Inside the NWHL: Four storylines from the first quarter of the season

Mike Murphy

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Inside the NWHL: Four storylines from the first quarter of the season image

The first quarter of the NWHL season is already in the books and there are no shortage of storylines coming out of the Thanksgiving break.

Here is a look at four of the biggest before play resumes Saturday.

The Riveters are rolling

The Riveters are undefeated through the first four games of the season and it isn't because they've been lucky. There is still a lot of hockey to be played, but Newark's team is without a doubt the favorite to win the 2018 Isobel Cup.

Last season rookie goaltender Katie Fitzgerald carried her team and won Goaltender of the Year honors because of it. But this season, the Riveters would still be the team to beat in the NWHL even if Fitzgerald didn't have the best save percentage and GAA in the league (she does). The Riveters likely have the best blue line in professional women's hockey in addition to having a deep, dangerous group of forwards. Chad Wiseman's team has scored 21 goals and allowed just seven goals against in four games.

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Leading the charge on offense for the Riveters are a trio of sophomore forwards. Alexa Gruschow is fast becoming a superstar and New York, New York natives Rebecca Russo and Miye D'Oench are right there with her. Gruschow, D'Oench and Russo are first, second and third in the league in primary points. Collectively the trio has as many goals as the entire Beauts offense, and Buffalo is second in the league in total offense.

The Riveters greatest weakness this season has likely been the team's lack of size up front. But with two-time NWHL All-Star Madison Packer returning to the lineup the Riveters are about to get a lot more physical while adding even more depth at wing.

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Buffalo still searching for its identity

The Beauts have been a little all over the map in the first quarter of the season. The defending Isobel Cup Champs are 2-2-0 to start the year, but there are signs that they're a better team than the standings suggest. It's also worth mentioning that both of the Beauts losses came in games played against the Riveters.

Buffalo's biggest problem this season has been a lack of consistency and a constantly-changing lineup hasn't helped. NWHL teams normally dress 15 skaters for each game, but only seven of the Beauts skaters have played in all four games this season. The Beauts are no stranger to part-time players, but they're also complicating matters because of poor discipline. Three players on the Beauts have already earned one game suspensions from the NWHL's Player Safety Committee.

The Beauts lead the league in turnovers by a wide margin and have allowed 13 goals against at even strength, but they've also had the toughest schedule to date. We simply haven't seen the real Beauts yet. When Buffalo's CWHL imports start clicking with the rest of the team the Beauts will be a force to be reckoned with.

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Rossman is keeping the Whales afloat

No NWHL player has been as important to their team this season as Sydney Rossman has been for the Whale. And Rossman is a 22-year-old rookie goaltender.

The former Quinnipiac star has a .907 save percentage playing behind a team with the highest SA60 and the worst penalty kill in the league. Without Rossman between the pipes the Whale wouldn't have a 2-2-0 record; she's the only goalie with a shootout win this season.

"There was no doubt in my mind that [Rossman] was going to come here and absolutely rock because she's a great goalie," Whale forward Anya Battaglino told the Sporting News. "But I didn't know that she was going to step up and be such a leader. People thought, 'Let's just count out the Whale.' She is one of the biggest reasons why they can't."

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If goaltending is Connecticut's greatest strength, special teams is clearly its greatest weakness. The Whale have the worst power play and penalty kill in the league. But first year head coach Ryan Equale has the team playing sound, conservative hockey at evens. It seems like the Whale are built to win games by one goal margins.

Thanks in large part to exceptional goaltending the Whale are the NWHL's wild card this season. No one really knows what to expect from Connecticut. But at least one thing is clear: Equale's team needs to score more goals. Meaghan Huertas returning from offseason surgery should provide the Whale with some more scoring depth.

The Pride look toothless

There may be no more surprising number from the first quarter of the season than Boston scoring just eight goals before Thanksgiving. If that wasn't bad enough the Pride lost star forward Haley Skarupa to the United States women's national team over Thanksgiving break. She was leading the team in points and shots by a significant margin before she packed her bags for Florida. Head coach Thomas Poeck will have a hard time replacing her 7.5 shots per game.

Boston's 0-3-1 start is tied directly to the team's lackluster transition game and anemic offense. All of the hype surrounding Boston's free agent signings has fizzled. With Skarupa gone the only Pride offseason acquisition with a goal this season is defender Meagan Mangene.

Thankfully for Boston the law of averages is on their side. The Pride have the lowest team shooting percentage and PDO (all strengths) in the league. Poeck's team needs to spend more time in the offensive zone and draw more penalties. Players like Janine Weber, Dana Trivigno and Jordan Smelker need to get going and the power play is a good place for that to happen.

Mike Murphy