schroeder’s historic shutout streak at 3:15 of the first period.
Four minutes later, the Pride would tie the game after a shift in momentum. Boston outshot the Whitecaps 6-2 after the Brodt goal before Davis’ rebound chance found its way past Minnesota netminder Amanda Leveille for her first goal of the night.
After a questionable body-checking penalty called on Whitecaps defender Olivia Knowles with four minutes remaining in the first frame, it seemed as though the Pride would carry the momentum into the second period. A resilient penalty kill effort from Minnesota carried through, and a great rush from Ashleigh Brykaliuk created an opportunity for Anna Klein to put the Whitecaps up 2-1 with 8.3 seconds left in the period. It was Klein and Brykaliuk’s first points of the season.
The second period was a breaking point for the Whitecaps, who imploded defensively and allowed three unanswered goals in five minutes. Jillian Dempsey scored on Boston’s second power play to tie the game, and Taylor Wenczkowski and Kali Flanagan added tallies to put the Pride up 4-2.
The Whitecaps conceded 12 shots in the second compared to 14 in the first, but the Pride were able to break through with multiple high-danger chances.
Yet Minnesota’s captain came up huge again to salvage the period. Brodt notched her second tally of the game, displaying a beautiful release as her shot beat Schroeder through some traffic with 3:27 left in the second.
Ronda Engelhardt’s second intermission speech must have been along the lines of “whatever they can do, we can do better.” A third-period firestorm from Minnesota resulted in a highlight-reel marker from Jonna Albers, completing the comeback at 6:12 of the third.
The top unit of Albers, Schepers, and Brodt continued to shine, with Brodt nearly completing the hat trick on a chance with just a few minutes left. Their momentum continued, and Boston’s Cristina Putigna headed off for a roughing minor with just two minutes left in regulation. A seeing-eye point shot from Sydney Baldwin, who assisted on the Albers goal, found its way to Schroeder through a screen but couldn’t find the back of the net to take the lead.
With the teams sitting tied in shots at 32 apiece, the contest headed to overtime. After a chance for the Whitecaps, which resulted in the Pride’s Allie Thunstrom favoring her right hand after a net-front collapse, Davis was able to streak up the left wing and beat Leveille five-hole to end the game.
Takeaways
The Whitecaps need a little more out of Leveille. She hasn’t been the only reason the Whitecaps are winless, but her stats have dipped to a .893 save percentage after three consecutive .930+ seasons. Response time has been an issue, and while the Whitecaps have been susceptible to surrendering high-danger chances at times, Davis’ game-winning shot was a stoppable one.
Natalie Snodgrass had a tough weekend after registering three points in two points against the Toronto Six two weeks ago. She was held off the scoresheet tonight and had a -2 rating.
The Whitecaps’ stars truly came alive tonight, with the Albers-Schepers-Brodt unit combining for six points. The team’s second-period defensive meltdown, though, shows consistency needs to be a focus as they roll into the Thanksgiving break.
Lastly, be patient with Křížová. She’s displayed an elite blend of speed, smarts, and skill through both games. The puck will start going in for her sooner rather than later.
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