Report: Katie Fitzgerald, Kimberly Sass, and Sarah Bryant all re-sign with Riveters
With the return of “Brick Wall Fitzy”, “Stay Sassy”, and “Bow Tie Bryant” the Rivs will stay strong in net
The Ice Garden has learned that the Metropolitan Riveters have re-signed their goaltending trio from the 2017-18 season. That’s right, Katie Fitzgerald, Kimberly Sass, and Sarah Bryant are all staying with the Riveters.
Fitzgerald has already had an inspiring professional hockey career. Just a few seasons ago she was the Riveters’ “practice squad” goaltender, but the unheralded 24-year-old seized an opportunity to establish herself as the Riveters starter. Since then Fitzgerald has appeared in two All-Star Games, she was named the MVP of the 2018 Isobel Cup Playoffs after posting two shutouts in two games, and she won the 2017 NWHL Goaltender of the Year.
Last year I was finishing college prepared to seek my "great perhaps". This year has been more than I could have ever imagined. pic.twitter.com/bgVcSDfme9
— Katie Fitzgerald (@kfitzy94) March 24, 2017
Fitzgerald spent part of her 2018 offseason at USA Hockey’s National Goalie Development Camp in Blaine, Minnesota. Her participation in the camp speaks volumes about just how far her game has come in the past few years.
Returning with Fitzgerald are tendies Kimberly Sass and Sarah Bryant. The 2018-19 season will be Sass’s second season with the Riveters and Bryant’s third. Sass began her NWHL career in Buffalo in the league’s inaugural season. She returned to the league in 2017-18 as the Riveters’ backup, stopping 21 of the 23 shots she faced in an overtime victory on March 25. Bryant did not get on the ice in the regular season last year, but she did appear in two games during the 2016-17 season.
The Riveters are the first team to sign all three of their goalies for the 2018-19 season. Fitzgerald, Sass, and Bryant join Amanda Kessel as the four Riveters who are under contract for next year, although there have been some signs that fans should expect some familiar names to return including Madison Packer, Alexa Gruschow, Rebecca Russo, and Courtney Burke.
Stay up to date on all of the NWHL signings with our tracker.
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