Dam Good: Veteran Danielle Stone has 5-point outburst for HV71
This could be a big year for Stone and HV71.
A promotion to HV71’s top line has definitely agreed with veteran Canadian forward Danielle Stone. On Sept. 19, Stone earned a hat trick and picked up two secondary assists in HV71’s 8-3 thrashing of Göteborg. That five-point outburst has made Stone the highest-scoring skater in the league not playing for Luleå Hockey/MSSK.
Stone, 30, is in her fourth season in the SDHL and fifth season playing pro hockey in Sweden after a two-year career in the CWHL with the Calgary Inferno. This is her second year with HV71. She was with Leksand in 2018-19 when she put up career highs in goals (15) and assists (15).
In 2019-20, Stone’s production dipped to 20 points in 34 games — 10 of which were goals. So, the four goals that she’s scored through the first three games of the season are nearly half of her total from last season. Clearly, something is clicking between her and fellow Canadian Kennedy Marchment. The same could be said of Michelle Löwenhielm, the other fixture on HV71’s top line, who hasn’t missed a game — and has picked up five assists — despite a scary preseason injury.
This is proving to be a line worth watching as the season progresses.
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Dam Good: Lulea’s Jenni Hiirikoski starts off scoring
Three Crowns
Here are three performances worthy of hardware from the last week of SDHL action.
- MODO lost both of its games last weekend, but the team’s 1-3-0 start is not a byproduct of sub-par goaltending. Klara Peslarova stopped 62 of the 66 shots she faced over the weekend — a .939 save percentage — and has a .926 Sv% through her first four starts. Peslarova is picking up right where she left off last year and the year before for MODO.
- Through her first four games with Luleå, Michela Cava has four goals and five assists and leads the league with nine points. Cava had two goals and a secondary assist in Luleå’s 4-2 win over Linköping on Sept. 20. Early on, she’s been the engine of the top line skating with Noora Tulus and Emma Nordin.
- Matilda af Bjur had a two-goal game for Linköping against MODO on Sept. 19. The captain of the 2019-20 Long Island University Sharks, 21, has never scored for more than four goals in an SDHL season. So, a two-goal game is a big deal for the young center — and good news for Linköping. Both of her goals were scored on the power play, which is something to keep an eye on as the season moves forward.
Standings as of 9/23
| RK | Team | GP | W | T | L | OTW | OTL | TP | GF:GA (GD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luleå HF | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 18:3 (15) |
| 2 | Brynäs IF | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 13:4 (9) |
| 3 | Linköping HC | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 8:7 (1) |
| 4 | HV 71 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11:8 (3) |
| 5 | Djurgårdens IF | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6:9 (-3) |
| 6 | SDE HF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8:5 (3) |
| 7 | Leksands IF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7:12 (-5) |
| 8 | MODO Hockey | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8:8 (0) |
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