Snowflake Challenge 9

[cmk418]

Challenge #9

Rec Us Your Newest Thing. Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Last February, I made a Women's Hockey Primer for halfamoon (returning this February, join us!). In the section on "Leagues", I wrote There has been much discussion over the years regarding the need for one women's hockey league in North America. With the two sides (PHF & PWHPA) as they are, they are never going to agree on how to do things.

Little did I expect that a group of investors would buy out the PHF in June and begin the development of one unified women's hockey league in North America, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). It came together very quickly- a CBA ratified by the players was the first thing. After that, it was announced that the league would consist of six teams - Boston, Minnesota, Montreal, New York, Ottawa, and Toronto. Then came a free agency period which allowed each team to select three players- some of the biggest names in women's hockey were signed as free agents. After that was a fifteen round draft, and to round out their rosters, teams were allowed to invite players to the training camps which began in November.

The PWHL brought a couple of interesting rules with it:
-Standings, which in the NHL are 2 points for a win (any scenario), 1 point for an overtime or shootout loss, and 0 points for a loss, have been modified to 3 points for a regulation win, 2 points for an overtime or shootout win, 1 point for an overtime or shootout loss, and 0 points for a regulation loss.
-The "Jailbreak" goal - unlike the NHL or international hockey, when a shorthanded goal is scored in the PWHL (for a minor penalty only), the penalized player is sprung from the penalty box. It makes for a more interesting game than just having a team ice the puck to kill off the two minutes.
-There are differences in the shootout as well. The shootout is at least five rounds and teams can repeat shooters as much as they'd like. So, if you're PWHL Montreal, you could have Marie-Philip Poulin handle all five shootout attempts.

Physical play has been heightened from the rules in women's international hockey. Referees are more inclined to allow physicality in board battles, but they want to prevent dangerous open ice hits, so there are a lot more scrums than people are used to seeing in women's hockey.

Players to watch-
Boston - Hillary Knight, Alina Muller, Aerin Frankel
Minnesota - Taylor Heise (1st overall draft choice), Grace Zumwinkle, Lee Stecklein
Montreal - Marie-Philip Poulin, Erin Ambrose, Ann-Renee Desbiens
New York - Abby Roque, Ella Shelton, Emma Woods
Ottawa - Jincy Roese, Daryl Watts, Mikyla Grant-Mentis
Toronto - Sarah Nurse, Emma Maltais, Renata Fast

Official Website
PWHL YouTube Channel

Comments

[wendelah1]

halfamoon is back!

Yay, Women's hockey.

[kiki_eng]

Eee! PWHL! PWHL!

I have really been enjoying Erin Ambrose's play this season and am just enjoying watching all of these women get to play in general and kind of the thing where there is too much accessible hockey for me to watch all of it, so I am needing to pick and choose what I am watching but this also means that I am missing Hilary Knight and really looking forward to watching another Boston game.

Like, this league has so much, and everything is delightful.

What games have you been watching?

Are you doing another primer for halfamoon this year, since there is a league? :D *chinhands*

[cmk418]

there is too much accessible hockey for me to watch all of it Isn't it wonderful to have this as a problem right now? *sigh* If you have a way of saving the YouTube links when they put them up the day of the game, you can go back and watch them. I don't know why they're hiding them from the public after the game is viewed, but they are still accessible. (If you want to see something in particular, let me know and I'll see if I have the link- here's yesterday's Minnesota-Boston game which also went to OT.

I'm waiting for Ottawa to solve Montreal in overtime. And that save on the penalty shot! Maschmeyer returns from the dead and the first thing she's expected to do is stop Laura Stacey? Ridiculous.

I've tried to watch most every game or at least log in for a portion so they get the views. I'm not really warm about New York mainly because that "no handshake" thing their coach pulled, but that's more on him and not them.

I actually just put a link in the previous one in this page after saying that my prediction that the PHF and PWHPA would never get together had been wonderfully jossed.

[kiki_eng]

For game links: james linked to a playlist on womenshockey, also. I haven't used it at all (I saw it yesterday and also time), but it looks pretty complete.

Masch is a fearsome creature.

I've tried to watch most every game or at least log in for a portion so they get the views.
I am clicking on a lot of news articles with a similar stance.

I'm not really warm about New York mainly because that "no handshake" thing their coach pulled, but that's more on him and not them.
I am going to need to look this up. This sounds ridiculous.

[cmk418]

Thanks for the link to womenshockey. I'm going to have to join that community. Hopefully less toxic than NHL Twitter.

Masch is great and I love Desbiens as well, not so high on Campbell. I think she was in goal when I saw the Rivalry series in LA and she didn't impress me much. I love all of Minnesota's goalies- I think Hensley is better than Rooney and I would love to see Amanda Leveille play again.

[kiki_eng]

I am fond of Soupy, but it is not a fondness that expects her to be a national team pick.

Minnesota's goalies situation is ridiculous - they have done very well for themselves - and the current standings are really reflective of goalie strength, I feel. I think I've watched New York and Boston play the least of the teams, and don't feel like I've as much as a handle on what they are up to, though.

[cmk418]

Are you doing another primer for halfamoon this year, since there is a league? :D *chinhands*?

I did a picspam

[kiki_eng]

\o/

Amazing. :)

And also thank you for the link, because while subscribed to halfamoon I am apparently not operating at peak efficiency this week, so hadn't seen it.

[cmk418]

OMG! My brother knows one of the higher ups for the St Louis Blues (basically the guy in charge of booking all of the non-Blues hockey events here in St Louis) and he told my brother they're trying to get a PWHL game here next season. Squeee!!!!!!!!!!

(It would have been cooler had he said, "Get a PWHL team here next season" but I'll take what I can get. For now.)

[kiki_eng]

(Apologies; it has been a literal and figurative week.)

So I feel really grateful for the one game I can make it out to this year now.

Your closest game is, what, an eight hour drive with that Detroit exhibition game? It'd be nice to start building out from that kind of North-east-ish border-hugging corridor. I think it'll be a while before we get a team that's in the middle of either country, but, exhibition games to build excitement/explore markets sound like a way to go. *crosses fingers for you*