The Wraparound: Feb. 20

Welcome to this week’s Wraparound! Frequently I find myself with a story I just really really like and don’t want to bury in a section, but also don’t have much to say about. So I decided to add “if you only read one thing”.

If you only read one thing...

ECAC foes Quinnipiac and Princeton share a bus ride and a couple of wins | At Even Strength
After some last-minute bus trouble for the Bobcats on Friday, though, they took the term “travel partners” to an all-new meaning, when they literally rode the bus together to their games against St. Lawrence and Clarkson.

Gabs Fundaro wrote this lovely, heartwarming story of Princeton coming to the aid of Quinnipiac when the Bobcats bus broke down. It’s people helping people.

NWHL

Regular season play resumed with three games last weekend. The Boston Pride beat the Connecticut Whale, 4-1, at home on Saturday night. In a wild, wild game that included a “kicking” penalty, an ejection, and then a shootout, the Buffalo Beauts beat the Metropolitan Riveters, 6-5 in New Jersey. On Sunday, the Riveters took the rematch 4-3 in another close game.

The weekend split means the race for third place (a definite advantage due to not having to play a play-in game) is still tight. The Riveters remained in third and the Beauts in fourth. According to Riveters play-by-play and resident NWHL playoff picture expert Matt Falkenbury, the Riveters magic number is 3 (the combination of points earned by them and lost by the Beauts).

This weekend, the Beauts are hosting the Minnesota Whitecaps on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. while the Riveters are hosting the Pride on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. The Connecticut Whale is also hosting the Pride on Saturday at 2 p.m., in Bridgeport, Conn., as part of the first NWHL/AHL doubleheader.

NWHL Standings as of 2/20

Three Ups, Three Downs: Beauts split weekend series with Riveters | The Ice Garden
A weekend of ups and downs as the Beauts fight for third place

The NWHL’s Boston Pride are good. Like, 20-1 good. What’s the secret to the success? | The Boston Globe
The Pride have dominated the National Women’s Hockey League this season, and have their sights set on winning the Isobel Cup.

PWHPA

The PWHPA held a 3-on-3 game in Winthrop, Mass. According to Grant Cohoe on Twitter only about 25 people attended and the planned skate with the players after didn’t happen. He did also add that the level of play was high. Team White won 8-6.

I was honestly surprised to read about the low attendance. The PWHPA had done a decent job of promoting it on social media (though it was never on their website). While Winthrop isn’t the easiest place to get to from the city, it still is accessible. It’s big contrast to Canadian PWHPA Live! events which routinely draw hundreds. It also is extremely reminiscent to the attendance disparity in the CWHL.

This weekend the PWHPA has three games - Saturday in Oakville and another BFL Pro Challenge on Saturday in Montreal and Sunday in Sherbrooke.

PWHPA to play Dream Gap Tour stop in Japan | The Ice Garden
The mixed roster will play three games against the Japanese National Team

Zafuto moves behind Nichols bench | niagara-gazette.com
It’s a different view from behind the bench, but Olivia Zafuto is loving every second of it.

NCAA

Polls: TIG // USCHO // USA Today

Wednesday Women: Dissecting Division I women’s college hockey conference standings as the regular season winds down | College Hockey | USCHO.com
Nicole and Arlan talk conference races and try to predict the Patty Kazmaier Top Ten.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY: BSU goalie Lauren Bench to forego final season to pursue medical degree | Bemidji Pioneer

Women’s DI College Hockey: Size, speed and an improved shot the key to Giguere’s success at Clarkson | College Hockey | USCHO.com
Clarkson’s Elizabeth Giguere has a new role this season, but she’s been just as prolific and dangerous leading the Golden Knights’ offense.

Women’s DI College Hockey Weekend Wrap: February 17 | College Hockey | USCHO.com
Clarkson rebounds with a win over Princeton after dropping a game to Quinnipiac and Ohio State took four points from Wisconsin this weekend.

Women’s Hockey: Can Daryl Watts become second player ever to capture two Patty Kazmaier awards? | The Badger Herald

Senior Cook stirring the pot for the Terriers | New England Hockey Journal ($)
For iron woman Abby Cook, helping her BU Terriers win a national title would be a crucial step toward wrapping up her college career in style.

College hockey: Contenders, leaders for each of the 2020 awards | NCAA.com
With six weeks to play in the college hockey season, here are some of the contenders for the Hobey Baker Award, Patty Kazmaier Award, and Mike Richter Award among others. Find out who could win if the season ended today.

USports

Top 10 Tuesday |  U SPORTS
Concordia (women’s hockey) remain at No.1 for another week.

Multiple Cochrane hockey players take part in annual Crowchild Classic | CochraneToday.ca
”The fans definitely bring a lot of energy that we aren’t used to, so playing at the Saddledome in front of your university, makes it so much more meaningful. Our games against the University of Calgary are always so intense but the Saddledome game always seems a bit more important.”

International

ZhHL

Ice Diaries: Noora Raty : News : Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)
Growing up, all of Noora Räty’s role models were men. Up until the age of ten, the Finnish supernova had no idea that her country even had a Women’s National Team in ice hockey—a squad she would someday anchor at four Olympic Games.

Home Stretches: the ZhHL | CONWAY’S RUSSIAN HOCKEY BLOG
The 2019-20 regular season of the Women’s Hockey League, the ZhHL, wraps up this week, with all teams having two more games to play. And two of the league’s four playoff spots remain up for…
Games have been played since Patrick published this. He tweeted: Tornado Moscow Oblast clinch a playoff spot by beating Gorny St. Petersburg 2-1 in overtime.  Gorny must win in regulation vs. Tornado tomorrow and have Biryusa Krasnoyarsk lose in regulation vs. SKIF to get the final spot; any other result gives it to Biryusa.”

SDHL

Started six years ago - now the Spanish is one of SDHL’s best | Hockey Sweden
A little surprising is one of SDHL’s best goalkeepers from Spain. In addition, she has only been a goalkeeper for almost six seasons. She comes from the football city of Barcelona and is named Alba Gonzalo .

SDHL has made clear with sports manager: “It feels really fun”
SDHL is expanding its organization by appointing Gizela Ahlgren-Bloom as sports manager. It confirms the league on their website.

SDHL back ends “This is no longer working” | Hockeysverige
The head injuries put a stop to Gothenburg’s most important player Tilda Antonsson. The 27-year-old has now decided to end his hockey career.

Debuted as a 12-year-old - now she will stop Brynäs stars
After being a bottom team for all their years in the SDHL, SDE tonight gets the chance to make an impression in the club’s first playoff game ever. Team captain Leanne Ganney looks forward to the tough challenge that awaits Brynäs.

Misc.

The Superlative Six: The Minnesota Greats in Women’s Hockey | Hockey Wilderness
A roundup of some of the best players both on and off the ice that hail from Minnesota.
Yeah you read that byline right, that’s Riveters captain Madison Packer writing for one of our sibling blogs!

Players reflect the past and future of the USA, Canada rivalry | The Ice Garden
"It’s pretty exciting and it just keeps getting better."

Memories flood back 17 years later for former Willmar Cardinals | West Central Tribune
With Willmar girls hockey back at state for the first time in 17 years, it was time to break out a nostalgic, albeit stinky, reminder of state trips past.

Young Officials Meet NHL Refs During Hockey Week Across America | USA Hockey
For Erika Greenen, getting to meet up with referees Chris Rooney and Frederick L’Ecuyer and linesmen Devin Berg and Jonny Murray in Nashville in 2016, during her second year of officiating, was an eye-opening experience and just another step on her journey towards high-level officiating.